As far as I know, there is ONE Nvidia 8-series AGP, and it's a Gainward "Golden Sample". Good luck finding one, they are kind of rare, as there weren't many produced, and I don't know that any were officially distributed in the US.
Although, you CAN get the Gainward "Bliss" Golden Sample 7900GS 512 AGP
Well i bought a Geforce 7600 256mb AGP for now. If i get some extra money from christmas or something i may do the upgrade of Motherboard, Processor, and Ram
but (i forget who linked newegg links to those things) is that processor that good? Shouldnt i be going for a much faster processor if im going to be upgrading, i think it was only 2.4 GHZ.. the min requirements on this game alone is 2.5. just wondering for future reference. Also, what do i look for in a Mobo mainly ? Thanks
Originally posted by mindspatOriginally posted by natevploeg
I need to get a new vid card for this game. I dont want to spend too much but want it to run decent. Whats a good AGP card for the money that will run this nicely? Thanks
The pipelines are the main thing to watch for. PCI-e cards have 16 by default and most current AGP cards are 12. Now, this doesn't mean you can't get an AGP with 16 pipelines...x800/x850
If AGP was truely dead then you wouldn't be seing current generation video cards using the format.
AGP is not dead.
p.s. the pipes are being locked at 12 instead of 16 on most agp cards not 'cs of technology, but 'cs they want you to buy newer and more expensive equipment. Some of these "locked" cards can be unlocked...
I have to disagree with you here, in my opinion and that of many others the AGP platform is a dead platform. I wan't aware that an AGP card had that much bandwith but isn't that a moot point since the platform cannot utilize it all, where as pci-e x16 can utilize it all?
Also after upgrading to that card he's probably not going to be able to upgrade any further, as Nvidia hasn't released any AGP cards in the 8 series to my knowledge this year nor have plans to (correct me if I'm wrong).
The only thing against going PCI is that people don't want the hassle and sometimes extra epense (although this is small and saves money in the long run) of upgrading and would rather get an AGP card. Until one day there is nothing on the market that their mobo can use to effectively play games.
There are plenty of options for AGP users who want to experiance modern games. As for the pipes, yes, you will notice an improvement on the same card if you're able to unlock the 4 pipes for the full 16 regardless if it's using an AGP interface. This proves the AGP interface is not being bottlenecked. The GPU's are the same as the PCI-e cards, at least ATI's are, and as expressed, the primary trouble would be that eventually the interface will not be able to support the processing requirements, but that's still a year or two away.
ATI has also introduced their next x2xx series in AGP which supports DX10 while including HDMI and full HDCP support. (HDPC is complete bull shit)
As for rarity, the better cards ARE always going to be rare. That's a no brainer though aint it? You looked at the cost of an x800xt with 16 pipes, know when that card came out?
What's not being mentioned are the RAM modules on the graphics cards. Many of the PCI cards which are being referenced to as "cheaper" and "low cost" are actually inferior to many AGP options since a lot of them are equiped with ddr2 128bit chips and lower clock speeds, while you're better AGP, which also cost a little more, are upwards of 512mb ddr3 256 bit. Will you have to pay an extra $50? Yes, but you'll also keep your rig working till it's time to actually need an upgrade.
You need Vista to run dx10 and there's no benefit for a budget minded individual to upgrade to PCI-e unless they're building a Vista rig.
Few things to note as much needed:
Core Clock speed >600mhz
Shader 3.0
DDR3/DDR4 >512mb
System Ram 2x 1gb (total of 2gb) dual channel with a bus matching the CPU.
I'm sorry, but my old rig is equal to many current PCI-e systems and this is where I would expect to be blasted with dual card systems, which are not entirely cost effective.
Originally posted by mindspatOriginally posted by natevploeg
I need to get a new vid card for this game. I dont want to spend too much but want it to run decent. Whats a good AGP card for the money that will run this nicely? Thanks
The pipelines are the main thing to watch for. PCI-e cards have 16 by default and most current AGP cards are 12. Now, this doesn't mean you can't get an AGP with 16 pipelines...x800/x850
If AGP was truely dead then you wouldn't be seing current generation video cards using the format.
AGP is not dead.
p.s. the pipes are being locked at 12 instead of 16 on most agp cards not 'cs of technology, but 'cs they want you to buy newer and more expensive equipment. Some of these "locked" cards can be unlocked...
I have to disagree with you here, in my opinion and that of many others the AGP platform is a dead platform. I wan't aware that an AGP card had that much bandwith but isn't that a moot point since the platform cannot utilize it all, where as pci-e x16 can utilize it all?
Also after upgrading to that card he's probably not going to be able to upgrade any further, as Nvidia hasn't released any AGP cards in the 8 series to my knowledge this year nor have plans to (correct me if I'm wrong).
The only thing against going PCI is that people don't want the hassle and sometimes extra epense (although this is small and saves money in the long run) of upgrading and would rather get an AGP card. Until one day there is nothing on the market that their mobo can use to effectively play games.
There are plenty of options for AGP users who want to experiance modern games. As for the pipes, yes, you will notice an improvement on the same card if you're able to unlock the 4 pipes for the full 16 regardless if it's using an AGP interface. This proves the AGP interface is not being bottlenecked. The GPU's are the same as the PCI-e cards, at least ATI's are, and as expressed, the primary trouble would be that eventually the interface will not be able to support the processing requirements, but that's still a year or two away.
ATI has also introduced their next x2xx series in AGP which supports DX10 while including HDMI and full HDCP support. (HDPC is complete bull shit)
As for rarity, the better cards ARE always going to be rare. That's a no brainer though aint it? You looked at the cost of an x800xt with 16 pipes, know when that card came out?
What's not being mentioned are the RAM modules on the graphics cards. Many of the PCI cards which are being referenced to as "cheaper" and "low cost" are actually inferior to many AGP options since a lot of them are equiped with ddr2 128bit chips and lower clock speeds, while you're better AGP, which also cost a little more, are upwards of 512mb ddr3 256 bit. Will you have to pay an extra $50? Yes, but you'll also keep your rig working till it's time to actually need an upgrade.
You need Vista to run dx10 and there's no benefit for a budget minded individual to upgrade to PCI-e unless they're building a Vista rig.
Few things to note as much needed:
Core Clock speed >600mhz
Shader 3.0
DDR3/DDR4 >512mb
System Ram 2x 1gb (total of 2gb) dual channel with a bus matching the CPU.
I'm sorry, but my old rig is equal to many current PCI-e systems and this is where I would expect to be blasted with dual card systems, which are not entirely cost effective.
Did I mention I use a Pentium IV Prescott?
If you're wondering what would be better to stick with AGP or go to PCI-E heres a tidbit you may find interesting.
"PCI-Express is capable of speed up to 4000 MB/s, twice of AGP 8x .
PCIe has 16 processing lanes to spilt up work and process faster." <old quote from previous post
"The increased bandwidth on PCI Express has led to unification, as it is fast enough to replace almost all existing internal buses, including AGP and PCI. Intel envisions a single PCI Express controller talking to all external devices in the future, as opposed to the northbridge/southbridge solution used in current machines." <new quote off of wikipedia
Personally PCI-E is becoming standardized for a reason. It's not because AGP is better or more expensive, that much I can tell you. The performance between an AGP and PCI-E will actually be a surprising performance jump per memory size and clock speed, as well as pixel pipelines.
A pci-e card with 64 MB supposedly has the capability to run like an AGP card at 128MB.
Also, using SLi with an AGP slot is pretty much unheard of. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it would be pointless to do it if it could be done, and I've never seen it actually done before.
PCI-E cards are actually becoming cheaper, and its not due to the type of ram they use (in all cases). PCI-E cards are going to become cheaper mainly because thats where the market is going. Look at SDRAM prices compared to a DDR2 price. I just bought 2 gigs of DDR-2 of patriot ram and got it for 60 dollars off of newegg. (there was a special btw). You can buy a 512 stick of pc 133 sdram for 44.00 Thats less then 3 times the size AND speed of your memory, and twice the price.
Upgrading your MB will be cheaper in the long run for many reasons, NOT just the video card, but that will be an added perk. Its worth it whether you use Vista or not, because VIsta is where everything will be going, like it or not. You can always set up a dual boot option.
things are sooo cheap right now cause everyone has to douche their system of non vista parts, so those parts need to get sold (any non dx 10 card fits in here also). the 939 boards are being replaced by am2 which means new ram standards etc etc etc.
as far as what to look for in parts i suggest reading a guide on how to build a pc (no really google it) and THEN decide. any retard with a browser can suggest thousands of parts. its about what you need and can afford. building pc's is simple using just a simple guide and newegg, the MAIN reason newegg is superior to other sites is the fact that other people make reviews, so you'll know if a board is going to be a bastard to set up or whatever.
in closing i can only say i hope your taste in hardware is better than your taste in games.
things are sooo cheap right now cause everyone has to douche their system of non vista parts, so those parts need to get sold (any non dx 10 card fits in here also). the 939 boards are being replaced by am2 which means new ram standards etc etc etc. as far as what to look for in parts i suggest reading a guide on how to build a pc (no really google it) and THEN decide. any retard with a browser can suggest thousands of parts. its about what you need and can afford. building pc's is simple using just a simple guide and newegg, the MAIN reason newegg is superior to other sites is the fact that other people make reviews, so you'll know if a board is going to be a bastard to set up or whatever. in closing i can only say i hope your taste in hardware is better than your taste in games.
The reviewers on NewEgg are much like the people here, take everything you read with a grain of salt. Every review will have someone who likes it, someone who hates it, and someone who wants you to buy ATI instead of Nvidia. Everyone is opinionated.
If you've never put a PC together before, then it could take a while for you to get the machine together, and even then you may have problems, questions, or concerns. You will notice a lot of people say on newegg "got the motherboard and it was DOA" to tell you the truth, alot of people just don't know thing 1 about correctly anchoring a motherboard or where you should and shouldn't touch. I've also been out on calls where people have tried to build their own PC and they just didn't seat something right. A lot of things can go wrong, I've seen so many.
Anyways, if you could, post how much you have to spend and what you'd like to accomplish. I've built PC's for 250 dollars before, and I've built PC's for 2000+ I would be happy to recommend something based on your budget.
things are sooo cheap right now cause everyone has to douche their system of non vista parts, so those parts need to get sold (any non dx 10 card fits in here also). the 939 boards are being replaced by am2 which means new ram standards etc etc etc. as far as what to look for in parts i suggest reading a guide on how to build a pc (no really google it) and THEN decide. any retard with a browser can suggest thousands of parts. its about what you need and can afford. building pc's is simple using just a simple guide and newegg, the MAIN reason newegg is superior to other sites is the fact that other people make reviews, so you'll know if a board is going to be a bastard to set up or whatever. in closing i can only say i hope your taste in hardware is better than your taste in games.
The reviewers on NewEgg are much like the people here, take everything you read with a grain of salt. Every review will have someone who likes it, someone who hates it, and someone who wants you to buy ATI instead of Nvidia. Everyone is opinionated.
If you've never put a PC together before, then it could take a while for you to get the machine together, and even then you may have problems, questions, or concerns. You will notice a lot of people say on newegg "got the motherboard and it was DOA" to tell you the truth, alot of people just don't know thing 1 about correctly anchoring a motherboard or where you should and shouldn't touch. I've also been out on calls where people have tried to build their own PC and they just didn't seat something right. A lot of things can go wrong, I've seen so many.
Anyways, if you could, post how much you have to spend and what you'd like to accomplish. I've built PC's for 250 dollars before, and I've built PC's for 2000+ I would be happy to recommend something based on your budget.
hehehe. ignorance runs amuck in the newegg product reviews.
Well i bought a Geforce 7600 256mb AGP for now. If i get some extra money from christmas or something i may do the upgrade of Motherboard, Processor, and Ram but (i forget who linked newegg links to those things) is that processor that good? Shouldnt i be going for a much faster processor if im going to be upgrading, i think it was only 2.4 GHZ.. the min requirements on this game alone is 2.5. just wondering for future reference. Also, what do i look for in a Mobo mainly ? Thanks
Hey Natevploeg, good for you. I understand the college situation completely and you should be just fine with that card.
yeah zephyn02, its tough when people with sweet systems and a lot of money tell me what stuff i need to get haha - dont think they realize i can barely pay rent.
Unless you bought a dell or any other name brand comp and have to spend the extra 20 bucks for a new atx case (assuming dell and othere brands do not use atx standards for motherboards) then its going to cost $250 for an upgrade. That would include 2gigs of ram and going AMD and a 8500GT video card.
IF you do not have 250 then get yourself a 0% interest creditcard and pay it off in 6 months.
Do NOT buy and AGP card. AGP was developed bc we need a video card interface that ran faster than PCI wich to my knowledge is 33MH AGP carried that number 4x and 8x 33 wich is 132MH and 264MH. Now PCI E is 16x that number or 528MH
Plus since its serial based it sends info both ways wich makes a total transport speed of 8000MB/s instead of what would be 4000MB/s and AGP runs at 2100MB/s
So there is no reason to keep your agp setup any more.
And if you tell anyone that its a good idea to waste there money on an agp card your pants will immediately burst into flames beacuse you Sir are a filthy lier.
Unless you bought a dell or any other name brand comp and have to spend the extra 20 bucks for a new atx case (assuming dell and othere brands do not use atx standards for motherboards) then its going to cost $250 for an upgrade. That would include 2gigs of ram and going AMD and a 8500GT video card. IF you do not have 250 then get yourself a 0% interest creditcard and pay it off in 6 months. Do NOT buy and AGP card. AGP was developed bc we need a video card interface that ran faster than PCI wich to my knowledge is 33MH AGP carried that number 4x and 8x 33 wich is 132MH and 264MH. Now PCI E is 16x that number or 528MH Plus since its serial based it sends info both ways wich makes a total transport speed of 8000MB/s instead of what would be 4000MB/s and AGP runs at 2100MB/s So there is no reason to keep your agp setup any more. And if you tell anyone that its a good idea to waste there money on an agp card your pants will immediately burst into flames beacuse you Sir are a filthy lier.
Thats great but when you aint got the money you aint got the money. As for telling a college student to go get a credit card you should have your head examined? I have money and I still run an AGP setup because its not high on my prioity list to go get anything else and my 939 board works just fine. COULD I have a top of the line system right now? Absolutly, but its not important to me; my Mustang refurb project is.... And I can still play TR just fine, even with my AGP card.
Yeah all iw ant to do is play the game. Im playing it on my buddies computer who has a geforce 6800 agp card and its perfect for me. My card i bought is better than that one so all i need (which is to play the game) has been accomplished. Ill upgrade later as things keep getting cheaper. I don't require top end equipment to enjoy the game
You should post your current card and other important CPU stats. Make sure your power supply can support the card, so that the game doesn't lock up. Also make sure to double check what people are recommending in this forum, because no offense, but some just don't got a clue. For example the person who recomended sli cards but only listed a single core 2.4Ghz CPU.
Ok just telll me why cant you use sli and a single core CPU.
I have a X2 3800+ 65W when stock 2.0GH and right now oced to 2.45. I had it higher but i need better cooling to push it higher. It ran stable around 2.6.
And an 2 7600GS SLI. Its my first. I just had to know what its like.
2 gigs of ram as well.
And I just want to know why you can't run SLI on single core CPUs. I thought SLI came out before Dual Core CPUs .
Nvidia's current sli and the voodoo2 sli are two completely different beasts ... i don't really remember, but i think it used to be that voodoo's had each card alternating ... so one would draw one frame, and then the next frame would be drawn by the second card and so on. Nvidia's alternates every line on the screen as it's drawn .... or something like that .... i'm sure wikipedia has the answer anyway.
To the original poster ... If you do get a bit of money for christmas and decide to invest it in your computer, try and make some wise choices. You say that you prefer to spread out your upgrade across the year? I'm the same with this, though i do find it ultimately leads to eventually needing to due one big spend for a complete platform change.
However, I think you could do yourself well by having a look around at some ASRock motherboards using the ULi chipset. Primarily here i'm thinking of the ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 motherboard. This has socket 939 by default, and supports both AGP and PCI-E without taking any performance loss. This way you can use the 7600 you've just got until you want something more. Similarly, because it's 939 it still uses the same type of memory as your current system (DDR1) so you can reuse that in the short term.
To start with, all you'd need to source is the motherboard and a processor to go into it (and cooling ofcourse). For this i'd suggest something like the socket 939 3800/4200+ Athlon x2.
Now, the real beauty of this board is this ... you can purchase a CPU upgrade board for it (EBay) which enables you to change over to socket AM2 without having to buy another complete platform. With the upgrade board it accepts DDR2 memory and processors up to and including the 6000+ X2 (maybe even the 6400+ now as well).
Basically, this board lets you achieve the piecemeal upgrade path your used to, and prolong it for a while as well. I don't think it's been confirmed as being capable of it yet, but there's a possibility with the CPU upgrade board it will even accomodate one of AMDs new quad core Phenoms, as they're meant to be backwardly compatible with AM2.
As others have mentioned though, keep an eye on your power supply, as most of these newer components will be wanting more power ... when you try to draw too much from a PSU then it tends to fail ... and when they fail they quite often end up taking other components with them to the grave. The tool I've linked below can help with figuring out how your power supply is standing.
Comments
As far as I know, there is ONE Nvidia 8-series AGP, and it's a Gainward "Golden Sample". Good luck finding one, they are kind of rare, as there weren't many produced, and I don't know that any were officially distributed in the US.
Although, you CAN get the Gainward "Bliss" Golden Sample 7900GS 512 AGP
Link Here
Although even this one isn't all that common.
The point is, if you want a card to tide you over while saving up $$ for "the big upgrade", you have options.
Well i bought a Geforce 7600 256mb AGP for now. If i get some extra money from christmas or something i may do the upgrade of Motherboard, Processor, and Ram
but (i forget who linked newegg links to those things) is that processor that good? Shouldnt i be going for a much faster processor if im going to be upgrading, i think it was only 2.4 GHZ.. the min requirements on this game alone is 2.5. just wondering for future reference. Also, what do i look for in a Mobo mainly ? Thanks
The pipelines are the main thing to watch for. PCI-e cards have 16 by default and most current AGP cards are 12. Now, this doesn't mean you can't get an AGP with 16 pipelines...x800/x850
If AGP was truely dead then you wouldn't be seing current generation video cards using the format.
AGP is not dead.
p.s. the pipes are being locked at 12 instead of 16 on most agp cards not 'cs of technology, but 'cs they want you to buy newer and more expensive equipment. Some of these "locked" cards can be unlocked...
I have to disagree with you here, in my opinion and that of many others the AGP platform is a dead platform. I wan't aware that an AGP card had that much bandwith but isn't that a moot point since the platform cannot utilize it all, where as pci-e x16 can utilize it all?
Also after upgrading to that card he's probably not going to be able to upgrade any further, as Nvidia hasn't released any AGP cards in the 8 series to my knowledge this year nor have plans to (correct me if I'm wrong).
The only thing against going PCI is that people don't want the hassle and sometimes extra epense (although this is small and saves money in the long run) of upgrading and would rather get an AGP card. Until one day there is nothing on the market that their mobo can use to effectively play games.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2000380048+1069609639+1305520549&name=ATIThere are plenty of options for AGP users who want to experiance modern games. As for the pipes, yes, you will notice an improvement on the same card if you're able to unlock the 4 pipes for the full 16 regardless if it's using an AGP interface. This proves the AGP interface is not being bottlenecked. The GPU's are the same as the PCI-e cards, at least ATI's are, and as expressed, the primary trouble would be that eventually the interface will not be able to support the processing requirements, but that's still a year or two away.
ATI has also introduced their next x2xx series in AGP which supports DX10 while including HDMI and full HDCP support. (HDPC is complete bull shit)
As for rarity, the better cards ARE always going to be rare. That's a no brainer though aint it? You looked at the cost of an x800xt with 16 pipes, know when that card came out?
What's not being mentioned are the RAM modules on the graphics cards. Many of the PCI cards which are being referenced to as "cheaper" and "low cost" are actually inferior to many AGP options since a lot of them are equiped with ddr2 128bit chips and lower clock speeds, while you're better AGP, which also cost a little more, are upwards of 512mb ddr3 256 bit. Will you have to pay an extra $50? Yes, but you'll also keep your rig working till it's time to actually need an upgrade.
You need Vista to run dx10 and there's no benefit for a budget minded individual to upgrade to PCI-e unless they're building a Vista rig.
Few things to note as much needed:
Core Clock speed >600mhz
Shader 3.0
DDR3/DDR4 >512mb
System Ram 2x 1gb (total of 2gb) dual channel with a bus matching the CPU.
I'm sorry, but my old rig is equal to many current PCI-e systems and this is where I would expect to be blasted with dual card systems, which are not entirely cost effective.
Did I mention I use a Pentium IV Prescott?
The pipelines are the main thing to watch for. PCI-e cards have 16 by default and most current AGP cards are 12. Now, this doesn't mean you can't get an AGP with 16 pipelines...x800/x850
If AGP was truely dead then you wouldn't be seing current generation video cards using the format.
AGP is not dead.
p.s. the pipes are being locked at 12 instead of 16 on most agp cards not 'cs of technology, but 'cs they want you to buy newer and more expensive equipment. Some of these "locked" cards can be unlocked...
I have to disagree with you here, in my opinion and that of many others the AGP platform is a dead platform. I wan't aware that an AGP card had that much bandwith but isn't that a moot point since the platform cannot utilize it all, where as pci-e x16 can utilize it all?
Also after upgrading to that card he's probably not going to be able to upgrade any further, as Nvidia hasn't released any AGP cards in the 8 series to my knowledge this year nor have plans to (correct me if I'm wrong).
The only thing against going PCI is that people don't want the hassle and sometimes extra epense (although this is small and saves money in the long run) of upgrading and would rather get an AGP card. Until one day there is nothing on the market that their mobo can use to effectively play games.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2000380048+1069609639+1305520549&name=ATIThere are plenty of options for AGP users who want to experiance modern games. As for the pipes, yes, you will notice an improvement on the same card if you're able to unlock the 4 pipes for the full 16 regardless if it's using an AGP interface. This proves the AGP interface is not being bottlenecked. The GPU's are the same as the PCI-e cards, at least ATI's are, and as expressed, the primary trouble would be that eventually the interface will not be able to support the processing requirements, but that's still a year or two away.
ATI has also introduced their next x2xx series in AGP which supports DX10 while including HDMI and full HDCP support. (HDPC is complete bull shit)
As for rarity, the better cards ARE always going to be rare. That's a no brainer though aint it? You looked at the cost of an x800xt with 16 pipes, know when that card came out?
What's not being mentioned are the RAM modules on the graphics cards. Many of the PCI cards which are being referenced to as "cheaper" and "low cost" are actually inferior to many AGP options since a lot of them are equiped with ddr2 128bit chips and lower clock speeds, while you're better AGP, which also cost a little more, are upwards of 512mb ddr3 256 bit. Will you have to pay an extra $50? Yes, but you'll also keep your rig working till it's time to actually need an upgrade.
You need Vista to run dx10 and there's no benefit for a budget minded individual to upgrade to PCI-e unless they're building a Vista rig.
Few things to note as much needed:
Core Clock speed >600mhz
Shader 3.0
DDR3/DDR4 >512mb
System Ram 2x 1gb (total of 2gb) dual channel with a bus matching the CPU.
I'm sorry, but my old rig is equal to many current PCI-e systems and this is where I would expect to be blasted with dual card systems, which are not entirely cost effective.
Did I mention I use a Pentium IV Prescott?
If you're wondering what would be better to stick with AGP or go to PCI-E heres a tidbit you may find interesting.
"PCI-Express is capable of speed up to 4000 MB/s, twice of AGP 8x .
PCIe has 16 processing lanes to spilt up work and process faster." <old quote from previous post
"The increased bandwidth on PCI Express has led to unification, as it is fast enough to replace almost all existing internal buses, including AGP and PCI. Intel envisions a single PCI Express controller talking to all external devices in the future, as opposed to the northbridge/southbridge solution used in current machines." <new quote off of wikipedia
Personally PCI-E is becoming standardized for a reason. It's not because AGP is better or more expensive, that much I can tell you. The performance between an AGP and PCI-E will actually be a surprising performance jump per memory size and clock speed, as well as pixel pipelines.
A pci-e card with 64 MB supposedly has the capability to run like an AGP card at 128MB.
Also, using SLi with an AGP slot is pretty much unheard of. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it would be pointless to do it if it could be done, and I've never seen it actually done before.
PCI-E cards are actually becoming cheaper, and its not due to the type of ram they use (in all cases). PCI-E cards are going to become cheaper mainly because thats where the market is going. Look at SDRAM prices compared to a DDR2 price. I just bought 2 gigs of DDR-2 of patriot ram and got it for 60 dollars off of newegg. (there was a special btw). You can buy a 512 stick of pc 133 sdram for 44.00 Thats less then 3 times the size AND speed of your memory, and twice the price.
Upgrading your MB will be cheaper in the long run for many reasons, NOT just the video card, but that will be an added perk. Its worth it whether you use Vista or not, because VIsta is where everything will be going, like it or not. You can always set up a dual boot option.
Enjoy
things are sooo cheap right now cause everyone has to douche their system of non vista parts, so those parts need to get sold (any non dx 10 card fits in here also). the 939 boards are being replaced by am2 which means new ram standards etc etc etc.
as far as what to look for in parts i suggest reading a guide on how to build a pc (no really google it) and THEN decide. any retard with a browser can suggest thousands of parts. its about what you need and can afford. building pc's is simple using just a simple guide and newegg, the MAIN reason newegg is superior to other sites is the fact that other people make reviews, so you'll know if a board is going to be a bastard to set up or whatever.
in closing i can only say i hope your taste in hardware is better than your taste in games.
If you've never put a PC together before, then it could take a while for you to get the machine together, and even then you may have problems, questions, or concerns. You will notice a lot of people say on newegg "got the motherboard and it was DOA" to tell you the truth, alot of people just don't know thing 1 about correctly anchoring a motherboard or where you should and shouldn't touch. I've also been out on calls where people have tried to build their own PC and they just didn't seat something right. A lot of things can go wrong, I've seen so many.
Anyways, if you could, post how much you have to spend and what you'd like to accomplish. I've built PC's for 250 dollars before, and I've built PC's for 2000+ I would be happy to recommend something based on your budget.
If you've never put a PC together before, then it could take a while for you to get the machine together, and even then you may have problems, questions, or concerns. You will notice a lot of people say on newegg "got the motherboard and it was DOA" to tell you the truth, alot of people just don't know thing 1 about correctly anchoring a motherboard or where you should and shouldn't touch. I've also been out on calls where people have tried to build their own PC and they just didn't seat something right. A lot of things can go wrong, I've seen so many.
Anyways, if you could, post how much you have to spend and what you'd like to accomplish. I've built PC's for 250 dollars before, and I've built PC's for 2000+ I would be happy to recommend something based on your budget.
hehehe. ignorance runs amuck in the newegg product reviews.
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TheCore
Hey Natevploeg, good for you. I understand the college situation completely and you should be just fine with that card.
yeah zephyn02, its tough when people with sweet systems and a lot of money tell me what stuff i need to get haha - dont think they realize i can barely pay rent.
Unless you bought a dell or any other name brand comp and have to spend the extra 20 bucks for a new atx case (assuming dell and othere brands do not use atx standards for motherboards) then its going to cost $250 for an upgrade. That would include 2gigs of ram and going AMD and a 8500GT video card.
IF you do not have 250 then get yourself a 0% interest creditcard and pay it off in 6 months.
Do NOT buy and AGP card. AGP was developed bc we need a video card interface that ran faster than PCI wich to my knowledge is 33MH AGP carried that number 4x and 8x 33 wich is 132MH and 264MH. Now PCI E is 16x that number or 528MH
Plus since its serial based it sends info both ways wich makes a total transport speed of 8000MB/s instead of what would be 4000MB/s and AGP runs at 2100MB/s
So there is no reason to keep your agp setup any more.
And if you tell anyone that its a good idea to waste there money on an agp card your pants will immediately burst into flames beacuse you Sir are a filthy lier.
Thats great but when you aint got the money you aint got the money. As for telling a college student to go get a credit card you should have your head examined?
Yeah all iw ant to do is play the game. Im playing it on my buddies computer who has a geforce 6800 agp card and its perfect for me. My card i bought is better than that one so all i need (which is to play the game) has been accomplished. Ill upgrade later as things keep getting cheaper. I don't require top end equipment to enjoy the game
Man someone needs to tell me where your getting this $250 top of the line computer from.
And if you've got a 939 then if would only cost $130 to upgrade your motherboard and Video.
So go
yourself all night long.
But all in all if you are happy then im happy....... Except Zephyn02
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My color is Red. I dont know what it means but if im going to run around color psychoanalyzing myself im surly a
.
You should post your current card and other important CPU stats. Make sure your power supply can support the card, so that the game doesn't lock up. Also make sure to double check what people are recommending in this forum, because no offense, but some just don't got a clue. For example the person who recomended sli cards but only listed a single core 2.4Ghz CPU.
good luck, hope this helps.
Ok just telll me why cant you use sli and a single core CPU.
I have a X2 3800+ 65W when stock 2.0GH and right now oced to 2.45. I had it higher but i need better cooling to push it higher. It ran stable around 2.6.
And an 2 7600GS SLI. Its my first. I just had to know what its like.
2 gigs of ram as well.
And I just want to know why you can't run SLI on single core CPUs. I thought SLI came out before Dual Core CPUs .
SLI has been around for years. Anyone remember the Voodoo2 ?
Nvidia's current sli and the voodoo2 sli are two completely different beasts ... i don't really remember, but i think it used to be that voodoo's had each card alternating ... so one would draw one frame, and then the next frame would be drawn by the second card and so on. Nvidia's alternates every line on the screen as it's drawn .... or something like that .... i'm sure wikipedia has the answer anyway.
To the original poster ... If you do get a bit of money for christmas and decide to invest it in your computer, try and make some wise choices. You say that you prefer to spread out your upgrade across the year? I'm the same with this, though i do find it ultimately leads to eventually needing to due one big spend for a complete platform change.
However, I think you could do yourself well by having a look around at some ASRock motherboards using the ULi chipset. Primarily here i'm thinking of the ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 motherboard. This has socket 939 by default, and supports both AGP and PCI-E without taking any performance loss. This way you can use the 7600 you've just got until you want something more. Similarly, because it's 939 it still uses the same type of memory as your current system (DDR1) so you can reuse that in the short term.
To start with, all you'd need to source is the motherboard and a processor to go into it (and cooling ofcourse). For this i'd suggest something like the socket 939 3800/4200+ Athlon x2.
Now, the real beauty of this board is this ... you can purchase a CPU upgrade board for it (EBay) which enables you to change over to socket AM2 without having to buy another complete platform. With the upgrade board it accepts DDR2 memory and processors up to and including the 6000+ X2 (maybe even the 6400+ now as well).
Basically, this board lets you achieve the piecemeal upgrade path your used to, and prolong it for a while as well. I don't think it's been confirmed as being capable of it yet, but there's a possibility with the CPU upgrade board it will even accomodate one of AMDs new quad core Phenoms, as they're meant to be backwardly compatible with AM2.
As others have mentioned though, keep an eye on your power supply, as most of these newer components will be wanting more power ... when you try to draw too much from a PSU then it tends to fail ... and when they fail they quite often end up taking other components with them to the grave. The tool I've linked below can help with figuring out how your power supply is standing.
http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp