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"Sketch" <nah@no.nut> wrote in message news:dev7mj$jm3$1@news.tamu.edu...
> AMD XP 2600 and an ATI AIW 9800 Pro (512 MB system RAM and an Audigy 2 ZS
> to boot, too).
>
> I'm currently replaying Doom 3 at 800 x 600, Medium Quality and 2X AA. I
> previously played both D3 and RoE at 1024 x 768, MQ & 2X AA, but the
> system stuttered a little in intense firefights and outdoor settings. 800
> x 600 isn't really bothering me with D3 since most of my components are
> long in the tooth and I can run all other games at 1024 x 768 maxed out. I
> played both Riddick and Thief: DS at 800 x 600 with a GF4 Ti4600, so I'm
> comfortable with that resolution anyway (plus my monitor is at eye level
> and about three feet away).
>
> I'm considering replacing the 9800 Pro with a vanilla Nvidia 128MB 6800
> AGP. However, my mobo is maxed out with the current processor and the AGP
> slot is only 4X. So for about twice the price, I may do the mobo, CPU and
> RAM upgrade song and dance soon and move on to a PCIe system. I can get a
> temporary PCIe ATI 256MB X700 as a loaner from a buddy until I can afford
> a beefier video card. I'm currently eyeing an Epox EP-9NPAJ, an AMD 64
> 3000 Venice Core, and a gig of Cosair ValueRAM.
>
> Sorry to convey my life story here, but I'm throwing it out there to see
> if anyone else has recently been between the proverbial
> rock-and-a-hard-place, AGP vs. PCIe upgrade decision. If so, did you stick
> with AGP or make the jump to PCIe, and do you think it was money well
> spent/saved?
>
yeah, me, on the AGP vs PCI-e quandry.
I was already running a P4 3.0E Prescott 1m L2 800fsb fx478 on GA 8IPE1000-G
with 4x 512m PC3200 in dual channel with a 6800GT. The most money I'd
spent at one time on that rig was $400 for the 6800GT. That card I'd just
bought in May. So, I'd ended up with quite a bit more stuck back in
savings than i'd realized by last weekend. I'd been reading a lot about the
dual core offerings by both AMD and Intel. I was drooling over the details
of the X2 4800+ by the time I'd decided to build another rig. So I talked
it over with the guy I buy lots of parts from. He really liked the idea of
the X2 and the 6800GT AGP. That you can use the X2 in most of the s939
boards was a big help. I picked the GA K8NS Ultra 939 with nForce3Ultra
chipset. I got the mainboard in WITH the X2 4800+ installed with a Gigabyte
heatsink and fan. Doing it this way I saved myself the cost of buying a new
PCI-e video card, which would have been a 7800GT I think. No sense having
two 6800GT's when the 7800's are out
After seeing a little of what this X2/6800GT combo can do, I do think my
other rig was CPU bound in most of the games. Though, I have yet to install
Doom3 on this new rig, or HL2 or IL2+Aces+PF. I installed Far Cry (32
bit) first on this fresh XP Pro install. installed all the patches thru
1.33 and in 1024x768-32 bit with absolutely everything cranked up to max, it
is so smooth it hurts!!! No lag, no sluggishness anywhere at all. Now to
bump the res up to my monitors max, 1280x1024 and see what happens
Gotta
turn on frame rates too.
Um, see, all this does is allow me some time with the 6800GT until I get
some sort of PCI-e mobo and vid card. I can't see where the AGP is
suffering any at all right now.
McG.
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