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[geomonroe]

Hello All;
i am using an ASUS P4P 800 motherboard.
i want to upgrade video card, thinking either radeon X1600, or NVIDIA 6600.
would like to see if anyone has used any of these or anything close to these cards on a 478 socket and had success.

thanks george.

 

[outlw6669]

As long as you are planning on upgrading to the AGP version of those cards, Your Motherboard should handle it just fine.
TBH though, your system is probably not worth upgrading.
You would probably be better off putting your upgrade budget towards a $200-250 budget AMD build.
Even an onboard HD4200 will be just as powerful as a 6600 or x1600 and the newer CPU/RAM will give you a massive performance boost.

 

[geomonroe]

Hello Outlaw;
i dont have any extra money and i am a gamer though not hard core, so the little money i do spend must count.
i you can advise a good motherboard i would like the advice. i take it you are an amd man thats cool too though i was thinking more intel. i am a novice though so if you have the time i am all ears.

thanks in advance. george

 

[outlw6669]

lol, I am neither an AMD or Intel man.
I go with who ever offers the best performance for my $$
ATM, AMD's offerings are ruling the budget spectrum.

This is what I would recommend for an upgrade:

Athlon II x2 250/ASUS M4A785-M COMBO: $131.99
4Gb DDR2 800: $73.99 (after $10 MIR)

Total: $205.98 after MIR

This will give you a Massive performance boost from your current setup, an IGP that performs about the same as a x1600 or 6600 and a path for future upgrades.

Unfortunately, Intel does not currently have to many viable options at the low end.
Their LGA775 platform (where all the budget CPU's are at) is not only EOL but less cost effective and the lower end Core i3's are not quite out yet.
Even when they are out, they will still be quite a bit more expensive and, as their integrated graphics are quite weak, you will defiantly need a dedicated GPU for any sort of gaming.
For now, the above is about the best upgrade you can get for around $200.