What Upgrade?? Little help for a newb

[Kolorean]

First off, thanks in advance. I am not the most educated person when it comes to computers. I like to turn it on, get on-line, and play games. So I bought 3 years ago, a system from ABS, AMD FX-61. I just upgraded the out of print registered memory from 1 gig to 2, and now I am looking to upgrade the 9800XT.

This is what the ABS forum mod reccommended:

"" This motherboard "ASUS SK8N NFORCE3" has 1 x AGP 8X -5x PCI slot, the best video card option is "RADEON X1950PRO" with AGP 8x interface. ""

Is this the best advice out there? Is he steering me towards something I will need or don't need?

Thanks again:
John

 

[cleeve]

If you want to play the newest and most demanding titles, yes, the X1950 PRO agp is the best card you can buy for your system.

 

[pauldh]

If you have an FX-51 and 2GB of RAM on an NF3 mobo, yeah the X1950 pro is the best AGP card available...the best you can do on your motherboard. Be sure to have a beefy power supply as ATI recommends a 450W with 12v rail(s) rated at 30 amps. Check the label on your power supply for the details. The X1650XT isn't a bad performer either, cost less, and uses less power. While not a X1950 pro, it is still a huge leap over a 9800XT and is basically tied for the second best (7600GT, 7800GS, X850XT) in AGP that we can buy in North America, with the other cards costing quite a bit more money now.

 

[pauldh]

argh, ya beat me.

 

[cleeve]

That's OK, I chinced out. You had more quality info.

 

[turboflame]

Yes, the X1950Pro is the fastest agp card available, just be sure your Power supply can handle it (probably 450W or more would be best).

Edit: man, paul beat me to it :lol:

 

[pauldh]

Sheesh, read before you post. :roll:

Just Kidding. :lol:

 

[pauldh]

Aah, man thx; you're too kind. Now I can still hold my head high.


But at least I was a close second instead of a distant third. :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

 

[Kolorean]

Here are my system specs straight from the ABS web site, let me know what everyone thinks:

CASE MOD|COLDCT D0013 (GREEN)TT RT
1

ACCES: STICKER AMD Width 5" silver
1

CASE ANTEC|PLUSVIEW 1000AMG LE RET
1

ACCES FAN|8CMX25 TLF-R82-EG LED RT
4

CABLE HD|IDEATA133 18"3H GREEN RT
1

CABLE HD|COOLMAX SATA 18" 2H GRN%
2

MB ASUS SK8N NFORCE3 PRO150 RETAIL
1

VGA ATI|RADEON 9800XT 256M 8X RTL
1

POWER SUPPLY ANTEC TRUE480 ATX RTL
1

MOUSE PAD|8" X 9" X 6MM ABS (BLUE)
1

CPU AMD 64 |FX-51 ATHLON 64%
1

DDRAM 1GB TwinX1024RE-3200LLPT RT
1

FD 1.44MB|MITSUMI D359M3D BLACK %
1

HD 120GB|SEAGAT ST3120026AS SATA %
2

KB&MS MS|MM WHL OPTICAL VALUE PACK%
1

MNTR SMSNG|19" CRT 955DF-T/T 2-TON
1

HEADSET PLANTRONICS .AUDIO 60 OEM
1

CDRW LITEON|52X32X52X LTR-52327S BK
1

DVD|LITE ON 16X XJ-HD166/165H BK%
1

S/W MCAFEE|VirusScan 7 1YR BUNDLE%
1

S/W INFOGRAMES|UNREAL TOURNMNT 2003
1

S/W NVIDIA NVDVD 2.0 RETAIL
1

CPUFAN COOLERMASTER K8 SK8-7I53A RT
1

S/W MS|WORKS 7.0 OEM BUNDLEVERSION%
1

S/W MS|WIN XP HOME SP1a BNDLE ONLY*
1

2NET 1YR ONSITE SV 888 983 9988
1

Ultimate M6
1

adjustment
1


Subtotal

$ 2,767.99
Tax

$ .00
Shipping and Handling charge

$ .00
Total

$ 2,767.9

 

[pauldh]

The original Truepower 480W has a single 28 amp 12v rail. I'd personally think you are fine for any AGP card, even with an aging PSU and your dual optical drives.

Funny, I have a HIS iceQ X1650XT and it also recommends a 450W PSU with 30 amp 12v rail. They assume a loaded system, but even so it seems high for a X1650XT. Anyway, mine has been completetly stable on an Antec smartpower 400W with just a single 20 amp 12 volt rail. Granted I am running just 1 hard drive, and one optical drive on a 2.2GHz Athlon XP. Anyway, just my opinion, but I think you have adequate power.

 

[Kolorean]

Is this a good card/what I am looking for and compatable?

http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Sapphire_Radeon_X1950_PRO_Video_Card,__31958690/skd=1/search=ati%252Bvideo%252Bcard