compatible?

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Madder

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I have a fairly modest AMD athlon 2000+ xp 1.67Ghz, with winXP pro SP2. I have 256MB ram, 80 GB hard drive, DVDRW 8X, Acer LCD Monitor etc etc
Philips Ultimate Edge 5.1 Sound card and currently a very basic Nvidia Riva TNT2 64pro video card.

I intend on upgrading the video card to start with and perhaps get another 256MB ram.

I am looking at a MSI GeForce FX5700U-TD128 (128 MB) AGP Graphic Card. Would this be compatible with my PC? And would all of the above with this card be enough to run PC games such as Fifa and Pro Evolution Soccer? Even slightly older versions of the game?
 
I am assuming that you need an AGP graphics card, since you listed an AGP card as one of your choices.
However, we would need your motherboard info to be sure.

If your motherboard uses an AGP slot, then yes, the MSI FX5700 AGP you saw would be compatible.
The only factor of compatibility in choosing a video card is the interface type (PCI, AGP, PCI-Express).

However, I would recommend that you upgrade your RAM to at least 512MB.
But to be honest, 1GB would be the minimum for any desktop system these days.
You won't get much better performance with a new video card if you don't upgrade your RAM, because with 256MB, your system is barely getting by, even just running day-to-day tasks.

For most people with a computer that still uses AGP, I would recommend the mid-range GeForce 7600GT AGP. This is a respectable mid-range card that would play most games on medium settings, but it would undoubtedly be bottlenecked if installed on your system.
It's hard to find a decent AGP card that won't be bottlenecked by your CPU...
 
The Nvidia Rive is located at PCI 1 in my PC. SO I guess I need a PCI graphics card then? I'm not looking for a world beater card, but assuming that I upgrade the memory to at least 512MB RAM, can anyone suggest a PCI card that would do the job, something similar to the AGP card I listed originally? Thanks

How is this one for example: 128MB ATI Radeon 9250 PCI Graphics Card SAPPHIRE VIDEO
 
all computers have PCI slots for upgrading things like modem extra usb and stuff. You still may need a AGP card check your motherboard. There will be the normal PCI slots and if there is an AGP slot it will be a brown one located above the PCI slots. If it is a PCI only mobo then something similar to the AGP would be fine. They are usually made for both AGP and PCI just have to make sure you get the correct one.
 
yes. I have an AGP NVIDIA 7800 GS with my Athlon XP 3200+

I would consider upgrading the CPU to a 3200+ also

ANY AGP card should work just fine, ensure your PSU is beefy enough. Use a PSU calculator. google one and add 30% to the results.

512mb ram is the minimum. Considering how cheap ram is, get at least 1gb of ram for your mobo. Read the upgrading ram guide in the guides forum.
 
Thanks for the help which I appreciate. However, I'm a little confused now. There are some free PCI slots in my PC, as you would expect. However, the slot in which the NVIDIA RIVA TNT2 Model 64/64 pro is installed is a little different to the slot in which the sound card is installed? I guess the soundcard in in a PCI slot and I guess then that the video card slot might be an AGP slot? Although it is definetly different to the other slots, in my device manager it says that the video card is installed in PCI 1? SO can anyone say for sure which I need?

As regards RAM, I do intend to upgrade to 512MB minimum. With the cost of that and the Video Card I may not be able to upgrade the CPU just yet, so if I have 512MB RAM, should I be ok? I don't generally use the PC for gaming but it would be nice to allow my nephew to play some soccer games on it now and again? I have a copy of Pro Eveolution Soccer 4 here, for example?
 
Give us the name of your motherboard (manufacturer and model), so we can see if it's an AGP slot thats housing the RIVA TNT2.
 
I bought all the PC parts myself and assembled the PC myself. All I can say is it's an AMD athlon 2000+

I have checked the device manager and there is mention of

SIS processor to AGP controller

That would suggest AGP, yes?

Incidentally, is it PC2100 RAM I'm looking for? Think it is anyway?
 
Yes that would mean you have an AGP slot. As for the RAM, find out the speed of your current RAM by using Everest Home Edition or SIW and get the same speed (and brand preferably).
 
Ok, So I have ordered 512MB RAM to add to my PC, now it's just a matter of which card will suit better.

Ok, I think I've narrowed it down. Can anyone recommend which of these cards is the better option for me?

nVidia GeForce 5200 128MB Graphics Card AGP FX5200 XV
or
128MB ATI Radeon 9550 8x AGP Graphics Card Video

Thanks again!
 
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