Upgrade path Q

[gdevault]

Long time troll, never posted. I've been trying to decide what a reasonable upgrade path is from my current setup, currently only prepared ($$$) for a video card upgrade.

MSI- P4N Diamond
3.0Ghz P4
1 Gb ram
6600GT
using on-board SBLive sound.
Dell 2007FP

In the past, I have used solely nvidia cards after 3dfx . I am not opposed to changing manufacturers, but I would be more likely to stick with nvidia unless there was a WAY better option for the money. I am looking to spend 2-300, and do not need anything like a tuner or vivo capabilities. The few games I play are HL2, BF2, DAoC, DDO, and some ol' school stuff (Tribes, Q3, and some Flight Sims).

I'd like to get something that I could live with for another year or so, and am planning on playing some BF2142, maybe some CoJ, and maybe a bit of F.E.A.R.

I tried searching to no avail, maybe I'm not using the correct search criteria, not sure. Any help/suggestions are appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

Gregg

 

[Dethfrumbelo]

Originally posted by: gdevault
Long time troll, never posted. I've been trying to decide what a reasonable upgrade path is from my current setup, currently only prepared ($$$) for a video card upgrade.

MSI- P4N Diamond
3.0Ghz P4
1 Gb ram
6600GT
using on-board SBLive sound.
Dell 2007FP

In the past, I have used solely nvidia cards after 3dfx . I am not opposed to changing manufacturers, but I would be more likely to stick with nvidia unless there was a WAY better option for the money. I am looking to spend 2-300, and do not need anything like a tuner or vivo capabilities. The few games I play are HL2, BF2, DAoC, DDO, and some ol' school stuff (Tribes, Q3, and some Flight Sims).

I'd like to get something that I could live with for another year or so, and am planning on playing some BF2142, maybe some CoJ, and maybe a bit of F.E.A.R.

I tried searching to no avail, maybe I'm not using the correct search criteria, not sure. Any help/suggestions are appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

Gregg

A Troll is something entirely different - Lurker is the word you're looking for.

As to a video card, a 1900XT or the 79xxGTs would work for you, depending upon preferences.

 

[josh6079]

First off, BF 2142? Don't give that $50 to EA for a BF2 mod with spam.

Second, I'll break this into some of the best price/performance deals for each vendor:

ATI--X1900XT 512MB (you could go 256MB and still be okay, but I like to have all the bandwidth I can)

Nvidia--7900GTO.

Should fall nicely in your price range and give you a good years worth still.

 

[betasub]

^ Agree with x1900xt & 7900GTO as red & green's best high-end cards in your price range (assuming, of course, you are looking for PCI-e).

Wasn't aware that the video RAM size affected the video bandwidth. Don't both 256MB and 512MB versions have the same memory speed and 256bit interface (512bit ringbus), and hence the same bandwidth?

 

[Munky]

Originally posted by: betasub
^ Agree with x1900xt & 7900GTO as red & green's best high-end cards in your price range (assuming, of course, you are looking for PCI-e).

Wasn't aware that the video RAM size affected the video bandwidth. Don't both 256MB and 512MB versions have the same memory speed and 256bit interface (512bit ringbus), and hence the same bandwidth?

The 256mb and the 512mb both have the same bandwidth. And, the 256mb model performs closely to the 512mb model, so for someone on a under $300 budget it's a nice deal.

 

[RussianSensation]

If X1950Pro AGP comes out get that and overclock the cpu a little. This should extend your system's lifetime significantly (1 full year). Otherwise, 6800GT, 7600GT or X850XT would increase your framerates 2x over 6600Gt.

 

[gdevault]

Thanks for the responses all! I ordered a 7900GTO from newegg. I've been out of the loop for awhile, and didn't want to spend days trying to get back on track!

Thanks again.

Gregg