3 best stable AGP options<$125 for maxing/matching P4P800-E DLX + 3.2g

[voxleo]

3 best stable AGP options<$125 for maxing/matching P4P800-E DLX + 3.2g

Depending on the diagnosis of my current x1950pro (which I have not yet tested, and so can't use as a comparison for performance analysis of other options), I may have to buy one last AGP card before I move into the PCI-e arena with the next setup. Since I don't want to have to look for one again when they are non-existent even used, I like to get some ideas (3 potential candidates) on what cards might be appreciated by and not be too much overkill for the ultimate capability of my p4p800e-deluxe mobo. Used or new is fine, but I'd like an idea on the availability and price range (which will have to be adjusted if i need to purchase a cooling solution in addtion, so please mention any issues with this).

Details/Requirements:
The current cpu is a 3.2GHz Northwood 512/800/Hyperthreading, and I think that is very close to the top of what this board can handle or maybe 3.4EE. RAM is OCZ EL Platinum 4GB pc3200 and v600 PSU from coolmax (which has 6-pin pci-e pwr connector - Which reminds me, please let me know if any are particular power hogs or not and what kind of connector they need if you know.) I do require a dual monitor setup with a TV-out, though it doesn't matter overmuch if they are both dvi or 1 vga/ 1 dvi, so long as both can run simultaneously. HD/Video streaming and editing/encoding/decoding and MULTI-multi-tasking (constantly re-rendering hi-res images in adobe type stuff) will be the primary functions, maybe working as multimedia center for entertainment also.

I see lots of used x1650 pro's on thebay that I could afford, so lets use that as a starting point for compares (in performace, not necessarily by price - I just know that model was used for video editing machine with no complaints) . I was told that I might consider the hd 3850, but I also heard that needs an 8 pin connect which I have not. I actually have no real idea of what might be the real world differences between the cards at that level since the last card I was able to work with was an fx5700le that died and now am using my geforce 5200 dual vga which I got in like 2003 or something, so reasons along with the suggestions would be most helpful.


Thanks in advance, I appreciate the opportunity to pick your brains much more than you will ever know...

 

[voxleo]

because all I have is an AGP slot.

I need a rig (now) that functions at the level I want (now) and only 125 bucks to make that happen (right now). I don't have a mobo with pci-e, and other pci slots are full. I have only a 478 socket chip, meaning a new mobo with pci-e instead of agp means a new cpu as well, plus new RAM and the list goes on. A card that would be a good match to this board means I can have a machine I am content with for a while so that I can wait for the cash to buy higher end tech with room to grow a bit, which is preferable than doing all the work to put together a budget system on my budget now and still wishing I had something else.

It is a band-aid solution, but it will do for now. 125 is the absolute max I can conceive of spending at this time, not what I want to spend. I'd prefer that the x1950 pro I have on hand actually be functional so that I needn't deal with this at all, but such as it is, it is.

 

[jyjjy]

The best AGP card is the HD4670 but it will be held back by your cpu, an HD4650 would be more appropriate.
I would agree with psycho however, don't bother. AGP card are quite overpriced and your processor is very poor by today's standards and will make a good number of today's games unplayable or close to it. If you can manage to scrape together $200 instead you could get something like this;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.334552
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211066
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814141114
If your current ram is DDR2 then you can use it instead and cut the price down to $160.
I can't overstate how much better that would be than your current system. The processor is approximately 4 times better than your current chip and paired with the HD4670 it will allow you to play any current game at reasonably high settings at low resolutions(1280x1024 and below.) Even when not gaming you'll see massive benefits. It is also highly upgradeable should you desire a better processor or card in the future.
If you can manage $300 i would recommend an Athlon II x4 instead, another 2 gigs of ram and a motherboard that is a bit better.

 

[voxleo]

Salt in the wound my friends, even the RAM (ddr1) has to go (and its actually my favorite part of the sytem right now). Trust me I want nothing more than to step into the future with some decade appropriate technology. Unfortunately, a new "ground up" build is simply not in the cards for me at this time - no pun intended. Allow me to reiterate, and with added emphasis:

"125 is the absolute max I can conceive of spending at this time,..."

and this continues to hold true no matter how much I stretch the reality of my inadequate budget or my very capable imagination. AND I wouldn't even go there unless absolutely worth it, but it is AGP or nothing at all right now. I've got bigger problems than being able to play the latest eye candy rpg at this point.

I don't think I have purchased a game for my PC since Roller Coaster Tycoon anyway. (Playstation has taken over that role in our house for the most part.) I just want to know what the field of options is so I can make the most out of what I've already got, which is, sadly, not going well as it is (if curious, read my last post under the "safemode only after windows update" thread))

I kinda feel like my computer is the last thread I can cling to that may help me drag myself out of unemployment without going to "would you like fries with that?" (not a good place to start at 37 years old). If I don't get some joy out of the hardware I've got already (and that but soon) I'm afraid it will be another lifetime before I even care what is tech current because my daily existence will likely be consumed with a) survival and b) convincing myself that survival is worth it.

Approaching from an alternative angle, let's say I am getting something for secondhand and a song in an the ebay wasteland that was created by, as Stephen King might say, "a world that has moved on." What might some of the treasure among the trash be if you happened to be an Asus p4p800-e deluxe with the desire to be king sh** on turd hill with an AGP partner that won't find you grossly inadequate enough to want to move on without you?

 

[dougie_boy]

if you just need an AGP card for i have a 1950pro which you can have.

Catch?

i live in the UK and the card is a little iffy for some reason, no idea why. its fine in desktop use but it crashes pcs when it is used in 3d some times. its your call.

all i ask is you front the P&P and i will ship it over.

 

[jyjjy]

Well if you are really so strapped for cash I would recommend looking on ebay for something reasonable. A 7600gs perhaps?

 

[voxleo]

if you just need an AGP card for i have a 1950pro which you can have.

Catch?

i live in the UK and the card is a little iffy for some reason, no idea why. its fine in desktop use but it crashes pcs when it is used in 3d some times. its your call.

all i ask is you front the P&P and i will ship it over.

Thanks so much! I really appreciate the offer! before I jump all over that, a couple questions re: the "catch":
I don't do much international trading: what exactly IS "P&P"? And
(presuming it is some sort of monetary consideration) exactly how much are we talking about? And
How would payment be transacted if feasible?

 

[jyjjy]

I believe it means "postage and packing"

 

[captainstupid]

honestly, i would order online or go to bestbuy( more expensive but have it NOW) and buy the hd 3650.
the 3850 is so bottlenecked by the cpu it isnt funny. i have one. its beautiful as can be but it is definitely overkill.
or go the nvidia route and buy an upper 7 series.
the ati hd2400 and hd3450 are on a 64 bit mem bus. the hd3650 is on a 128 and the 3850 is on 256.
i doubt you will find an hd2600 or 2900 worth the expense compared to the 3650.
nvidia wise, only the 6800's or the upper 7 series. the 7 series, id find 7800 or higher. i do not know the availability in your area and prices on ebay are laughable mostly.
my preferred option would be the 3650 as i stated. you have enough power and used with your processor and ram, i would say youre more than good to go.
video output wise, nvidia cards dual out no problem. ati i dont have the experience to know how well they work.
good luck in your choice and keep that agp alive. screw these people who keep telling you to just upgrade. some of us dont see a reason to if we can run our programs just fine on our 'dinosaurs'

 

[voxleo]

Well if you are really so strapped for cash I would recommend looking on ebay for something reasonable. A 7600gs perhaps?

Yes, this was the general idea behind the post to begin with (thanks for getting the point!) Got any more model #'s I might look at? I was hoping to find more options of used cards since (as sooo many have pointed out) AGP is so "yesterday." I was actually fairly surprised to see new cards still offered (and in such inconceivable price ranges!)

I am looking for a few model options to shop for so I can try to find the most cost effective solution with the most benefit in performance. Seems like I have to have several options to maximize this ratio, so was looking for what to look for since I am unfamiliar with the entire range of cards that came after the geforce 5700 le.

I last heard that the 7600 series would be the last offerings from Nvidia in AGP. Is that still true? From ATI tho- I don't know much about at all, never had one. I see x1600 , x1900 paired with my board in others posts a lot, and see a lot of x800 series on ebay, plus hd2xxx and hd36xx series as well. but there are too many possibles for me to shop effectively and was hoping to pare the list of potential candidates down to three specific models (or at least groups/series) to target for deal hunting, and was willing to spend up to 125 on a new card if the used offerings were still going at high prices anyway.

I did consult the GPU heirarchy chart, which was helpful in knowing where I am now in relative scale to what is available, but I am certain that my board is outclassed at some point on that ladder and don't know where that point is. Also can't tell how much difference from each other at that level since I've never experienced it and see no sense in spending any money on something at this point that ISN'T at the ceililng for this board either.

Hence the question of what cards would be the most muscle the board could handle without being overkill (or at least, without being more than just a little bit of overkill )

 

[voxleo]

...the 3850 is so bottlenecked by the cpu it isnt funny...
...video output wise, nvidia cards dual out no problem. ati i dont have the experience to know how well they work...
'

Huzzah!! Thanks cap'n, EXACTLY the sort of info I was seeking. (Apparently "Stupid" still rules the human race, even among the brainy bunch :lol: )

Did not know that about ATI and dual inexp. Definite food for thought. Any specific issues to note?

I had considered that the 3850 might be out of my league just based on the power req's, but pleasantly surprised about this info on the 3650, which (as you mentioned) is available new and not impossibly expensive esp compared with the going rates on used. So more details on that one? (One of the other things I get troubled with is comparing the different sub-models across brands: I can't make comparative decisions when I don't know whether talking about 256mb or 512mb variety or gddr2 vs gddr3 that carry the same model numbers.) Are there variations on the 3650 theme I should be aware of (specifically any to positively AVOID)?

 

[jyjjy]

this should give you a general idea of where cards stand in relation to each other;
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-310-5970,2491-7.html
its not perfect but should be good enough for your purposes.

 

[voxleo]

this should give you a general idea of where cards stand in relation to each other;
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-310-5970,2491-7.html
its not perfect but should be good enough for your purposes.

That was my starting point back in november-ish, but was still befuddled, hence the post. I need to narrow that list to a least a couple tiers only and started with range more than a dozen tiers of possibles! I have a rough idea of the ceiling now with the 3850 and 4670, so how low would I go to still be at the top of the comfort zone for my board setup? Can it handle the ddr3 versions or should I be looking at ddr2?

(btw - @ dougie: this discussion becomes a fairly moot point if you wanna discuss details and save me the headache of shopping around anyway... )

 

[dougie_boy]

the price of shipping it over would be about £11 which is about $16.72 and would take 5 days approx.

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/akuPkTpRs1K5_-lYKGEE0w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8G9Y2YFZHyw/S4fPWMqWZQI/AAAAAAAAAD4/sjmlQFOa1K4/s144/photo.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/114743559132324605298/UntitledAlbum?feat=embedwebsite">Untitled Album</a></td></tr></table>

 

[dougie_boy]

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8G9Y2YFZHyw/S4fPWMqWZQI/AAAAAAAAAD4/sjmlQFOa1K4/photo.jpg
try again...

 

[voxleo]

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8G9Y2YFZHyw/S4fPWMqWZQI/AAAAAAAAAD4/sjmlQFOa1K4/photo.jpg
try again...

Thanks everyone! This has all helped very much, I'll have a much better understanding of the next round too from this, especially from CaptainStupid's exceptionally thorough response (winner="best answer" to posted question)! I think there isn't any way I can do better for my current situation in wallet and sanity than this though (winner="best solution" to underlying problem).

Is Paypal OK for UK?

One last question I just thought of seeing the NTSC sticker on the backside of one of these: You guys are PAL over there, right? Does it matter for the hardware itself or is that the same board but changeable via jumper (namely the one I can't find anything mentioning its default position at the diagonal corner across from tne pci-e connex?) Actually, I don't care if it is only PAL, I think my monitor has a setting for that (but WTF is that jumper for?).

I'll send a PM with the address and we can work out the details from there.

Thanks a bajillion - I owe you one.


Cheers!

 

[voxleo]

Best answer selected by voxleo.

 

[voxleo]

the price of shipping it over would be about £11 which is about $16.72 and would take 5 days approx.

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/akuPkTpRs1K5_-lYKGEE0w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8G9Y2YFZHyw/S4fPWMqWZQI/AAAAAAAAAD4/sjmlQFOa1K4/s144/photo.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/114743559132324605298/UntitledAlbum?feat=embedwebsite">Untitled Album</a></td></tr></table>

I can't tell you how much stress you just saved me (and beleive me I won't forget it - I will "pay it forward" in the world, and I am in your debt.)

Sure, I can find the stuff but it takes patience... and after four months of putting out fires I am running a little bit low on that. The downside of discovering the big broadband world is that now I don't function well without a reliable PC at hand and on demand. My Vaio went unexpectedly and since then I've been focused mostly on restoring my digital universe. This frees up my mind to worry about other things that need doing besides my obsession with getting myself back "online" (both figuratively and literally).

If you have Paypal (as much as despise their business practices, they do prove to be useful) I can send the "P&P" (as you call it) direct to an email and it should credit instantly. OR, if you want to send a request or invoice in pounds to my main email (sent to you via pm) then we could just let PP do the conversion rate and wouldn't have to guesstimate either direction.

Let me know what you think is best -