Time for change!!!

[Alex1]

Hi, this is my first post on this forum, and I am seeking advice.

I've had my system for a while now, and I've been perfectly content with it, until now. I recently got Halo for the PC, which runs and looks like shit with the details and textures set to high (and I can't even turn on the specular feature). So it's time to upgrade.

My system as it stands now:
1.7 GHz Pentium 4
40 Gigger Maxtor ATA/133 harddrive
256 MB DDR RAM (Plan on upgrading this soon too)
GeForce 4 MX 440 64MB Video Card
AOpen AX45-V Motherboard (http://usa.aopen.com/products/mb/AX45-V.htm)

I am assuming most of my performance problems will go away with some added memory and a new video card, which is easier said than done.

My plan is to get a high-end video card now so I won't have to worry about it for a while, andget another 256 MB's of RAM. Part of my problem stems from the fact of how I am kinda confused on the difference between AGP 2X, 4X, and 8X (From the info on the AOpen site, I have 1 4X AGP slot which is currently occupied by my GeForce 4 MX 440). So, my questions are:
- With my current system, can I upgrade to an ATi Radeon 9800 XT flawlessly, or will my system not be able to handle it or use its full functionality?
- If my system can't handle it, should I go for a different card that would get more bang for the buck while still being able to play DX9.0 games (Half-Life 2 and Doom III in particular)?

Thanks for any help in advance.


- Alex J.

[Jason425]

well you can get that radeon 9800xt, but let me tell you what I know about agp x's.. the X relates to the bandwidth availible to the agp bus. 4X is fine for most of todays games, but 8x is supposedly where it's at for the future games. If it were me i'd get the 9600XT ($300usd less and not too much worse of a card)

[james]

Q1: With my current system, can I upgrade to an ATi Radeon 9800 XT flawlessly, or will my system not be able to handle it or use its full functionality?

A1: the 9800 should work in your system, but no, it will not be used to its "full potential" First of all, your mobo is AGP 4x. That means it is 'only' 2nd gen AGP, while AGP8x = 3rd gen. Less bandwidth, means less data transferred, means less for the card to work with, which means less quality/speed. Now, there are other parts of your system that may also constrain the game in some way, but not necessarily the card.

Q2: If my system can't handle it, should I go for a different card that would get more bang for the buck while still being able to play DX9.0 games (Half-Life 2 and Doom III in particular)?

A2: Definitely. I tend to think that the latest, greatest thing is not worth dropping a chunk of change on. But hey, if you've got the money and don't mind thinking about starving children in africa or poor college students with no iPod as you spend double your money for something you won't notice, there's nothing I can do to stop that. That said, i don't spend money on graphics cards and rarely game.

[Alex1]

Thanks for the info, that helps.

[eviltechie]

poor college students with no iPod

heh heh

same situation here

that is one reason i dont buy the most recent things when it comes to computer components

i think the ATI Radeon 9700 Pro is a good card to buy at this time

[Jason425]

i don't.. the 9600 xt is imo

[eviltechie]

why though??

my friend played HL2 leaked alpha on his 9700 Pro just fine
with no lags whatsoever at 1600x1200...

fps were always above 45 so no problems at all

[Jason425]

well yea, but 9600xt comes with HL2 free, and is cheaper, right? 9700pro > $200us