Need AGP recommendations under $200

G

greens

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 3, 2007
Messages
305
My system goes something like this:

AMD Athlon 64 3500+ 2.20 Ghz
Asus A8V motherboard
1GB Kingston Hyper Ram
Thermaltake 480W power supply

Radeon 9800 Pro 128mb


I really don't want to drop $1500-2000 on an upgrade to PCI-e at the moment, and would rather just spend $100-200 on another AGP card that will be a significant upgrade to my 9800 pro. The 9800 has served me well running FarCry perfectly fine over the last few years, but I've recently got back in to pc gaming and its getting very choppy with some "newer to me" games like Fear. I won't even make an attempt to run Crysis after seeing how bad the demo ran. I only need something to last another 6-12 months.

Any suggestions? Links to those suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
I'll sell you my X1950Pro 256meg card for $125 + 1/2 shipping.
 
This might be more worth your while,

BIOSTAR TF560 A2+ AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA nForce 560 MCP ATX AMD Motherboard $69
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138081

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Brisbane 2.6GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Black Edition $95
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103194

EVGA 512-P3-N862-AR GeForce 9600GT Superclocked 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 $179
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130328

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit $45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098

Total after MIR: $399.96

Re-using the rest like case hd dvd/cd etc this will run pretty much any game today with decent performance and only $200 more than the temp card that will be un-usable in a new system.
 
hossdaddy said:
This might be more worth your while,

BIOSTAR TF560 A2+ AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA nForce 560 MCP ATX AMD Motherboard $69
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138081

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Brisbane 2.6GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Black Edition $95
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103194

EVGA 512-P3-N862-AR GeForce 9600GT Superclocked 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 $179
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130328

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit $45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098

Total after MIR: $399.96

Re-using the rest like case hd dvd/cd etc this will run pretty much any game today with decent performance and only $200 more than the temp card that will be un-usable in a new system.
Click to expand...

you could do it cheaper than that
 
greens said:
I really don't want to drop $1500-2000 on an upgrade to PCI-e at the moment, and would rather just spend $100-200 on another AGP card that will be a significant upgrade to my 9800 pro. The 9800 has served me well running FarCry perfectly fine over the last few years, but I've recently got back in to pc gaming and its getting very choppy with some "newer to me" games like Fear. I won't even make an attempt to run Crysis after seeing how bad the demo ran. I only need something to last another 6-12 months.
.
Click to expand...

How's it going Greens. Couple of more suggestions for you since you said you don't want to spend more than $100-$200 dollars. These cards should get you buy nicely over the next 6-12 months.

The next level down would be a X1950 Pro which you might be able to find cheap on Ebay, especially since a number of people are likely getting rid of that card to get a HD 3850 AGP. Need a healthy +12v rail on power supply. However, I really think your best alternative is one of the cards below, especially since you said this was only temporary.

Your next best choices would be a 2600XT, X1650GT, or a 7600GT. There all in approximately the same performance bracket. The 2600XT and 7600GT don't need as much power as the X1650GT does. I'd have to give the nod to the 2600XT for features. Also the driver issues have also been worked out according to several users who chimed in the last time this came up.

Sapphire 2600XT 512MB - $116 - Includes Molex Adapter
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102718

EVGA 7600GT 512MB - $128 / $20 rebate - Only GDDR2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130099

HIS X1650GT 512MB - $129 / $30 rebate - uses same core as an XT, better than the Pro
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161205
 
You have a similar system to my other computer. But, mine is slower with an Athlon 64 3000+. I got an X1650Pro AGP for $80 clearance at Best Buy last year and it was a good boost over that 9800Pro that I was running.


greens said:
My system goes something like this:

AMD Athlon 64 3500+ 2.20 Ghz
Asus A8V motherboard
1GB Kingston Hyper Ram
Thermaltake 480W power supply

Radeon 9800 Pro 128mb


I really don't want to drop $1500-2000 on an upgrade to PCI-e at the moment, and would rather just spend $100-200 on another AGP card that will be a significant upgrade to my 9800 pro. The 9800 has served me well running FarCry perfectly fine over the last few years, but I've recently got back in to pc gaming and its getting very choppy with some "newer to me" games like Fear. I won't even make an attempt to run Crysis after seeing how bad the demo ran. I only need something to last another 6-12 months.

Any suggestions? Links to those suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
 
Wow, we have the same/similar mobo. Look at my siggy! Get the 7800GS (not the 7900GS or 7950GT, those are bugged) or a X1900GT/Pro/XT or X1950GT/Pro/XT (if you can find one).
 
Red Falcon said:
Wow, we have the same/similar mobo. Look at my siggy! Get the 7800GS (not the 7900GS or 7950GT, those are bugged) or a X1900GT/Pro/XT or X1950GT/Pro/XT (if you can find one).
Click to expand...

The only place around that has it New is Tigerdirect at $209 which is more than the HD 3850.

Really the only place to buy any of the older high performance AGP cards is on EBay or possibly a Refurb. Buying either is always a crap-shoot though unless you can get a decent warranty. If you try to buy any of them new, they're going to cost you almost as much as a HD 3850.

BFG 7800GS 256MB - $209
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...=B52-7812&SRCCODE=SHOPPINGDF&CMP=OTC-SHOPPING

Visiontek X1950 Pro 256MB - $189
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2918625&CatId=935
 
hossdaddy said:
yes but he wants something decent not a cheap low end pc.
Click to expand...

Per greens post, he just wants an AGP card to temporarily hold him over for 6-12 months. So he really doesn't want a decent-end or low-end PCI-E system right now and implied he'll be building/buying one later.
 
Since your on socket 939 why don't you buy a pci-e motherboard for around $50 or so then buy a 3850 video card. Check out the for sale section here lots of people are selling there 939 stuff so you should be able to find a board.
 
If I was him, I would just stick with his current setup. All he needs is a better card which alot of them right now will show a performance difference over that 9800pro. Based on my own experience, since I have a similar setup to his is.. I upgraded the video card for something like under $100 X1650Pro. I played the games that I played when I was on the 9800Pro card. Then, I later put together another system. The AMD system is now by backup pc. A 2600Pro AGP for under $100 will show a difference over that 9800 pro. Or for even more performance, a 7600GT such as this 512MB EVGA will give a HUGE difference.

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10006458

For $99.99 after mail in, you can't go wrong and you won't be disappointed coming from a 9800pro.

There is also a post on Hardforum comparing a 7600GT to a 9800pro
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1032735
 
HardwareGuru said:
If I was him, I would just stick with his current setup. All he needs is a better card which alot of them right now will show a performance difference over that 9800pro. Based on my own experience, since I have a similar setup to his is.. I upgraded the video card for something like under $100 X1650Pro. I played the games that I played when I was on the 9800Pro card. Then, I later put together another system. The AMD system is now by backup pc. A 2600Pro AGP for under $100 will show a difference over that 9800 pro. Or for even more performance, a 7600GT such as this 512MB EVGA will give a HUGE difference.

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10006458

For $99.99 after mail in, you can't go wrong and you won't be disappointed coming from a 9800pro.

There is also a post on Hardforum comparing a 7600GT to a 9800pro
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1032735
Click to expand...

I agree and that was one of the ones I linked to above. $10 cheaper at ZipzoomFly though. Also note the performance won't be as good on the EVGA card as some of the other 7600GT's because it uses GDDR2 rather than GDDR3, but EVGA is the only one around now.
 
Intel rebuild:
Gigabyte P35-DS3L - $70 (Newegg.com)
Intel E2180 - $50 AR (Tigerdirect.com)
2GB DDR2-800, brand unimportant, CAS5 or lower - $40
EVGA 9600GT PCIe - $170 (newegg.com)

$330 + shipping. Add a $20-30 aftermarket HSF in a few months and OC that chip to 3.0-3.2Ghz without any issue whatsoever, easy. Throw a cheap quad in there in about a year, or the rumored upcoming 6 core Penryn chip, and it should last you a good 2, 3 years, depending on what resolution you're running. Much better deal than a $200 AGP card, and performance difference will be substantial compared to your current machine. Is that a single core A64 3500+? I had one of those in my previous rig. Good chip, but it will choke any of the modern GPUs in a big way.
 
peta328 said:
Since your on socket 939 why don't you buy a pci-e motherboard for around $50 or so then buy a 3850 video card. Check out the for sale section here lots of people are selling there 939 stuff so you should be able to find a board.
Click to expand...

QFT. Just get a good used 939 PCI-E motherboard and the PCI-E video card of your choice. It should still end up as cheap as buying just a video card, and you'll have a holdover video card for when you do the rest of your update (to Nehalem presumably, given your timeframe). It's not like you're coming from a socket where PCI-E isn't available or anything.
 
Well, since Greens says he only wants a decent upgrade for 6-12 months. What I just mentioned on the EVGA 7600GT is the easiet, feasable and the most economical route to go. The main thing is you get a performance difference over that 9800Pro which you will. If he says and wants to play the new titles right now, then, you should build a new system with a PCI-E card.
 
HardwareGuru said:
Well, since Greens says he only wants a decent upgrade for 6-12 months. What I just mentioned on the EVGA 7600GT is the easiet, feasable and the most economical route to go. The main thing is you get a performance difference over that 9800Pro which you will. If he says and wants to play the new titles right now, then, you should build a new system with a PCI-E card.
Click to expand...

6-12 months is a long time to suffer with a mediocre card for nearly what a good card costs. I don't agree with this recommendation in the least.
 
Greens, if you want to play the new titles like Crysis etc. then, it's best that you do build a new system. It depends though if you are willing to spend more than $200 right now. I stated earlier on a 7600GT AGP for $100 because it was within your budget and was going by what you want to spend. But, realistically, unless you will only be playing your older game titles for the next 6-12 months then a system upgrade is the best route. I went that route because I wanted to run UT3 nicely on a higher res.
 
Thank you very much for all the quick and excellent feedback guys.

At the moment I'm leaning towards the BFG 7800GS OC. I've had ATI cards the last three in a row so I figured I'd try out an Nvidia. I'd really like to just go ahead and drop the $1200-1500 it's going to take to build the system I want but I can't afford that at the moment. The HD3850 looks quite nice but I don't want to spend $225+ after shipping. I think the 7800GS will be a nice enough jump over the 9800pro to keep me satisfied for the next 12 months or so.
 
Seriously, buying an agp nvidia video card at this point is a waste of money.

Buy a used x1950pro agp (someone offered to sell his for $125 in this thread). It performs much better than the 7800gs.

Or buy a HD3850 (best agp video), but its a little over $200.

Or just save up for a new PCI-E system.

Nvidia's agp 7600gt and 7800gs agp video cards are now over 2 generations old and perform poorly in newer games. The 8600gt (a low end sub $100 video card not available in agp) out performs the 7800gs in new games such as Bioshock, UT3, Gears, Oblivion, etc.
 
I upgraded from an eVGA 7800GS CO Superclocked card to my X1950Pro and saw a noticeable improvement, especially in BioShock (which is the main reason I upgraded to the X1950Pro)
 
Don't you hate it when you read forum posts about AGP video card advice expecting to see AGP card info. Instead you get pages full of "dude, for $100, you can buy a cheap ass PCI-E system!"

Let me just say that was NOT the advice they are looking for nor want to see. Some people have expesive AGP systems that are still up to par with todays system.

I myself have Dual 3.6Ghz Xeons @ 3.9Ghz, 4Gb Ram. on an iWill DH800. My system still rocks thanks to its dual OC 64-bit xeons. I would LIKE to upgrade to a PCI-E xeon board but my 8-port 64-bit RAID 5 CARD (holds my 1.5Tb array) requires a 133Mhz PCI-X slot. That means $500 for the MB alone.

A decent AGP upgrade from my X800 Pro to a HD3850 will add TWO more years of high settings game play.

spend $2000 for a new PCI-E system and have it last three years?
spend $220 for the latest gen video card and have it last two years?

I swear, trust fund babys should not be giving hardware purchasing advice!
 
LBFlashWiz said:
I swear, trust fund babys should not be giving hardware purchasing advice!
Click to expand...

You're one to talk, who has a dual-Xeon server-grade setup with a PCI-X RAID card. ;) My last build (S939 Athlon 64 X2) plus this one combined probably costs less than yours! :eek:

That said, I agree that there are some circumstances where keeping AGP makes sense, and there are some circumstances where it just doesn't (a 3850 ain't going to make an Athlon XP setup fly, for instance). Being "AGP-Forev-ar!" is no better than "AGP sux ballz lol".
 
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