Do I need new processor?

[death]

Hi;

I have AMD 2100+ processor (but only runs at 1751 something, I think thats what speed it is suppose to run), 512DDR samsung ram (2X256DDR in 1 and 2 slots), ATI RADEON 8500LE 64mb video card, and Soltek KT400-A4 ATX SOCKET A DDR400 AGP4X 5PCI ATA133 USB2.0 mother board, 80GB hard drive 7200 rpm. Whenever I play battlefield 1942 (DESERT COMBAT MOD) online it is slow when playing on high settings; however, when I turn settings on low then it tends to slow down when there are so many wehicles at a time. Also, I played "MEDAL OF HONOR: PACIFIC ASSAULT" demo, and it was running so slow, same with demo of "STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT". So, my question is what i need to upgrade? I was thinking of getting 512DDR of memory by same brand and sticking it in 3rd slot. Will it solve my problem? or Do I need to buy a new processor? If so, which one will be better for my mother board. I have a 17 inch. case, with 3 fans allready installed, and can install one more, if computer gets hot. I think my power supply is 2.5V, but I am not sure. Or Do I need to get a new VIDEO CARD? if so, which one should I get. I can't spend lot of money on these parts, as I don't have lots of money to spend. I want something cheap and better quality.

Thank you guys.

 

[engel_wolf]

Well, there isn't really anything wrong with a AMD 2100+ so I think it might be the video card. If I were you I'd look for something with atleast 128MB of ram on it. Its also too bad that your AGP is only 4X.

 

[death]

Which video card should I buy then? What brand? I have looked at this card "ATI RADEON 9200 128MB DDR AGP8X W/ TV OUT RETAIL BOX" it is kind of cheap. Will this work? Can anybody recommend any other better and cheaper video card or it's brands? Also, keeping in mind my computer can handle cards like ATI RADEON 9800 PRO 128MB ($350). I think my computer will get hot easly If I buy this sort of card. Could it happen? What are your suggestions guys?

Thank you.

 

[howard_hopkinso]

Also check out Nvidea graphics cards.

I am using an nvidea geforce 4 mx4000 128mb card and have had no problems with it.

The price of my card is around £35.00 which is about $55 US

Regards Howard :grinthumb

 

[Tarkus]

Your CPU and Memory are good enough. Check out video card reviews and learn what is faster. You don't want to waste money on a card that is slower than what you have (which I'm pretty sure a 9200 would be). Check out the new ATI X600 or X700s if you're an ATI fan, or the Nvidia 6800 (or the AGP version of the 6600GT when it comes out). Todays games are just getting too graphics intesive for the entry level and older model cards.

 

[death]

Where can I look for reviews of video cards? Is there a particular site? Also, is nvidia cards are cheaper than ATI cards? Do they have same quality like ATI cards? Is there any other cheaper company which might have better cards?

Thanks guys.

 

[Th3M1ghtyD8]

Check out the new ATI X600 or X700s if you're an ATI fan, or the Nvidia 6800 (or the AGP version of the 6600GT when it comes out). QUOTE]

Er, where exactly can you buy either a X600 or X700 in AGP, the X600 is PCI Express only, and the X700 may or may not get a AGP version.

The ATi cards that should be considered are either the Radeon 9600XT or a Radeon 9800Pro, which cost between £80 & £140

 

[Mictlantecuhtli]

Where can I look for reviews of video cards? Is there a particular site?

Nearly every gaming/computing-oriented site has reviews about graphics cards. Some reviewers seem to like one brand more than others and that shows in reviews too.

Is there any other cheaper company which might have better cards?

S3 makes graphics cards too, but I'm not sure if their fastest models are cheaper than ATi/nVIDIA cards with similar features. However, most applications and games tend to "support" only the two biggest companies.

 

[death]

I am sorry, I seem to ask so many questions. What can I do? I only had one video card in my computer since my friend built it for me. I want to get a better, which can play "HALF-LIFE 2", "MEDAL OF HONOR: PACIFIC ASSAULT", and "STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT", and also, "DRIVE 3 when it comes out". All these games on high graphic settings. So, I am willing to spend about $100 - $150 canadian. I want the better video card, so I don't have to upgrade CPU and RAM.

what about sapphire companies?
"SAPPHIRE RADEON 9600 256MB AGP8X VGA DVI TV OUT OEM VIDEO CARD"
"SAPPHIRE ADVANTAGE RADEON 9600 PRO 256MB DDR DVI-I W/ TV OUT OEM VIDEO CARD" they are pretty cheap, about 140 dollars canadian.
also "SAPPHIRE RADEON 9600 128MB AGP8X VGA DVI TV OUT OEM VIDEO CARD". It is cheap, like $130 canadian. Is it any closer to ATI? This one is lot cheaper than ATI cards. Also, nVIDIA Cards are hard to find from stores like Future shop. The real reason is I don't know which company makes nVIDIA cards. Where can I find these? However, there is "eVGA" cards available at "www.ncix.com" . For example, "EVGA E-GEFORCE FX5200 128M DDR AGP VGA S-VIDEO OUT VIDEO CARD". It is pretty cheap, like about $80 canadian, which fits my budget.


Is it any better company or same card as ATI/nVIDIA? there is also one by "ABIT". What about that one? Also, is anybody in here bought cards from "ebay"?............Is it worth saving money and buy used video cards from "ebay"?

How about if I just upgrade my memory to 1.0GB, so I don't have to buy a new video card?

Thanks guys for all your help.

 

[Mictlantecuhtli]

All Radeon cards are ATi cards and all GeForce cards are nVIDIA cards. Those companies just make the graphics chips and reference boards for manufacturers who then add their own features and designs for them.

Skip that GeForce 5200, it's slow.

I'm not sure if Radeon 9600 Pro is fast enough for the latest games with highest details. Check Tom's Hardware Guide's VGA Charts for comparisons.

Adding memory wouldn't hurt but I don't think that's the bottleneck right now - it could be in the future, but that's how it always goes, keeping the computer up to date requires too much money...

 

[redeyemindtrick]

inno3d, XFX, apollo bloody monster, anything nvidia is the way to go. yes i'm an NVidia fan. check out amamax.com or newegg.com or isystor.com or partspc.com or, where I go to look for stuff http://www.pricewatch.com

 

[Moglie]

In case nobody mentioned, make sure your mobo supports 8X AGP Graphics, otherwise you'll have an 8X card running at 4X

 

[young&wild]

IMHO, theres nothing to worry about when your 8x card is running at 4x. There are no games out there that are capable to making full use of the 8x bandwidth. Theres almost no difference performance wise between a running a card a 4x and 8x on the same board.

 

[Moglie]

Just mentioned in case he's worried with his budget like he mentioned b4. Unless of course he plans on upgrading his mobo in the future

 

[bwchato]

I'm sorry ,but i use a NVIDIA gEfORCE fx 5200 W/128MB and i think it does just fine.