Graphics Card Upgrade for a Pentium 4

swiftlaker

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Hello. My friend offered to give me a graphics card for free, i think and Nvidia XFX 7200 or something along those lines.
Roughly My computer specs:

OS: Windows XP Professional (Service Pack 2)
MOTHERBOARD: Gigabyte P4 Titan 667
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2.4 ghz
GPU: Nvidia Geforce 4 MX 440 (looking to upgrade, I have an AGP slot)
RAM: 512 mb
COOLER: Just a normal fan

If there is anything else you would like to know just tell me. Can you tell me if the card my friend is offering will be agood one and what is the best card that i could buy (money not an issue, don't tell em to get a new comp)

I'm looking to play COD: MW2 and Assassin's Creed 2. Playing on low graphics is no issue for me.

Thank you in Advance!!
 
Solution
The 7200 is better than the Geforce 4 MX 440, but neither are gaming cards.
For gaming, a performance of at least 7600GT is recommended (for P4).
You can use this to compare graphic cards:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-310-5970,2491-7.html

Best AGP cards are 4650 and 3850 from ATI.
before you install a new card, you should check that your PSU can handle the power consumption.

It is also recommended that you upgrade your RAM to at least 1GB.

FunSurfer

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The 7200 is better than the Geforce 4 MX 440, but neither are gaming cards.
For gaming, a performance of at least 7600GT is recommended (for P4).
You can use this to compare graphic cards:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-310-5970,2491-7.html

Best AGP cards are 4650 and 3850 from ATI.
before you install a new card, you should check that your PSU can handle the power consumption.

It is also recommended that you upgrade your RAM to at least 1GB.
 
Solution

liquidsnake718

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I would advise you to get a at least 9800gt as it is now only about $60-90 now. This is a true gaming GPU and it better if you can get a brand new card. This will allow you to further extend the life of your current system for at least a year to two years MAX. YOu can use that to even watch HD videos. I think your system can also handle Windows 7....
 

mfarrukh

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If you wanna play those games and new modern ones, you'll need atleast 1.5 GB, with all other programs closed
However,
2 GB is recommended.

Radeon 4650 is an excellent card for its price.
For $50, you can play almost every game at 1280x1024, most of the most with maximized settings.
 

swiftlaker

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Thanks for the answer. Even if i took my friends deal do you think it would be able to run both games without lag? But thankyou for the reccomendation, i'll keep it in mind.

Would overclocking my cpu to 2.6 - 3.0 ghz help?
 

swiftlaker

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Thanks
 

hallowed_dragon

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If money is no issue, why do you not want us to recommend a new computer? Instead you go around and invest in that computer that has lost all value. If you buy a new card then you just pump money into a black hole. Instead, make a bigger investment which will benefit you in the long run. Be a smart consumer.
 

hallowed_dragon

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Come on mate. 37 bucks for old memory. Come on. Why in the world don't you want to upgrade your whole aging machine? You will end up spending more for underperforming parts for your old computer than for a new computer which will benefit you in games and other applications.
 

swiftlaker

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lol, my computing piece of junk does not make me proud
 

hallowed_dragon

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That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever in the context of my reply. I explained you why spending money for your old computer is not a good investment. No amount of money will make that even comparable with todays low end hardware. That is the reason why you need a full computer upgrade. With a current low end CPU+ 4GB of ram, a new motherboard with INTEGRATED GPU you will get better results than with your PC and dedicated GPU.
 

FunSurfer

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The minimum requirements of Assassin's Creed 2 are:

OS: Windows XP/Vista/7
Processor: Intel Core 2 DUO @ 1.8 GHz/AMD Athlon X2 64 @ 2.4 GHz
Memory: 1.5 GB / 2 GB Windows Vista and 7
Hard Drive: 8 GB Free
Video Memory: 256 MB (Shader Model 3.0 Required)
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
DirectX: 9.0c
Keyboard and Mouse
DVD Rom Drive

The minimum requirements of COD: MW2 are:

Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 (Windows 95/98/ME/2000 are unsupported)
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 3.2 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 3200+ processor or better supported
Memory: 1 GB RAM
Graphics: 256 MB NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT or better or ATI Radeon 1600XT or better
DirectX: Microsoft DirectX(R) 9.0c
Hard Drive: 12GB of free hard drive space
Sound: 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
Internet: Broadband connection required for Multiplayer Connectivity. Internet Connection required for activation.

The 7200 card is below the minimum requirements and probably will not run the games.

Overclocking the CPU may help with COD: MW2, but will not compare to Intel Core 2 DUO @ 1.8 GHz that is needed for Assassin's Creed 2.

I am sorry to inform you that a new pc is needed for those specific 2 games.