Gamers/Geeks - Need your advice on upgrading graphics.

[deltreefitness]

I need some advice from gamers or those who have kept up with video card technology. There's one game I really like and want to improve the graphics without buying an entirely new system.

I'm using an older Dell (Dimension 8100 ... I know). I'm not a gamer really but there are a select few I like. The games I like the most are those with cars (racing, street, missions) and my current I play that most is Need for Speed Underground 2. It runs very good @ 1024 x 768 set to medium detail (+ all bells & whistles on). I can go up to max detail at the same resolution and it's playable but a lil' choppy.

I recently upgraded the video card from an older 32MB ATI Radeon card to the current ATI based VPU knock-off below. NFSU2 wouldn't even run acceptably on that old card. So the different is night and day with just a $150 video card. So I'm guessing the next step up will improve it even further. I'm looking at the ATI 9600 Pro and hoping to bump up the detail level up one and have smooth video.

Most people say that you need a massive CPU and latest mobo to play new games but just upgrading my video card has made a night and day difference. This is on that most in the gaming would would consider a dinosaur. So i'm curious how much is system CPU and how much is gaphics processor power? How far I can go upgrading my video card before the rest of the system becomes a bottle neck? Will I be hitting a wall with the 9600 and are there other suggestions within a $350 budget? Help is appreciated.

Here are the current specs.
1.5Ghz P4
400Mhz FSB
768MB PC800 RDRAM
60GB + 40GB 7200 HDDs
VisionTek Xtasy 9600 256MB (AGP)

 

[seizer]

I need some advice from gamers or those who have kept up with video card technology. There's one game I really like and want to improve the graphics without buying an entirely new system.

I'm using an older Dell (Dimension 8100). I'm not a gamer really but there are a select few I like. The games I like the most are those with cars (racing, street, missions) and my current I play that most is Need for Speed Underground 2. It runs very good @ 1024 x 768 set to medium detail (+ all bells & whistles on). I can go up to max detail at the same resolution and it's playable but a lil' choppy.

I recently upgraded the video card from an older 32MB ATI Radeon card to the current ATI based VPU knock-off below. NFSU2 wouldn't even run acceptably on that old card. So the different is night and day with just a $150 video card. So I'm guessing the next step up will improve it even further. I'm looking at the ATI 9600 Pro and hoping to bump up the detail level up one and have smooth video.

I'm wondering how far I can go upgrading my video card before the rest of the system becomes a bottle neck? Will I be hitting a wall with the 9600 and are there other suggestions within a $350 budget? Help is appreciated.

Here are the current specs.
1.5Ghz P4
400Mhz FSB
768MB PC800 RDRAM
60GB + 40GB 7200 HDDs
VisionTek Xtasy 9600 256MB (AGP)

Fuck your graphics car, get your sell another 256 mb ram (kingston), and a new processor. Get atleast a 3.5ghz..and i'd take an amd if you wanna go gaming.

 

[deltreefitness]

Fuck your graphics car, get your sell another 256 mb ram (kingston), and a new processor. Get atleast a 3.5ghz..and i'd take an amd if you wanna go gaming.

I know most people say that you need a massive CPU and latest mobo to play new games but just upgrading my video card has made a night and day difference. The card was a middle of the road option just to test the waters. Wouldn't it make sense that I should see an even more significant increase in gaming performance withe the next level card? I'm curious how much of the system CPU in actually involved compared to the graphics processor?

 

[seizer]

I know most people say that you need a massive CPU and latest mobo to play new games but just upgrading my video card has made a night and day difference. The card was a middle of the road option just to test the waters. Wouldn't it make sense that I should see an even more significant increase in gaming performance withe the next level card? I'm curious how much of the system CPU in actually involved compared to the graphics processor?

The graphics card is a huge factor, dont get me wrong. But if you get a good graphics card, it will only go as fast as the rest of your system. You gotta get the other shit up to date first. Know what i mean?

 

[Dial_tone]

I don't think another vid card will help...your cpu is the bottleneck now.

 

[redguru]

I know most people say that you need a massive CPU and latest mobo to play new games but just upgrading my video card has made a night and day difference. This is on a machine that most gamers would consider a dinosaur. So I'm curious how much of the system CPU in actually involved compared to the graphics processor?

Try a game like Doom3 to really test your capabilities, that game will tax your current setup like its going out of style. But right now, for what you are playing, I doubt the video card is the bottle neck. You have a 400 MHz FSB, that tells me you can increase your CPU to around 2.4 GHz, in fact here's one on Ebay that costs you less than your current vid card.

2.4GHz P4/400Mhz

 

[deltreefitness]

Try a game like Doom3 to really test your capabilities, that game will tax your current setup like its going out of style. But right now, for what you are playing, I doubt the video card is the bottle neck. You have a 400 MHz FSB, that tells me you can increase your CPU to around 2.4 GHz, in fact here's one on Ebay that costs you less than your current vid card.

2.4GHz P4/400Mhz

I've played D3 on my system. Results were similar to NFSU2. Too bad that p4 is the wrong socket for my sysetem. I need 423. I guess I could get a adapter but not sure if that will fit in the already tight Dell case layout.