Dimension 8200 Video Card upgrade

[Gunslinga]

I have a Dell Dimension 8200 desktop, and I'm looking to upgrade my Video Card (currently have NVIDIA GeForce2 MX/MX400 64MB). I'm going to be primarily using the PC for Games, so that's my main motivation. I just got the Battlefield 2 game, and found out that I had to have at least 128MB to run it...ughh. Not looking to blow the bank here....I would like to keep it under $100 if possible. Looking at 256MB and 128MB...what cards should I look at?Here are my system specs:

Dimension 8200
Pentium 4 (1.9GHz)
512MB RAM
Windows XP
Standard 250W power supply
maybe I forgot something..here is the Dell 8200 Specs URL:
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim8200/specs.htm#1101572

I've heard good things about the ATI 9600 Pro and the GeFORCE from BFG (b/c of warranty). Also, I'm looking for an AGP card, not PCI. Thanks for the help.

 

[DonNagual]

Battlefield 2 is a pretty graphic intensive game, so be forewarned. If you don't mind me being straight....

With your system and the budget you are under, you are not going to be able to play that game at full settings. However, I think we can get you a card that'll allow you to at least play the game. You'll have to turn the settings down a bit, and accept some lower frame rates, but if you stick a geforce 6600 or an X700 in there, you should be able to play the game.

Your motherboard only supports 2x/4x but any 8x card you buy will still work, it is just not going to work at it's full potential (it'll automatically downgrade itself to work with your motherboard).

Another thing that is limiting you is your ram. For BF2, a gig of ram would make a big difference.

But..... I am worried that you are going to have enough power from your power supply to handle these additions. It's going to be a close call.

You can do some quick math on this website: http://www.extreme.outervision.com/index.jsp

 

[spartanslayer]

I agree

I checked out the site you listed, and I don't think he can do much. I would advise a power supply upgrade first.