Replacement for x800xt

[darkstar68]

My AIW X800XT has served me faithfully for four years or so but alas within the last month has shown increasing signs of fubar - artifacts, columns of yellowish blocks stripe my desktop. Enough!

I would like to find a suitable replacement but am wary of buying either too much or too little GPU for my needs. I don't really use the AV bells and whistles of the AIW but I do rely heavily on it's 3D gaming capabilities.

I have perused the VGA charts and latest card reviews. The "Best Gaming Videocards for the money" thread (http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/169937-33-short-list-gaming-videocards-money) is great but the benchmarks appear to be all different now than what I can find for X800XT. There is no common reference for comparison so I know what I would be getting relative to what I have now.

I'd like to find something that is a step up, since it has been four years, but do not need bleeding edge. Hoping to keep it under $300.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[runswindows95]

The ATI HD4850 at $200 is the best card for the money.

Edit: Your X800XT is equivalent to a modern $100 graphics card

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/graphics-cards,1942-7.html

 

[iluvgillgill]

under $300 there is alot of choice.the HD4850 for $199 and the 9800GTX(+) also for $199($229)or maybe even the HD4870 for $299 if the rumour is true.

bare in mind there are still waiting for a better official driver to be out for the AMD cards, but the performance so far its very solid for the HD4850. where as Nvidia on the other hand have released their updated drivers today which said to give performance boost on their card, which i would say its a solid piece of kit you are getting.

 

[PsyKhiqZero]

I recomend the ati 4850 or the 8800gt if you system has pci-e. really any card you buy for 200-300 will spank your x800xt performance wise. So take a look at your PSU. How many watts does it have? How many amps on the +12v rail? Also does your system have pci-e or agp graphcis expansion?

 

[pcgamer12]

4850 FTW!

 

[dirtmountain]

Is it an AGP card ? or PCIex16 ? If it's an AGP socket, then the ATI3850 is probably the best you can do. Needs a 450w Power supply with 30 amps on 12v. Running about $150

 

[iluvgillgill]

the HD3850 AGP is a waste of money to me. for that much you could get a whole new system base(CPU+mobo)

 

[marvelous211]

the HD3850 AGP is a waste of money to me. for that much you could get a whole new system base(CPU+mobo)

I wouldn't call it wast of money. They are going for not much more than $100 and still great for games.

 

[pauldh]

The X800XT is closest to the 7600GT and X1650XT. An HD2600XT would be a step up for sure, and available in PCI-e ($60AR) or AGP ($100).

If you have PCI-e, enough 12v power, and a decent enough CPU to pair it with, you may want to consider an 8800GS, 9600GT or 8800GT. The 8800GS is super cheap ($80 AR) now and twice the gaming card the 2600XT or 8600GT is. In AGP you could consider the HD3850 for $130AR if your system is up to spec.

What's you CPU, Power supply, and motherboard or system model #?

 

[darkstar68]

As several had guessed the system is a bit dated: 2.5GHz P4, 1.25GB memory, 250W power, AGP 8X. Far from the bleeding edge. Sorry for not providing more detail up front.

It's clear to me now that my replacement choices are sorely limited until I can justify the cost of a new rig. It sounds like the HD2600XT may be the best bet for now.

Thanks to all for the great advice. Sincerely appreciated.