Help with video card upgrade

[bruindds]

I have a 2 year old system that I'd like to keep for a while longer...right now here is what I have:
nforce2 mainboard (MSI) (333 FSB)
1 gB RAM (value type)
AMD 2500 (stock clock)
ATI 9700 nonpro (Sapphire, stock)
Maxtor 120gb and Maxtor 160 gb

I can play Half-Life2, Doom3, Painkiller, and FarCry adequately--usually on medium to medium low settings. The highest CPU that the mobo can take is a AMD 3000. Assuming that I upgrade the CPU, what would be the best video card to get? I gather the highest end cards would be limited by the 3000 processor? If I got a mid-range card like a 6600 would I see a big difference with the games I typically play? Thanks for any and all suggestions!!

 

[C0d3Warr10r]

Go for the Gusto

I cannot in good faith recommend that you purchase any video card that has less than 256MB of memory. The ATI X800 Pro and Nvidia 6800GT are both very competent and will give you the best performance overall regardless of the limitations of your system. I'll explain, your dated hardware may be replaced soon, but your video card will be able to go into pretty much any system you throw it into (providing your M/B is not PCI-X). Even if your new MB/Proc supports only PCI-X, you can always drop your nearly new X800(or 6800GT) on ebay and make a couple hundred bucks toward the PCI-X version. Either way, you have great performance without sacrificing the quality of your video. G/L and I hope this helped a bit for you to make a decision.

Cheers,

C0d3Warr10r

Big Blue:
Asus P4P800 I865PE
P4 2.8GHz 800MHz
2048 KingMax PC-3200 CAS 2.5
Maxtor DiamondMax 9 /160GB /7200RPM /8MB Cache
ATI Radeon X800 Pro
Enermax 420W PSU
Aspire X-Dreamer II
Lite-On 12X DVD+/-RW
Sony 48X CD-RW
Samsung SyncMaster 997DF 19" CRT
3DMark03 Score: 10,035

 

[Tonkyboy]

Are you on a budget for the card ? If not, then I would highly recommend a Geforce 6800GT. If you are on a budget then you cannot beat the Geforce 6600GT. I don't see performance in older titles improving much, but in nwer titles like Doom3 and HL2, i think that you will see quite a jump in framerates particularly if you turn on AF and AA.

Happy Gaming.

 

[escarvajal]

I agree with Tonkyboy. The Geforce 6800GT is awesome, the 6800 Ultra is even better. Although, with an older system you'll want to make sure you have the power supply that can support it. The 6800s tap a lot of power. The 6600GT is an awesome card for the money and does not need additional power, it is also just under $200. The only difference between the 6600GT and the 6800's, is it has only 128 bit bandwidth versus the 256 bit bandwidth of the 6800s, also 6800s can come with 256mb of memory. I have a GeForce 6600GT by Leadtek and I play Far Cry on high graphic detail no problem, but I also have a 3.4Ghz machine. I just think the 6800s might be too much for your current system, but you can always upgarde the power supply.

 

[bruindds]

thanks for the input ; I will probably be going with the 6600 GT; I think that will give my system a nice boost and keep it going for another couple years