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What should be matched up with XP 1600 w/ PC2100

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PandaBear

Golden Member
Here is my dilima:

Currently running an Athlon XP 1600 (Palomino) with KT266A and 512MB of PC2100 and Voodoo3, but realize I can't play many games, due to driver or something else. So I am upgrading, and everyone say most of the newer thing is CPU limited at even XP 2400. I know probably GF4 Ti 4200 will be more than sufficient, but what about anything above or below?

I am a cheap ass that will most likely buy used and won't upgrade until something 3x as fast as my current combo can be had for less than $200 (meaning that I will most likely use this setup till 2 years from now). Don't play FPS because I have motion sickness.

I know the following cards are not that great of an idea:
GeForce 2 MX, 4 MX, etc
GeForce 2 series
GeForce FX5200-5500
Raedon 9200-9500 or any SE

Would the following be a good card to match:
Raedon 8500/9100 pro and non-pro
Raedon 9600, SE, XT, Pro, etc
GeForce3 Vanilla and Ti200-Ti500
GeForce4 Ti4200-Ti4600
GeForce FX 5700LE
GeForce 6300 (if there is an AGP version)

Would the following be overkill:
GeForce FX5900 (vanilla, ultra, etc)
GeForce 6600GT
Raedon 9700, 9800 non pro and pro.

Thanks a head. I have searched and dont find anything scale as low as my setup.
 
OK, not playing FPSes considerably lowers the bar, but give us more details to make a recommendation. What genres do you play? What resolution would you like to play at?

I think a used Radeon 9700 or 9700 Pro for ~$110 is probably a safe bet. Yeah, your system will hold it back, but you'll basically be able to enable (and enjoy) AA and AF on every game you play. A 6600GT is nicer, but not worth twice the price for your system. Plus, when you upgrade, you'll be upgrading to a system with PCI-Express, not AGP, so any 6600GT you buy now won't be able to migrate to your new system.

But I guess a used, $50 GF4Ti 4200 128MB will be a pretty big leap above your V3, anyway. If you're on an extreme budget, that's probably your best choice for $50, and should let you game reasonably well at 1024x768 in even the newest (non-FPS) games. A used 9700/P is an equally good price/performance buy, though: it's twice the price, but it'll basically allow for AA+AF and a higher res in all titles. It's also DX9, which my mean an extra fancy effect or two in newer games. Just make sure you have a good 300W power supply to handle it.
 
Pete, you hit the nail right on the head. I am thinking about 1024*768 on games like warcraft 3, world of warcraft, diablo 2, GTA, or maybe the latest need for speed. I play mostly strategy games, starcraft, Age of Empire, etc. V3 in warcraft 3 is flowing sufficiently (still slow) but graphics are corrupted, or else I won't upgrade even. But if I were to spend, might as well spend smart than penny wise pound foolish. I did have a 19" trinitron as it is IMO the best investment ever on monitor.

FPS above 40-50 will be sufficient in my view. I got an Antec 300W so it is good to go, with on board sound and one HD only, it is more than plenty for me.
 
if you are into RTS, get the 9700pro great buy for your system. you will be AMAZED at how smooth everything is 😀
 
I have a Ti 4200 )64 MB) and it plays most the games you mentioned at 1024 x 768. I haven't tried WoW. I have to play the Doom3 demo at 640 x 480, and Half-Life 2 at 800 x 600. I have it paired with a faster cpu, though (XP 2600+ TB). Considering these are going for $40-50 used, they offer the best bang for buck on the low end. The next best thing would be a used 9700 Pro.
 
It seems like the GF3TI would probably match with your other hardware pretty well...or the radeon 8500. But I'd probably get a GF4TI because they can be had for $50-60 used and are a great all around card. They can even hold their own in newer titles if you turn the options down.
 
Another vote for the TI-4200. I have a Shuttle AN35N running an XP1700+ T-Bred B at 10x200 with an Asus 128 MB Ti-4200. It plays Far Cry and Half Life 2 just fine at 1024x768 with 512 mb of PC-3200 ram. A Ti-4200 should handle your games fine and won't be overly bottlenecked by your CPU.
 
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