NEED ADVICE Buying a new card but have questions

[ClayTaylor007]

So here's the deal... I've decided instead of buying a new Shuttle I'm going to upgrade my SN45G first to get another year or two out of it. Currently I'm running with an Athlon XP 1800+ (1.5Ghz), 1GB of PC2400 Memory, and a Sapphire 25MB Radeon 9800. I'm going to get an Athlon XP Barton 3200+ (2.2Ghz), 1GB of PC3200 RAM, and a new card, which is what I need help with. I have done some research, but haven't quite gotten it figured out.

My computer only has an AGP slot, so that's the first problem. The 2nd is that at the moment I only have a 200W power supply. The 3rd and (hopefully) final problem is that the tiny form facor of the Shuttle means I don't have lots of extra room for a card with a giant heat sink. So now that we've gotten that cleared up, I need suggestions as to which cards I should look at. I play lots of new games, mostly online, and my current 9800 is severly lacking in performance. I have to run games like Battlefield 2142, Vanguard, Company of Heroes, etc. at the very LOWEST settings in nearly EVERY area to get a decently playable framerate. Totally unacceptable.

I'm looking at a Geforce 6800GT/Ultra or maybe a Radeon x800 of some kind... will that be a significant increase in performance from a regular 9800 (not pro or XT), even before my RAM and processor upgrades? I am not looking to spend more than $300, and a power supply upgrade is around $80, so if I can find a card that doesn't require that I would be extremely happy. If I can find a card that's a lot faster than my 9800 for around $200, I would be even happier.

Please post all your opinions, suggestions, links to any good deals, and advice which I so desperatly need!!!!

Thanks in advance,
Clay

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

First of all a 200W power supply will likely still be an issue for all those options, unless it's a bulletproof supply like PC Power & Cooling.

For you needs I would recommend a new PSU 400W and then the $160 GF7800GS;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143046

It's single slot cooling (unlike the GF6800Ultra and X800XT), relatively cheap, but does need the extra juice.

For low power consumption consider the X1650XT or GF7600GT (Too expensive on NewEgg, better off with the GF7800GS)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814131036
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814122009R

I prefer the HIS X1650XT for the price, but the HSF assembly is definitely 2-slot;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814161064

The X1950Pro is a nice consideration, but a littly pricier ($40 more than the GF7800GS) but a little better too, and like the GS will need that new PSU;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814161070

Be sure to check these out for performance ideas;

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/01/10/agp-platform-analysis/

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/02/01/agp-platform-analysis/





BTW, I voted GF6800 because of the limited vote options as I think SM3.0 starts to be a consideration for a build that lasts more than a year from now.