Hi i currently have this system

amd athlon 2400 + xp
socket A optronix motherboard 8xAGP 3 gb max
512 pc2700
9600 SE 128 mb
160 gig maxtor

currently it does everything i want it two and as for games i aint really pushed it any further than GTA SAN ANDREAS which suprisingly even with my 9600 se it run pretty well even at high res. I now want a system that will play later games and i no my system is not up to scratch. Is it possible that i could still get a good AGP at a reasonable price that will go in this system this will save me having to get a whole new setup and spending hundreds just for the sake of playing a few games. price budget is about 200

thanks for any advice

I have no idea what motherboard you have or what chipset it's based on, but you have a 266FSB CPU paired up with DRR333 RAM, so you should either be overclocking the CPU to 333FSB or downclocking the RAM to DDR266 speed. Not to mention you should have at least 1GB of RAM.

The 9600SE is not a good card. It uses the 64-bit memory interface so just about any 128-bit DX9 compatible card will outperform it. If your power supply can handle the load of a more powerful video card, have a look at the X1600Pro 256MB AGP (NOT the 512MB version). It's probably the best 'bang for your buck' AGP card currently available (about $100-125). There's not much point of getting anything more powerful (or more expensive) because of your weak system specs. You should be able to add another 512MB RAM & the card for less than $200...maybe even have enough for a new PSU (if it's necessary).

http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/06/14/radeon_x1600_pro/page7.html#3dmark_2005

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102666

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820141167

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103013

I highly doubt you can realize the full potential of an X1600 Pro on that rig. I would suggest a card like the 9700 Pro for $72.00 shipped to your door.

http://www.pcprogress.com/product.asp?PID=ATIR9700PRO128OEM&m1=pg

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