That time again

[MrIgoe]

Ok, so 2 years ago I built myself a system, and over time ive slowly upgraded some of the parts (vid card, +RAM) So, now I pose the question, with my current specs:

P4 3.066c -> 3.4 w/Zalman
ASUS mobo (478 no PCIX)
1GB corsairXMS PC3200-LL
2xWD WD800
1XWD WD250
ATI 9800XT w/ NV Silencer
Herc Fortissimo 3 7.1
Lian li PC 61

Games like HL2 run at about 40-50 FPS at the 1280 ive come to require

Do I upgrade to a PCIX, which cascades into a new mobo and 775 chip, or do I get the AGP X850XT?

 

[defakto]

You probably don't want pci-x unless you're running a server environment. You're probably aiming more towards pci-E(xpress) which is completly different.

Right now you can still get away with the agp based solutions. Agp provides more than enough bandwidth to supply current cards on the market. Current cards run within a few fps of each other when comparing pci-e and agp. So unless you want to go for SLI later or you just want to spend the money, which would change the entire story, agp should be fine for now.

 

[Epicenter]

The term is PCI-E. PCI-X is a server solution used for adding RAID cards and the like. That aside ...

Your CPU should be pretty sufficient for running HL2, but it could not hurt to take it up a few notches either. Yoru video card is what's aging, really. The thing is, AGP is being phased out-- PCIe is taking its place. You will have a hard time upgrading with more AGP equipment-- getting a modern card and then trying to upgrade your CPU later will be a hell of a predicament.

If you're concerned with your game framerates, ESPECIALLY physics heavy games like HL2, you don't want an LGA775 board, you want a Socket 939 board with an Athlon 64. Observe:

.. A64s are also faster in most other tasks, including photoshop work, compiling, scientific apps, desktop apps, video editing and audio editing, emit less heat, use less power, and cost less. You can also upgrade to a Dual-Core A64 later this year with any modern 939 board (supporting 90nm processors) [about any of them.]

So, if you upgrade, I say grab a DFI NF4 Ultra-D board, a Socket 939 3200+ Venice and do some overclocking with your Zalman cooler (Venices are AMAZING overclockers) and add a PCI-Express 6600GT or X800XL.

 

[Sieravor]

I highly recommend PCI-E compliant mobo's and cards. AGP, while certainly good, and still strong, are and will be phased out. The change will have to come sooner or later. The real question is, is it worth buying the AGP card now, and having to get rid of it, the proc, and the mobo once AGP is unsupported? In my opinion, PCI-E is the way to go, without a doubt. It's a newer technology, and in all likelihood, will still be going strong years from now, just like AGP was. Make the change.