Video Card Guru........ help needed.. new card older system

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I need help with getting a older new video card as mine is old (Geforce 4 MX 440). But so is my system which I cannot afford to replace right now. So I want abit better card that is better than my current card but still cheap and will not be overkill for my system. I just want to be able to play older games like Halo, Unreal, doom, ect basically pre 05-06 games . Halo currently freezes up after 10 minutes then I quick open the case and blow a fan into it I can get another 10 minutes but then it crashes. So what cards would be my best buy best in the $60-80 range.


Here is my current set up.

Geforce 4 mx 440 (64MB) AGP

AMD Atholon XP 1600 (1.4 GHZ/266Mhz)

256 MB PC2100

40 GB HD

Duro 400 watt max

I have been looking at X1650 512 mb or X1650 pro 512mb at newegg as they are in that range but I am not sure if they are the best card in that range. I am also dizzy from all the different makers. Powercolor, HiS, Sapphire. What is the difference between all these . Please tell me what to buy. Here are some linls to some. Thanks.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=x1650+pro+agp

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=50001419+40000048&Manufactory=1419&SubCategory=48&SpeTabStoreType=0

 

[englandr753]

Go on Ebay and purchase an ATI 9600XT 256mb card for 60.00. Your processor will not be powerful enough to utilize anything newer than that anyway.

I used that card for 3 years and it still ran everything I wanted to play on it when I finally replaced it.

You wont be disappointed.

9600XT Card link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ATI-Radeon-9600-XT-256MB-256-9600XT-AGP-video-card-NEW_W0QQitemZ120174854307QQihZ002QQcategoryZ40158QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

You should get more memory too, if you can swing it get another 256mb stick. I'm assuming you have a 256mb stick now. If your system supports faster memory you could get a single 512 stick of 2700 or 3200.

ddr 2100 http://cgi.ebay.com/PC2100-256MB-DDR-SDRAM-256-MB-DDR266-PC-2100-MEMORY-RAM_W0QQitemZ140172057723QQihZ004QQcategoryZ44937QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

ddr 2700
http://cgi.ebay.com/SAMSUNG-512MB-DDR-2700-333Mhz-PC2700-512-MB-RAM-184-PIN_W0QQitemZ270181059996QQihZ017QQcategoryZ44938QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

ddr 3200
http://cgi.ebay.com/512M-Kingston-400-Desktop-Memory-PC-3200-512-MB-DDR-RAM_W0QQitemZ280168251770QQihZ018QQcategoryZ74942QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

These two upgrades will make a nice improvement. Anything more than that would make it better to build a new system in which I know you don't want to have to do right now so this should help. 256mb of memory is needed most of the time to run most functions of windows xp alone. If you use all of your available ram then you are forcing your system to use the cache on your hard drive that is much slower so theres plenty of justification getting more memory.

I do think you will see much better performance improvement with a mildly lesser video card and a good balance of system memory...

 

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Thanks for the reply.
I was wondering if the 512 card is worth the $10 more??
Also what is the differnece in the Pro and the different makers mentioned???
I am planning on getting a new system next year sometime when the wife allows it so I sohould consider getting something I can use in the future possibly or has good resale??

 

[kpo6969]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130076

 

[leadfooter]

Thanks for the replies. Here is a great page to look at. I have the 9600 and the x1650 in there now. But isn't the X1650 better and they are about the same $ ??

http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?PHPSESSID=c6ddccda92d0310a35671ebb98b099a8&card1=82&card2=458

 

[bash007]

Get the X1650PRO. The Vanilla X1650 (regular) is crap.
Either get the X1650PRO or XT versions, as they're much better than the 9600XT, and outperform the 7600GS suggested by a previous poster.
I wouldn't recommend getting the 512MB versions of these cards, 256MB will suffice (these cards aren't powerful enough to make use of the 512MB VRAM), so getting the 256MB version should save you some money.
You'll also need more RAM. Get a good 1GB stick of RAM, along with either the X1650PRO or XT and you should be good to go.

EDIT: The XT is better than the PRO by the way.

 

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Thanks for the reply and the links.
How much ram is enough It seems expensive at least at new egg?? My system takes 184 pin 2.5v DDR up to 1 gb per slot I have 256 in one now?? Are there different speeds or quality what is DDR2 will that work as well?

Also what is the difference in brands for the card. HIS Sapphore powercolor ect??? Is one better??
Thanks

 

[bash007]

Your motherboard can't take DDR2 memory. It can only take DDR.
As I said 1GB should be good enough (it's the minimum nowadays).
Here's a good stick of 1GB DDR RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820141166

There are different speeds, but the actual differences in performance are minimal.

As for the graphics cards, they are pretty much the same regardless of which brand you get. However, there could be differences in cooling, clock speeds, warranty, and last but not least, price.

 

[leadfooter]

Thanks for the replies.....Ok How about I put in a 2200+ or 2400+ cpu and 1gb and the X1650 pro or XT card will I be able to play fairly new games on that system?? Suggestions???