AGP upgrade from Radeon 9800PRO on my old Dell XPS Gen2

Hey everyone. My first post here so be gentle. =)

My 4 year old Dell just had its AGP Radeon 9800 PRO video card die, so I'm looking to replace the card until money allows for a new system. *fingers crossed*

The CPU I'm running is the original P4 3.2Ghz:
Dell 3.2GHz 800FSB 512KB Cache Intel Pentium 4 Processor Upgrade Mfr P/N D0116

What would you recommend? My main uses are World of Warcraft, Picassa/Photoshop and general use (web etc.).

Is the Sapphire Radeon HD 3850 a good choice or too much for the CPU?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102730

Thanks in advance?

-Eric

id go for the 3850, its the best card you can get for AGP

I don't think there is a 4 series Rad eon AGP your max I believe is HD3850 AGP which should be around the strength of a 2900 PRO and around the 4670 (which is better with AA on)

3850 > 8800 GTS 640 > 8800 GTS 320 > 2900 PRO etc... It varies alot. And AGP version might have a 1-4 frame decrease.



Its very up and down.

Thanks people. I appreciate the confirmation, and will probably scoop up the 3850 from newegg on payday. =D

#1 choice if you can afford it, it looks like your power supply can handle it
HD3850 512MB 256bit DDR3 AGP $120 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814131090

#2 choice if budget is a problem
HD 2600XT 512MB 128bit DDR3 $80 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814161207

Sorry guys, im not trying to be harsh here…

There comes a time when you have to face facts… you need to upgrade, wasting any money on that machine is silly, even $1 !

P4 < core duo < core 2 duo < core 2 quad < Nehalem (next month)
-when was the last motherboard with an AGP slot built? (3 or more years ago at least)
-It’s likely you are running 1gig 233MHZ ram…

I understand not everyone has hundreds or thousands of dollars to spend on a PC… However there simply comes a time when fixing that old POS car in the driveway is not worth it anymore, and for your P4 that time was 2 years ago.


Try to save $400 and buy an entry lvl PC that will cripple that dinosaur P4.

#1 I dont have a 8800GTX anymore and when I did I had the 1kw power supply for two simple reasons.. a) the store didn’t have the brand/type I wanted so I had to get that one because I am impatient. b) I had planned to SLI when the price dropped on 8800GTX (I could not predict that the 8800GTX would maintain a $400 tag for years)

#2 when was the last time you looked at my profile as I sold that machine long ago?

#3 A good reason to trust me Is because I build a lot of new machines for myself, others and through my employment where I am in IT (Infrastructure to be specific)

In my opinion spending 1/4 to 1/3 the price of a new machine on a video cardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_card is a waste of money.
If your $10,000 car was going to cost $5000 to fix, would you fix it? Or would you sell it, get 1k for it and buy a new car?

Below is the machine your are mocking, which BTW was/is a killer rig even with an overkill power supply. Also... It is my old machine which i sold for $1600, two years after i built it.

#1 OK, fair enough

#2 It's in your signature

#3 It's not that I don't trust you but you fail to realize that a simple upgrade in video card MAY be enough to keep the OP happy for the next couple of years. By the time his current rig can no longer handle what he requires of it, he'll replace it and mid-to-high-end equipment now will be dirt cheap and he'll end up spending less money in the long run. In IT do companies replace equipment when new stuff comes out? Or do they wait until a need is no longer fulfilled by their current systems? If needs never change, there may no longer be a reason to upgrade/replace except for the case of system/component failure.

That’s hilarious!

I Have Signatures turned off; I never realized I had a sig still

I did update my profile with the new machine, just not my sig.

Anyhow, all fixed now.. Thank you for pointing it out.

I see where you’re coming from, but I don’t view it the same way…

I see a machine that is worth maybe $300 and we are informing him to spend half that on an obsolete upgrade. There comes a point when purchasing new is the way to go and in my opinion this is the time.

It is just my opinion, seems everyone else in this thread agrees on the upgrade. All good…

**edit**
I think the upgrade money is better spent towards a new low end rig.

anyone install one on that setup? how's it run?

Just curious, what are the specs for your whole system, and what kind of framerates are you seeing?

The OP clearly indicated they couldn't afford a new machine at the moment. Just because it is old, doesn't mean it doesn't work for them and an HD3850 will make a huge difference over a 9800Pro.

Here's a Powercolor 3850 for a little less money than the Sapphire card.

OK eil2017
I have good upgrade idea for you see
CPU (alot better then the old P4)
AMD Athlon X2 BE-2300 1.9GHz AM2 45W Dual-Core Processor - Retail :$37.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103232
MOBMO (cheapest one)
BIOSTAR A780G M2+ SE AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G Micro ATX ($49.99 after $10.00 Mail-InRebate) (with IGPU HD 3200)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813186143
video card (u have two choice)
HIS Hightech Radeon HD 3450 ($29.99 after $10.00 Mail-In Rebate )(run it with IGPU HD3200 in crossFire mode, will increase GPU power by 40%)(and u will have here More Power then HD 3850 that run on old AGP mode)
or Go for more Power with
Apollo AP-HD4670 256MB Radeon HD 4670 256MB 128-bit GDDR4 ($59.99 after $10.00 Mail-InRebate )(Just if u don't Play Over 1280X1024)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814140095
as u see it's about 117~147 can you believe that .
Important Note the HD3850 in AGP mode will run in half speed as PCIe 16X Mode (Like u say AGP = PCIe @4X)

Salem, add in memory and possibly a new power supply (not only because of capacity, but more than likely the OPs PSU is a 20-pin connector and any modern MB needs 24- or 20+4-pin). That puts the upgrade closer to $200

Here ya go.....

Fallout 3 - Medium settings @ 1280 1024 with about 23 fps notice some lag when ever I enter a large map. i.e. Wasteland.

Tombraider underworld - High settings @ 1280 1024 smooth play, no lag. seeing about 27 fps

Sacred 2 - hahaha.... the xps will bearly play this release. Although it will play it on low settings @ 1280 1024. tweaking the grass and terrain detail.

Red Alert 3 - High settings @ 1280 1024 seeing any where from 25-27.5 fps

It was a great way to keep this aging system breathing. But I am sure it wont be long before this rig has become a internet browser.

Salem would also have to add in the cost of a new copy of Windows since the OP's Dell OEM XP CD won't install on a new system. You would also have to add in the cost of a new case because the Dell's XPS power supply is unlike any standard ATX power supply and no new standard ATX power supply will fit in the OP's existing XPS case. All of which add to an "upgrade" that really isn't worth it just to play WoW, use Picassa and Photoshop or browse the internet.

Stick with the HD3850 for now and build a new machine when you can afford it.