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Name: plyduster
I'm trying to extend the life of my PC just a bit more. I currently have an old ti4200/64 Mb. I play mostly older games (HL2, Team Fortress 2, Far Cry, Doom 3, Call of Duty). Of course, performance is of concern. I generally run these games at lower resolutions for playable frame rates. I would like to change that. Now, I've been looking online for a solution. Here is one card I came across:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...
Good or bad?
What is the best card I can get for around this price? I'm not looking to future proof my system, I just want to play the current games I have at respectable frame rates (primarily Team Fortress 2). In addition, since I'm a poor college student, a new system is out of the question. Am I wasting my time and money looking at a video card upgrade? Any other suggestions? Thank you.
My system:
Shuttle AN35N Ultra 400
Athlon XP 2000+
2 GB pc2100
350W Enermax PSU (26A on 12V).
Geforce 4 ti4200 64MB 4X AGP.
Maxtor 160GB & 60 GB.
Well, if I understand correctly, you should be able to upgrade your system quite a bit more...
Shuttle's website says you can put PC3200 RAM into your system.
http://eu.shuttle.com/archive/en/an...
But in order to benefit from faster RAM, you need to be able to put a compatible processor in it. The fastest socket A I believe is the Athlon XP 3200+.
So with faster RAM, CPU, and the graphics card you linked to, you should be able to play Team Fortress 2 at a pretty decent resolution. Someone else may be able to suggest a better AGP card.
You may be able to get by with just upgrading the video card, but for the best performance, I'd upgrade the RAM and CPU also.
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Thanks for the response Rayburn.
Of course, I would love to upgrade the entire system, I just don't have the money to spend. It would be kind of pointless to pour more money into it via a better cpu and faster ram. Might as well build a new system with all the latest goodies...
My question is really about whether I can get away with purchasing just a new video card with my current system specs, and see some improvements in my games.
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It's hard to say. The video card you linked to has alot of bad reviews. You might get by with it, you might not. Since it's an 8x, it should theoretically be twice as fast as your current card. If you want to gamble with it, go ahead. I can't say for sure how much faster it's going to be.
But if I were you, I'd wait until you can build a new system or upgrade the RAM and processor of your current system.
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"Shuttle's website says you can put PC3200 RAM into your system"
There's no point running PC3200 RAM with a CPU that runs at 266MHz FSB. Stick with what you have. Excellent board though.
How do you feel about "open box" items?
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Thanks Jam.
I was going to ask you about that if you said the card was good. Any experience with open box?
I would rather spend $39.00 any day.
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"There's no point running PC3200 RAM with a CPU that runs at 266MHz FSB."
If you read my response #1 carefully, you would've read...
"But in order to benefit from faster RAM, you need to be able to put a compatible processor in it."
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I've purchased several open box motherboards & video cards from newegg. Never had a problem.
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Thanks again Jam.
I was curious about another card I found on newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...
The major difference between the Power Color card and the saphire I listed above is the memory speed (666 vs. 800). Now, the price of a retail (new) x1650pro Power Color Card is 59.00 (& 39.00 open box). The saphire (new) w/ faster memory is only $2 more than a brand new Power Color x1650pro. Now, if I were choosing between these 2 cards, I would obviously go for the Saphire because of the faster memory clock. However, since the Power Color is selling for $39 open box, would this be a better deal even though it has a slower memory clock than the Saphire? Will the faster memory even benefit my system?
I guess this is my question:
39.00 Power Color (open box) vs. 61.00 Saphire w/ faster memory? I can't make up my mind.
Thank you.
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The only reason why I suggested upgrading your CPU, RAM, AND video card, is because you will receive the highest performance boost that way. You will see a performance increase by upgrading just the video card, but the greatest increase is if you upgrade all 3. The small increase may be worth the cost for a video card, it might not. Your PC is as fast as its slowest component. But I'd too go with the Saphire because of its higher memory clock. But you won't be able to take the most advantage of its speed until you upgrade the CPU and RAM as well. If you don't have enough money, you can always save up until you do.
And I agree that you can get good discounts off of PC parts on EBay. And yes I saw the post here about how Ebay is not a good place to buy PC parts from, but if you pay close attention to the ratings of the seller, you should be ok. I've bought several things from EBay and have had no trouble yet.
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Thanks again for everyone's advice.
I was going to order the open box Power Color card tonight, but I found out the card was out of stock (wasn't last night) when I tried adding it to my shopping cart..bummer. I ordered the Saphire card instead.
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