x850xt agp = overkill for a p4 3.4ghz NON PRESCOTT?

[stag3]

so i got in on the x850xt deal direct from ati. i recently upgraded to a p4 3.4ghz northwood. will the video card be limited by the cpu? what cpu does the x850xt scale up to before i reach the limit of the card itself?

reason i only went up to 3.4ghz : highest cpu supported by socket 478. in hindsite i should have passed on the x850xt and just got a new MB, newer socket p4 and a pci-e x800xl.

 

[kyparrish]

3.4C is pretty quick. I don't think it will bottleneck your video card. If gaming is your main interest for your computer, you're going to hear a lot of people suggesting you move to a 939 A64 setup.

 

[The Green Bean]

Depeneds on the resolution you are playing on and if you like AA and AF. Not overkill if you play at a high resolution and full AA and AF

 

[Megatomic]

I agree with hatim, that card is gonna let you run at higher res. with AA and AF on. Not to mention all the game's graphics options turned on. :thumbsup:

 

[RussianSensation]

Originally posted by: stag3

reason i only went up to 3.4ghz : highest cpu supported by socket 478. in hindsite i should have passed on the x850xt and just got a new MB, newer socket p4 and a pci-e x800xl.

No. P4 3.4ghz with x850xt pe will still be faster than P4 3.8ghz on 775 and x800xl.

You should have gotten a new motherboard, A64 3000+ Venice and x850xt pcie so you can later overclock the processor, have upgradability for dual-core, 64-bit support, and a greater likelihood of selling the x850xt pe in PCIe form (and at a larger price) for those users looking for CrossFire especially.

Either way, considering you probably got a really good deal, this system should be fast enough for another 1-1.5 years.

 

[ddogg]

well it wont be a bottleneck...thats a pretty fast speed....u should be able to run most games at max settings!! :thumbsup:

 

[Auric]

Counter-point: it is less costly and much less effort to plop in a CPU and viddy card, plus a major upgrade will be more worthwhile in the future.

If the mobo supports it, a better option than the highest freq CPU would be a lower freq CPU with o'erclocking. The Prescott is cheaper and clocks higher than the Northwood but requires mobo support.

 

[BillyBobJoel71]

ahh. im beginning to dislike my p4 sometimes and i wish i had an a64 (if im right they are way better for games). but i had no choice, because my other computer was stolen and i was forced to get the one i have now (minus vid card, sound card and psu). is a p4 3ghz okay for gaming anyway?

 

[nitromullet]

I have no problems running Doom3 or HL2 at 1680x1050 with my GeForce 6800GT / P4 3.4C rig. I would imagine that the X850 XT PE will rock in your's.

 

[legcramp]

ur pentium 4 3.4c when used and pumped up the resolution/details to max..1600x1200+ and bench it against an fx-55...p4 EE or w/e, you will see hmm...3 fps at most? lol...dont worry about bottleneck..just pump up the quality/resolution and set it and forget it!