Need a new graphics card (AGP/PCI-E)

[chriso20]

Hey guys,

Wow, haven't been on here since before HL2 came out!

Anyways, recently my computer had a hissy fit and i had to replace the mobo+cpu. Shortly after it was working again my 9800pro started getting coloured lines all over the screen+gibberish. I checked, it means its dying. Nothing i can do.

So i need a new one! My system is;

p4 3.0ghz 800fsb 1mb l2 cache
1gb pc3200 400mhz DDR
550w PSU (20A on 12v rail)
mobo has an AGP connector

Long story short, after posting on gamespot's forums people were suggesting the 7800gs AGP (£205) or getting a pci-e system.

Well because i recently bought a new cpu and mobo i turned that one down straight away. However a good friend of mine said the graphics card will be a LOT cheaper if i do.


So my options;

• Get a new AGP graphics card - £205 - 7800gs AGP
  pros: cheaper all together, better graphics (i think), keep recently bought components
  cons: won't last as long, means i'l need a completely new system in a years time (ish)
• Get a PCI-E system - £300 - AMD 3700 - Asus A8N-SLi SE - 7600GT
  pros: CPU is better (apparently - might just be better for gaming due to AMD), can upgrade graphics gradually due to SLI, more future-proof than AGP system
  cons: costs more, graphics aren't as good (i dont think), left with brand-new components that i probably won't be able to sell (what u think?)

Basically, if you were in my shoes, what would you do? I'm thinking i'l probs upgrade in a year or so (basically when my computer is starting to hold me back) so take that into consideration.


Thanks guys! Much appreciated!!!

 

[Saketi]

get antoher gig of ram & a AGP card if u aint the money to upgrade to A64 yet.

 

[chriso20]

well i have £350 to throw at it but really just want enough to get my by but being able to play latest games.

I play:
hl2 (duh)
css
doom3
quake4
cod2
movies
prey
riddick
etc...

LATEST games.

 

[chriso20]

no one else got any views on this?

 

[theotherguy]

trust me, I made the mistake of getting an AGP mobo and now all of the new cards are going to be PCI-E. Trust me, AGP is dead, and all of the future AGP cards are likely to be discontinued.

 

[chriso20]

cheers for that. I must say pci-e is looking mighty tempting atm.

 

[Saketi]

trust me, I made the mistake of getting an AGP mobo and now all of the new cards are going to be PCI-E. Trust me, AGP is dead, and all of the future AGP cards are likely to be discontinued.

AGP cards are not dead, just limited supplies, but they still pack a punch when it comes to gaming.

List of high end AGP cards available..

256MB EVGA GeForce 7800GS CO
256MB XFX GeForce 7800GS XT
256MB Inno 3D GeForce 7800GS
128MB BFG AGEIA PhysX
256MB Club 3D GeForce 7800GS
256MB WinFast A7800GS-TDH

cheers for that. I must say pci-e is looking mighty tempting atm.

for £350 u can get a A64 like..(assuming ur guna port ur case, ram, sound card, etc over)

http://www.cclonline.com/basket/mycurrentbasket.asp?refresh=38892.7057986111&track=6759Q1
256MB EVGA GeForce 7600GT CO
120GB Western Digital Caviar SE
Asus A8N SLI-SE
AMD Athlon 64 3500+

 

[Kamikazie]

Go PCI.

 

[Asus]

I wouldn't say any of those AGP cards listed are 'high end'. They are equal to last years high end but that is midrange now.
7600GT PCI-E would be a good choice assuming you get a PCI-Express motherboard etc.

Go PCI.

Express

 

[chriso20]

well i can get ;

XFX 7600 GT XXX EXTREME EDITION - £140
A64 3700+ - £93 - LINK (top)
Asus A8N-SLi SE - £67 - LINK (6 down)

TOTAL = £300 ish

And yes i'm planning to take my 550w PSU, 1gb 3200 400mhz ram, 120gb IDE HD and 200gb SATA HD into the new PC.

 

[chriso20]

Another thing - A few people have said that by time you need a better graphics card, you'l be better off getting a single, high-end card rather than another of your already purchased low-end cards to go in a SLI rig, what do you think of that?

 

[DEATHMASTER]

If you want a broader selection for cards to be coming out in the future, go pci-express.

 

[Fliko]

Go PCI.

I never knew they still made PCI

 

[chriso20]

After a year or so of a PCI-E PC + Graphics card, won't it start showings its age? at which point technology is going so fast i'l have to upgrade AGAIN!

So my Q is, would i be going PCI-E for the upgrade posibilities that infact, when the time comes, won't be there? I'd just be buying a new mobo+cpu etc.. anyways?

 

[Murray]

AGP is dieing out right now. PCI-Express is the new interface.

 

[Saketi]

Another thing - A few people have said that by time you need a better graphics card, you'l be better off getting a single, high-end card rather than another of your already purchased low-end cards to go in a SLI rig, what do you think of that?

U wud be better off getting a high end GFX card now & say in 6months time wen u got more cash get another exactly of the same & put them in SLI MODE

 

[Asus]

Another thing - A few people have said that by time you need a better graphics card, you'l be better off getting a single, high-end card rather than another of your already purchased low-end cards to go in a SLI rig, what do you think of that?

It depends on the game. Some games don't even take advantage of SLI (HL2). Example: same 7800GT cards with 1 in SLI yet same FPS.

If it does then it probably will be about the same performance (SLI old cards vs 1 new card). 6800GT SLI vs 7800GT in FEAR

 

[giant384]

go with the amd 64 3700 and 7600gt combo i have the 3200 and 7600gt and i can play all the games you listed highest settings at great fps.also the thing about agp it truely is a waste to buy it. theres no point in buying the highend agp cards when you can get the same card in pci-e form for cheaper

 

[DEATHMASTER]

U wud be better off getting a high end GFX card now & say in 6months time wen u got more cash get another exactly of the same & put them in SLI MODE

In 6 months (really long time in technology), it is likely that a newer graphics card will come out that's a lot faster than the one you got. Getting sli will barely help in most games for a significant performance boost (sli doesn't mean 2x the performance, more like 1.2x). With the newer cash you'd be better off getting the latest card. If you have a lot of cash then get the latest card in sli if you want the highest performance available TO DATE.

 

[Stigmata]

1) SLI/CrossFire is only worth it if a) you're going to play games that actually make use of it, and b) the card you're planning to double-up on is good enough to use on its own right now. That way, it's actually close to cost-effective versus physically switching your card every year. (i.e. Buy a 7800GT now, then when you need to get more performance, buy a second at a much-reduced price)

2) If I were you, I would stick with a mid-range AGP card for now, and once it comes time to upgrade your rig, build yourself a system that is planned for the future. SATA RAID-0, Socket AM-2 (for AMD) or whatever the newest socket is for Intel, PCI-E (built for SLI/Crossfire if you're planning on going that route), etc.

My new system, for the end of August, is going to use a Socket-939/PCI-E/SATA setup, so I'll be set for future hardware updates without having to buy a new motherboard. Even if it means grabbing a low-end processor or PCI-E card, it'll give me tons more performance than I've got already, and come Christmas I'll be able to upgrade to much better hardware.

 

[giant384]

sli/crossfire is only needed for high resolutions(1600x1200 +) and using AA,AF with great framerate

 

[63]

Option 5 is redundant.

 

[bbson john]

In short, new cards, which there will be more advanced available in the future, use PCI.
As for AGP, it is better for the old cards. However, latest cards will not use it.

 

[shortsite]

Well tbh mate I think you should go on an above average pci-e card .
I am also doing the same as you (although my pc isnt ****ing up on me)
I am also looking out for an above average mobo and RAM to go with it!
(processor is fine AMD)

The reason I say this is that Vista is out next year (i hope) and that once the dust has settled and get reviews of what hardware will come out to best suit Vista then I will upgrade.
My freind spent 900 pounds on a new pc in which he may have to upgrade this time next year to keep up with Vista.

Just a thought

 

[destrukt]

well i can get ;

XFX 7600 GT XXX EXTREME EDITION - £140
A64 3700+ - £93 - LINK (top)
Asus A8N-SLi SE - £67 - LINK (6 down)

TOTAL = £300 ish

And yes i'm planning to take my 550w PSU, 1gb 3200 400mhz ram, 120gb IDE HD and 200gb SATA HD into the new PC.

i'm doing a similar thing, upgrading most of the major parts will carrying over some like ram, though i'm tempted to go am2 and get ddr2. D:

you will be fine for vista, you won't be fine for dx10 as there aren't any dx10-capable cards out yet and won't be for awhile (someone correct me) and will be very expensive and there will be few games that will be using dx10, for now (crysis and .. ?).

 

[chriso20]

thanks for the reply guys.

Can someone just say that if i go for the PCI-E upgrade that i won't need to upgrade the mobo/cpu/gpu in 6-9-12months for vista?

Technology is going THAT fast that i think i'm have to upgrade everything again by time i get into DX-10 and vista. and having just bought a mobo and cpu i think AGP will suffice until then (yes the card is more expensive, but you do get a bit better performance/quality) and it is cheaper than upgrading. Plus i agree with a few AGP-route praising posters views.

So even though PCI-E is the best choice, i think the agp route will do it until my next upgrade. whether that's 6, 9 or 12 months down the line.


Views are as always, more than welcome and i thank you for your advice.

 

[Asus]

You won't have to upgrade again for Vista. What you will be missing is the DX10 gfx though.

If you want that then you will have to upgrade your GFX card at that time. Just like when DX9 came out, everyone with a GeForce 4 card (DX8) had to upgrade if they wanted to play the new DX9 games with the new effects. A lot of people are waiting until DX10 cards come out to upgrade their video card (Fall).

But there won't be any Games to make use of those extra features until Vista comes out after that. There will only be a few games that will have DX10 effects at first. Will take a little time for the majority of games to move away from DX9 effects and use DX10.

So the question comes down to do you think of 'the wait' as just until DX10 cards come out or until a lot of DX10 games are released?