BeiGaLeh

My computer was bought about 2 years ago and it's getting pretty old.
Details:
Processor- Pentium 4 2.6Ghz
RAM- 1024MB DDR (purchased the extra 512 lately)
Motherboard- ABIT IS7-E (Has PCI slots and an AGP slot)
Video Card- Ati Radeon 9600 XT 256MB (Want to upgrade)

Now, the main problems are the graphic card and motherboard. I want to buy a new graphic card, but I understand PCIe is better and AGP is a dead technology. I am looking for a new motherboard which will fit a new graphic card, and the new graphic card. I also want it to be compatible with everything else I have. My maximum budget would be $200, trying to stay away from the maximum.
I have money, just that I didn't get straight A's on my progress report... I got 5 A's, a B and a C... You don't need to know that actually... Please help me. Thank you for your time.

linderman

Hello & congrats on a very decent progress report!
(work harder on that "C")



Ok; just to set the record strait; PCI express is not better than AGP

PCI Express cards are cheaper to manufacturer than an AGP card of similar spec; however that feature alone will be the death of AGP cards!

but in the mean time, AGP cards of similar spec certainluy hold their own in comptitions with their rival, the AGP line just cant compete dollar for dollar.

with that having seen said, I would simply opt for a better video card to suit your needs. However you must be careful, better video cards are real power hogs, so you may well need to upgrade your power supply to feed the "beast"

I personally would suggest this one as first choice
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130051

another great choice
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102606

I would also suggest you get an Antec Sp-500 watt PSU for another $58.00

PanamaGal

I don't think there are any boards for what you seek. There are a handful of socket 478 boards (I'm assuming your P4 is a 478) with a PCIe slot, but I think they use DDR2 memory. You may need to rethink this. Is there somehting wrong with your current board? Perhaps just an AGP graphics card upgrade?

BeiGaLeh

Thanks a lot! I think I will look for a video card on www.edealinfo.com though.. It has really awsome deals.

BeiGaLeh

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814103005
What about this one?

PanamaGal

Not bad, but I'd opt for this one for the money: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130051

TheMatt

Linderman's second choice will probably outperform both of those. Thats my pick.

BeiGaLeh

Wait.. is X850 better than X1300 and X1600? This doesn't make sense at all.. that's why i hate shopping for graphic cards.. They have about 50 versions for each model and they're not even in order. X1700pro can be better than x1900 GP

linderman

to answer your question YES you can buy a lesser revision or release of a video card with specs that are better than some models of a higher release #


for example you can buy the x850 may have 12 pixel piplelines (this is just for conversation) and compare to an X1300 which may only have 8 pixel pipelines ???? or we could give you a link to an X850 with 256 mb or ram compared to an X1300 with less ram ?????

save yourself the aggravation; buy either the card Panama linked or the X850 both will smoke what you have. Dont buy more video card then the balance of your system components can run! example buying a 7900GT would be a waste of your money, your system would not keep up with its capabilities, example= dont buy a 25 gallon steel barrel if your job is to carry water by 5 gallon increments !

DONT forget the PSU or you will be sorry; GUARANTEED

TheMatt

The Radeon X1xxx series is just newer than the Xxxx series. But just because a card is older doesn't necessarily mean its lower performance.

If you look at the specs, the X850 is about as fast as the X1600 and faster than the 7600GS, but it has faster memory than both (DDR3) and it has 256 bit memory instead of 128 bit. That is why it is my choice.

It is just about the same price because it is older and people would buy the higher end newer cards instead of the higher end older cards if they were the same price because they were simply newer.

But Linderman has made a good point, a 2.6 GHz P4 isn't exactly the best gaming chip, so if you are just waiting for a total system upgrade, the 7600GS would be the better option because you would go PCIe in that upgrade most likley, but if you plan on getting a new CPU and keeping your motherboard, then the X850Pro will give you much more room for improvements.

Hope this simplifies things.