Too much GPU for MOBO? PCI-E adaptable to PCI/AGP?

[GSGregg]

I'm running XP-MCE through a 661FX-M7 mobo with a Celeron D-330 @ 2.66GHz, and an MX4000-
T128 video card. To try and smooth out some animation stutters (my gaming is little more than
pinball sims and Minesweeper), I intend to update. My current choice is an EVGA 512 A8-N403-LR,
but one reviewer at Amazon remarked, "you can get a 9400GT for half the price". I looked it up;
the specs are quite a jump from even the EVGA, but the 9400 is PCI-E 2.0x16, and what little I've
retained of what I've read makes me think that it won't adapt to PCI or AGP 8X, which are the
choices left to me by the mobo. Am I wrong?

Also of interest; can my mobo even handle a faster, more memory-capable card, or is there a
limit to how much of an improvement I can impose? Any input will be a big help. Thanks.

GSGregg

Forgot to mention: 512MB system RAM, if it matters.

 

[Crashman]

I'm running XP-MCE through a 661FX-M7 mobo with a Celeron D-330 @ 2.66GHz, and an MX4000-
T128 video card. To try and smooth out some animation stutters (my gaming is little more than
pinball sims and Minesweeper), I intend to update. My current choice is an EVGA 512 A8-N403-LR,
but one reviewer at Amazon remarked, "you can get a 9400GT for half the price". I looked it up;
the specs are quite a jump from even the EVGA, but the 9400 is PCI-E 2.0x16, and what little I've
retained of what I've read makes me think that it won't adapt to PCI or AGP 8X, which are the
choices left to me by the mobo. Am I wrong?

Also of interest; can my mobo even handle a faster, more memory-capable card, or is there a
limit to how much of an improvement I can impose? Any input will be a big help. Thanks.

GSGregg

Forgot to mention: 512MB system RAM, if it matters.

Actually somone did make a PCI to PCIe adapter, but it was more expensive than the graphics card and required half-height cards to fit into a full-height slot. On top of that, you'll probably never find one.

 

[jsc]

Time to bite the bullet and upgrade.

 

[amnotanoobie]

Almost any brand new AGP video card you could buy is a step-up from the MX4000. Though I wouldn't recommend you spend too much (examples would be ATi's 4670 series) as you would be extremely limited in performance with your cpu and ram.

Ideally gaming even on XP would be advisable with at least 1GB of ram.

 

[GSGregg]

Crashman:

Being an old-car buff, I'm accustomed to white-elephant hunts---but on the adapter you described, I think I'll pass.
The computer (free from a friend) and EVGA card (<$50) are within my budget, but if I can get a bit more for the $$,
what the heck, right?

jsc:

Did you mean, update the mobo---or the whole machine? That might take more than this retiree's got ( I should
brighten up, though; we're on our way to universal health care [Hey! No Politics!]).

amnotanoobie:

Understood. But as I said, my 'gaming' consists of mostly pinball (including recreations of favorite tables from my
mis-spent adolescence/school years/ military stint/early adulthood, etc., before vendor apathy made me lose in-
terest---it got harder and harder to find machines in playing shape [except for the coin swallower, of course]),
and since the balls---usually one, sometimes as many as five---are about the only things moving, a moderate im-
provement in graphics should suffice. I'll leave WOW and such games to those who know how.

Thanks be to you all;

GSGregg