[G~MAN]

hey guys...

i am in need of a new GFX cared for the AGP format...

i will have a 64bit compatible processor so one that will work excellent with it...

You can really see the difference after seeing a few farcry 64 screenshots

i have a budget of £200 and i want the best that sort of money can get

thanx G~MAN

[Kenny]

For £200...maybe a 6800LE/ vanilla? Could get a GT on ebay with that money....

LE`s are popular with the tight-walleted overclockers at the mo, coz the extra pipes can normally be unlocked.

Most of the X800`s i`ve seen are still a bit more than £200...

Kenny

[G~MAN]

do you have any websites except overclockers?

also what is the difference between pci and agp and which one is better?

[BigJock2005]

I've just bought all the parts for a major system upgrade. Here's most of the links I used:

novatech.co.uk
aria.co.uk
microdirect.co.uk
gladiatorcomputers.com
cclonline.com
rlsupplies.co.uk
specialtech.co.uk
overclock.co.uk (not the same as overclockers)
scan.co.uk

There's also the "premium" ones which are sometimes dearer:
dabs.com/uk
maplin.co.uk
pcwcomponentcentre.co.uk (usually the most expensive for everything)

You should find what you want on one of those!

Regarding AGP versus PCI-Express, I have spent alot of time acheing over that one. As far as I can see there's not much to choose at the moment between them for equivalent cards, but there will be a big difference as time goes on. ATI and NVidia are no longer designing "pure" AGP cards, their next top end cards will PCI-X cards with AGP models available using an "AGP bridge" to port them.

Bottom line is there's not much at the moment, but PCI-X cards are the future. If you have an AGP board you will need to change it as well which will add on at least another £100 to your cost, but personally, I would wait a bit and do both. A PCI-X board will take all you other parts, give better GFX performance, and be much more future-proof.

[Kenny]

What kind of motherboard do you have at the moment G-man? If you have one that takes AGP graphics cards, then you would have to buy a new mobo (and maybe a new power supply) to get a PCI-E graphics card. If you mean just a PCI graphics card, AGP is better. If a mobo can accept an AGP graphics card, it should take a PCI one. The main difference at the moment between the three is communication speed and bandwidth. If you have an AGP mobo, I personally would recommend you stick with it, the price of the upgrade alone should put you off...

www.komplett.co.uk have always been ok with me, as have ebuyer and...ebay. Although thats not quite the same, I know.

[G~MAN]

yes ebay lol! i dont tend to buy computer upgrades off thier. No waranty ect

but i have found a CREATIVE 5.1 speaker system for £20

well atm i am buying upgrades for my computer soooo the MOBO do you think i should get an agp one or pci compatible ? because atm i am buying an agp one but that can be change

which one can have dual GFX?

[BigJock2005]

G-Man you are looking at the same dilemma as me. There are loads of PCI-X boards out there that are also SLI-enabled. One of the best reviews I found was at www.tomshardware.com - there's an article under mobos where they test 10 different socket 939 PCI-X boards. The ASUS and the MSI come out top, but the DFI LanParty is another good board. I've gone for the Asus A8N Deluxe based on cost/features/speed, coupled with a Leadtek PX6600GT-TDH DDR3 card (recommended on here, is the fastest 6600 card around). Combined that will set you back about £250.

[Raje]

How much are you looking forward to upgrade. In my opinion, if you don't feel like upgrading the mother board and all that mess for a while then look for a 6800gt. On ebay for cheap I'm sure. If your looking to future proof and be ready for the upcomming advancmeants that I'd say wait a few months, prices will drop and you can upgrade everything for better results at similar cost.

[G~MAN]

no i want to basically get a new computer so i will get a mobo that supperts amd64 chip processor

so bigjock the mobo you've got supprts PCI and SLI and not AGP ?! :S

and what is the EXACT name of your mobo so i can google it lol

[Kenny]

At the moment, a motherboard cant have AGP AND PCI-E slots. They`re totally different. If you`re thinking of a new motherboard to go with your Athlon 64, Epox, DFI are the best for overclockers, MSI make some of the most stable, but are not so great at overclocking. If you want SLI (2 graphics cards), you will need an SLI-enabled board which is more expensive than a normal PCI-E board. You might need a new power supply to deal with the new power requirements of the mobo and the 2 graphics cards.

Raje: Future-proof is still a myth...AMD are moving to...1207pin arrangements next year and are moving to DDR2 at the same time. At least, thats what they`re aiming to do at the mo.

SLI doesnt really help in games unless your monitor can support 1600x1200 resoutions. SLI has only seen benefits for benchmarking. Thats my opinion, based on frame rates in reviews.

Kenny