Big decision... need advices

[Parabellum]

Hello,

Right now, I have a P4C800-E and a 3.4C ES with a gig of ram and a 9800 Pro. I want to upgrade my video card since new games need a little more powah.

My biggest concern is that there is a transition from AGP to PCI-E right now and sadly, my upgrade comes just along this path. I am very happy with my setup right now and it is the most stable one I have ever had, even better than the 440BX era. The sad thing is that it is AGP. I came in the P4 world since I had a lot of issues with nForce2 Ultra400 (Abit NF7-S 2.0 not to name it). I know that if I choose to go PCI-E, I will have to deal with Athlon64 since PCI-E on newer P4 sucks, plus they use DDR2. I am very hesitant to go back with AMD since I knew how stable a computer could be. The problem with AMD is not the CPU but the platform.. Anyway, this is another story...

So, here is my situation :

Should I keep my Intel setup and just upgrade the AGP card with the best card I could find, and knowing the fact that I will have to ditch all this at once when the next upgrade arrive?

or

Ditch all this, buy a Asus A8N-E, Venice 3500+ and a good PCI-E videocard, like the upcoming 7800GTX? (I don't care about SLI right now)

As I said, I am more worried about compatibility, stability than sheer performance. I do not have any experience with A64 since I know nobody personnally with this setup that could let me try how it handle things so that I can compare with my setup.

What would you do?

Para

 

[DamienThorn]

Well, were it me, it would really come down to dollars and cents. If you can afford to make a full transition to an A64 PCI-E rig, then go for it. By and large the bugs have been worked out of the mobos, and you'll be able to determine which one will best suit your needs. If, on the other hand, money is a concern, then stick with AGP. AGP, despite what many people say, will not be disappearing anytime soon. The fact that the majority of users right now use AGP cards means that AGP cards will be produced for a very long time, it just makes fiscal sense to video card manufaturers.

 

[comikehill2002]

Well, were it me, it would really come down to dollars and cents. If you can afford to make a full transition to an A64 PCI-E rig, then go for it. By and large the bugs have been worked out of the mobos, and you'll be able to determine which one will best suit your needs. If, on the other hand, money is a concern, then stick with AGP. AGP, despite what many people say, will not be disappearing anytime soon. The fact that the majority of users right now use AGP cards means that AGP cards will be produced for a very long time, it just makes fiscal sense to video card manufaturers.

I would have to agree

 

[jhzero1984]

I have to agree with the above posts as well.

I also have to say that the stability is very good for the nForce4 boards, plus the A64s are excellent for gaming compared to current intel chips.


By the way, if you decide to sell, I would love to get my hands on that P4 Engineering Sample. I have a P4C800 Deluxe (non E) that is craving for one


Zero

EDIT:

I forgot to mention,

I was recently on the same boat as you (9700 pro), and wanted to upgrade now. I kept reading to wait for the 7800 to be released Monday/Tuesday, but after much research I came to this conclusion:

The 7800 will take some time to be released on AGP (maybe August). nVidia is not stupid, realizing most people with AGP still are not upgrade whores who always need the latest and greatest who will buy the card as soon as its released. August seems like the best bet because ATI should have its new card out, and that will be when the real war starts. Also, I dont see the 6800 GT coming down much more in price even after the AGP versions are released. When I was searching for a 6800 GT, many places still have the card listed for $350-400 depending on brand, with msrp listed on most company websites as $400, even eVGA. What will happen is the price on all GTs will fall to $300 with the ultra sitting in the high $300s over the next two or three months. After that, I can see the GT settling down at $250, with the ultra at $300. By then, nVidia and ATI will again probably have some new card on the horizon.

 

[Parabellum]

I have to agree with the above posts as well.

I also have to say that the stability is very good for the nForce4 boards, plus the A64s are excellent for gaming compared to current intel chips.


By the way, if you decide to sell, I would love to get my hands on that P4 Engineering Sample. I have a P4C800 Deluxe (non E) that is craving for one


Zero

EDIT:

I forgot to mention,

I was recently on the same boat as you (9700 pro), and wanted to upgrade now. I kept reading to wait for the 7800 to be released Monday/Tuesday, but after much research I came to this conclusion:

The 7800 will take some time to be released on AGP (maybe August). nVidia is not stupid, realizing most people with AGP still are not upgrade whores who always need the latest and greatest who will buy the card as soon as its released. August seems like the best bet because ATI should have its new card out, and that will be when the real war starts. Also, I dont see the 6800 GT coming down much more in price even after the AGP versions are released. When I was searching for a 6800 GT, many places still have the card listed for $350-400 depending on brand, with msrp listed on most company websites as $400, even eVGA. What will happen is the price on all GTs will fall to $300 with the ultra sitting in the high $300s over the next two or three months. After that, I can see the GT settling down at $250, with the ultra at $300. By then, nVidia and ATI will again probably have some new card on the horizon.

Hehe, I will keep this on mind if I get into a rush to swap everything Yeah, I think I am very lucky to got my hands on this one. If ever I sell it while keeping that Intel platform would be only if I get a P4 3.4 EE ES. I saw two for sale a couple of months ago and were not able to pick them up. They are rare and I appreciate rare things, especially in computer hardware.

Para