GPU Advice

PepperPepper
edited December 2004 in Hardware
OK, I've got a POS Dell, the MOBO only does 4x AGP.
I have a now very old GeForce 4 Ti 4400, which has served me well for years.

(1) If I get an ATI Radeon 9800xt or 9800pro will I see any performance increase given the limitation of 4x AGP on this mobo? Will any vidcard give me better performance on 4x AGP? Are there any resources that you know of that may list FPS at 4x AGP for various cards? I've got a few hundred $ I can blow on it but I don't want to spend the $$$ if I won't see any immediate gains since my next system will likely be PCI-X and I'll get a newer card at that time. I'm looking for the best FPS at 4x AGP, I guess is the best way to put it .... Can anything beat the Ti4400?

(2) Does anyone know where I can buy one of those 256k RAM 9800pros that you can convert into an XT via oc'ing?

Thanks for all advice, etc.

Comments

  • MedlockMedlock Miramar, Florida Member
    edited December 2004
    I've never noticed a difference between AGP 4x and 8x with my Radeon 9700 Pro. But... If the mobo can only do 4x, is a Radeon 9800 series card really worth it? It will most likely be SEVERELY limited by the CPU, if the computer is that old.

    EDIT: I suggest you save yourself some money, and go with a Radeon 9600 Pro or something.
  • deicistdeicist Manchester, UK
    edited December 2004
    1) As far as I know (although I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong) the 9800 generation cards only just about maxed out what 4x AGP was capable of, you'll only see about a 1% speed difference between a 9800 @ 4x and a 9800 @ 8x. I don't really have any figures to back that up, it's just what I remember from looking into this sort of thing myself..... if you really can afford to blow the money, I'd say go for it but personally I'd hold on to the cash and stick it out with the Ti4400 until I could upgrade the whole system.

    2) nope.
  • PepperPepper
    edited December 2004
    Thanks guys -- oh and by the way, my processor is decent (P4/2.8) so it can probably handle 8xAGP as well as ATI 9800 no prob. My problem is that the mobo only does 4x and since its a dell system, if i want to replace mobo i'll need a new case etc. I want to wait on new MOBO for BTX + PCI-x. I'm looking for a new vid card to holdover 1 year.

    The 9800 maxing out 4x sounds good to me thats what I was hoping to learn. I'd be willing to buy it to use for a year. If anyone has any leads or further info -- still much appreciated!!! :thumbsup:
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited December 2004
    1. 4x vs 8x makes no difference
    2. make sure you get a 9800 pro with a 256-bit memory interface (NOT NOT NOT THE SAME THING AS 256MB)
    3. for $200, an AGP 6600GT would be better...
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