Bottleneck

[Lucu]

Hi

I want to upgrade the videocard on an old p3 733 (Ram 320mb 133) that is currently running with an asus gf2mx400 32mb at agp 2x (cpu-z tells me that my mobo only supports 2x).

The goal would be to achieve decent gameplay on some old games like RTCW-ET and GTA3 (i can play them now, but i feel that a videocard a little bit more powerfull would make it really decent), i can live with not having all the eye candy, but would like decent gameplay .

I intend to look for some used card, but i would like to know the best card i can possibly buy so that i won't have cpu bottleneck.

If i go for a new card, would an agp 8x card work in a agp 2x mobo ? (ie:ati 9200)

What do you guys think ?

 

[Munky]

I dont think new cards will work in agp 2x. If I were you, I'd get a used gf4200, if it supports agp 2x.

 

[BobDaMenkey]

Originally posted by: munky
I dont think new cards will work in agp 2x. If I were you, I'd get a used gf4200, if it supports agp 2x.

Yeah. 8x cards run on different voltages than most 2x slots could provide. Seek out a GeForce 4 Ti, that isn't 8x.

 

[2Xtreme21]

Or I'd just go ahead and upgrade. :\

 

[mwmorph]

with a 733mhz oric, a geforce2 ultra will easily max it out.(bottleneck is cpu in Quake3 until 1.1ghz) get a cheap geforce3 used and be happy with it.

 

[Appledrop]

geforce 2 ultra be the uberleet card, mine plays every game out there actually!!! CS @ 200 fps *drool*

I dont know how different the MX series was to the GTS ultra though..

 

[mwmorph]

Originally posted by: Azzy64
geforce 2 ultra be the uberleet card, mine plays every game out there actually!!! CS @ 200 fps *drool*

I dont know how different the MX series was to the GTS ultra though..

mx is a slower version. (like a se or le version)

 

[frx218]

I think its time to upgrade

 

[The Green Bean]

Originally posted by: frx218
I think its time to upgrade

:thumbsup:

 

[Munky]

Originally posted by: hatim

Originally posted by: frx218
I think its time to upgrade

:thumbsup:

Yeah, I'm sure the minimum requirements for newer games is like a 1ghz P3/Athlon. Crazy, I can remember a few yers back when 1 ghz seemed like more than anyone would need for a loooooong time.

 

[hans030390]

I think it's time to blow up your computer just for fun...

oh...then get a new one...

 

[NightTrain]

Originally posted by: Azzy64
geforce 2 ultra be the uberleet card, mine plays every game out there actually!!! CS @ 200 fps *drool*

I dont know how different the MX series was to the GTS ultra though..

MX had very slow memory. It went roughly something like this:

Geforce2 GTS Ultra Core Clock: 250MHz Memory Clock: 460MHz
Geforce2 MX400 Core Clock: 200MHz Memory Clock: 183MHz

 

[Gamingphreek]

The 186 (372) is DDR for the MX400. MX400's had DDR IIRC, as well as the Ti's, and the Ultras. The Geforce 2, MX, and MX200 were all SDRAM.

-Kevin

 

[Pete]

I paired a Radeon 9100 with my P3-866, and it was kind of limiting with Wolf:ET. You really need a faster CPU, because your current one (and its slow SDR RAM) will keep your minimum framerates pretty darn low. That said, if money is really tight, look for a used Radeon 8500 (275/275MHz), 9100 (250/250MHz), or GF4 4200. I'm not sure I'd pay more than $50 for any of them, and that's with 128MB of RAM.

Gphreek, AFAIK, all GF2MXs used either 128-bit SDR or 64-bit DDR (meaning, the same bandwidth at the same clock speeds). Only some of the GF4MX's moved to 128-bit DDR.

 

[Lucu]

Thanks for all the help guys

I'm thinking of upgrading in the summer to a A64,but up until now i didn't have the money to do the complete upgrade (ram, cpu, mobo, vidcard,psu), but today i got the news of some extra income (weeee what a damn coincidence!!!!), but i'll still wait to the summer so i don't mess my exams.

The upgrade on the P3 vidcard was only a temporary solution until i had the money to upgrade, but i'm still thinking about it.

Curious thing in this couple of days i experimented messing with RTCW-et settings, from absolut low detail (what i used to play with ) to maximum detail with every eyecandy except for atmospheric effects, in 800x600, and i noticed that the performance is about the same for the two configurations, with only a slight increase in breaks and loading times (with little effect on gameplay) and with almost the same fps (10 to 70 fps).

I guess that the cpu is indeed the bottleneck at least in this game.

Well thanks for the help anyway.
(sorry for some mistakes i may have written but english is not my native language)
oh, it is indeed 32 mb SDRAM

 

[Pete]

In that case, I'd say just suck it up and wait until the summer to upgrade. ANything you spend on your PC now, I'd recommend saving for your future PC. An extra $50 can mean a big difference with a video card. My only suggestions for your current GF2MX is to keep the color depth at 16-bit and maybe use the low-quality sky.

(And your English is just about impeccable, so you have nothing to apologize for. Would that I spoke a foreign language as well....)