need help with AGP card for old PC.. 7600GT a good choice?

[venton]

Hi,
I am planning to get an affordable graphics card for my crappy Dell PC, the specs for the dell dimension 8200 are:

Pentium 4 2.26
768MB of RD RAM
Current display: Geforce MX420 64MB
1 AGP 4x slot
Power Supply: around 200+ (if i remembered correctly)

WinXP Home, Version 2002, Service Pack 2
Direct X 9.0C

i know it will be better if i will switch to a whole new PC with PCIE but due to budget reason i can only do this planning later (also i heard there will be new version of pcie motherboard),
my current list of games (hoping that i can play by switching to new graphics card) are: Oblivion, BattleField 2142, Quake 4, C&C3TW, etc. I only hope to have a smooth gameplay for some latest titles (no need for extra fast or stunning graphics) and by the way, my RAM slots are full.

1)what is a good card for me? The Palit X800GTO's price and specs are nice but it has a pixel shader and vertex shader version 2.0... the 6800Ultra was discontinued..
therefore i am currently looking at 7600GT.. Palit or Winfast - which is better? their price are near with palit a little cheaper.. i am looking at these 2 because these 2 are easier for me to get (without going to pay any other fees)

2)is my PC specs, RAM and processor enough to support the card? (7600GT, or any card that u suggest) assume that i can't return the card after buying

3)what power supply i should get? i did not use any other nice cards nor i use any USB power periperals. all i have beside graphics is a sound blaster live and an ethernet.

4)please advice on any other possible problems

really thanks alot for your time for reading and hope that u can help me out..

 

[fender22]

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/03/06/the_best_gaming_video_cards_for_the_money/index.html

That about does it for you... Also, what games you play will dictate your ATI or Nvidia choice.. i.e F.E.A.R. runs best on nvidia, while Oblivion run best on ATI....

 

[jamesgoddard]

Personally I would think about getting a 7600GS AGP model, because the GS only used 27W and you should be able to run it without having to get a new PSU (that for a Dell may be a problem).

This is a world away from the MX420 64MB and will match your other hardware well, then save the rest of the cash for the eventual new PC that will have to come.

 

[Dr_asik]

PSU: FSP AX450-PN. For 50$, it's a steal. I stole it for my own AGP graphic card upgrade a few months ago. Packs more juice for your new video card than any other in that price range. Can probably power your next PC also.

The cheapest 7600GT on Newegg is at 170$, quite overpriced. Better deals are the 6600GT at 89$ and the X1650Pro at 110$, not counting a possible 15$ mail-in rebate.

 

[jamesgoddard]

PSU: FSP AX450-PN. For 50$, it's a steal. I stole it for my own AGP graphic card upgrade a few months ago. Packs more juice for your new video card than any other in that price range. Can probably power your next PC also.

Dells use non-standard power supplies, a standard ATX unit may fry his motherboard

 

[edmetalhead]

I have a Dimension 8250 with similar specs and am also upgrading my graphics card.

After much research my 7600gt is in the mail and should be here shortly.

As for the power supply...I think you should be fine. While scouring the Dell forums I found that EVERY person who tried to install a 7600gt with the stock Dell 250W PSU had absolutely no problems. Some even have more power hungry cards installed, but I think thats pushing it.

The explanation I got on the Dell forums is that Dell underrates its PSUs. They list the mean wattage rather than the max. wattage.

Check them out if you need more info: http://www.dellcommunity.com/

 

[venton]

thanks for all the help.. the replies are really great help for me..

i do heard of Dell's Power supply underrating case and i think i will save the money of buying a new PSU for my next PC..

anyway, edmetalhead, which brand of 7600 GT did u bought? did u do research comparing the brands as well? any Pros and Cons of those brands that u have read? thanks alot for your help!

by the way, i have an extra quesiton to ask.. what are the main differences between pixel/vertex version 2.0x and 3.0? is there/will there be games that a pixel 2.0x can't play? thanks

 

[Dr_asik]

Only Rainbow Six: Vegas and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory require PS 3.0. A few games will play in 2.0 but will not allow the use of High-Dynamic range lightning in that case, like Oblivion. For the large majority of games, PS3.0 support makes no difference.

 

[edmetalhead]

I went with the XFX 7600gt.

The 7600gt is only available in the US from Leadtek and XFX. I believe you can get this card from Gainward as well, but only in Europe.

I chose the XFX over the Leadtek because at the time it was cheaper (and shipping was free) and because XFX offered a better warranty.

The XFX is also factory overclocked (they also have a stock version but I hardly see that one around).

The only advantage I see for the Leadtek card is that it ships with a free game (Serious Sam 2) and some other software.

Hope this helps.