Opinion On Buying A Card...

[LT4CAMSS]

What up. I'm posting something that may at times aggrevate some yet is still a valid question to me. I'm quite knowledgable bout each of the video cards out there, but I would like some opinions out there as to what is the best thing I can do. The situation is this...we all know in a few months the next generation GPUs will be released (NV40 and R4*0). My current system setup on this specific computer is a P3 Tualatin 1.4 GHz CPU and a 3DFX V5 5500. The V5 seems to still run games well, and it's only fault is the fact that since 3DFX has gone out of business, it's left with no driver updates. This leads to problems running some of the newer titles out there. Furthermore, this has led me to ponder about upgrading my video card. One of the prime suspects I've thought about is an AIW 9800 Pro. Now, my question is (w/o money bein a real issue), should I go with that or simply wait for the next generation of video cards? Is that next generation of video cards goin to be THAT significant of a jump in performance that I should hold out? I'd appreciate anyone's feedback. Happy New Year too all yaw.

 

[egale]

With your cpu I would not spend a lot of money on a video card unless you were upgrading the entire system. A lower end ATI or Nvidia card will be fine because your cpu is the limiting factor right now.

 

[modedepe]

If you're not going to be upgrading your cpu don't bother waiting for the new gpus. Your cpu will severly hinder the ability of one. Even a 9800 pro would be pushing it.

 

[lifeguard1999]

I disagree with egale. I have a 1.1 GHz Tualatin o/c to 1.46 GHz on an Asus P3V4X (Slot-1) board. I upgraded from an ATI 8500 (Dell Deal) to a 9800 NP. My gaming scores jumped 50% from 50 fps to 75 fps. Sure. if I had a 2.4C o/c to 3 GHz, my 9800NP would be pulling down 100+fps. Still, a good video card upgrade really helps.

Interestingly enough an upgrade from 256 MB to 768 MB in memory also helped with some stuttering I was encountering.

Ace's Hardware is suppossed to have a Gamer's Upgrade Guide out late this week to early next week. My recommendation is to wait for the guide and see if it helps you make a decision.

 

[VIAN]

Because your system is very lacking right now. I would recommend that you get an entirely new system. But you just want a video card, I think that a 9600 XT or 5700 Ultra is your best choice, I wouldn't bother getting cards that are more powerful cause they wouldn't perform. Have at least 512MB of RAM. Dedicated 128MB to AGP Aperature if you choose one of those. Other than that, there really is nothing more you can do with your system. Since your system is so old, too much RAM might slow it down.

 

[Evdawg]

DONT LISTEN TO VAIN! HES A FANBOY!!!!!


just kidding dude, YOURE THE MAN!

 

[VIAN]

Oh, man.

 

[Evdawg]

ahahhaha

jp with ya bro =)

 

[jcwagers]

I guess I'll throw my .02 in here. Are you looking to keep your current system for a while or are you thinking about upgrading it soon? If you aren't in any hurry to upgrade and don't need cutting edge, try to find a nice GF4 Ti 4200. It should run nicely with the system you have and you won't be breaking the bank. That way you'll get a nice upgrade video-wise and you'll still be able to save some cash for upgrading and so on. If you are thinking about upgrading, the Athlon 64 3000+ seems to be a very nice choice(if you want to go high end). If not, you could try to get a nice NF2 Ultra 400 board and a XP2500+ and overclock it a bit and it would still be a big upgrade from your current system. Honestly, you're going to get tons of different answers and opinions depending on what you're willing to spend. There are several nice combos that you could pick that would make a nice upgrade to the system that you already have.

jc

 

[goossedump]

if you plan on getting parts for a new pc later i would get the 9800.

 

[LT4CAMSS]

What up...damn you cats are fast lol. Thank you for all the feedback. I appreciate that. It seems like that AIW 9800 Pro is my best bet right now (unless the 9600 XT will be available as an AIW, since I'm lookin for such features on the card). Money isn't really an issue, but I'm not lookin to upgrade my cpu. You fellas would be surprised just how fast these P3 Tualatins really are. This 1.4 pushes out #s P4 1.8s can't do on a lot of stuff. Anyway, take it easy.