GFX Card upgrade advice

[ALBPM]

Well I'm still running the old system I last updated for the Parhelia
P4B533-V, P4 at 2.8, Sony FW900 - 24" trinitron monitor


I have a 9800 PRO in it now but am thinking of something a bit better in case I ever finally get the 24" Dell LCD monitor.

So far I'm looking at the 7600 GT AGP or waiting to find a X1950 AGP which sell as fast as the Stores get them and are expensive - $249

I like the ATI video quality but am sick of the bloated drivers and having to delete everything ATi before installing the upgrades. So, I'm thinking the 7600 GT AGP may be a less expensive way to keep my old system running until I get my free Duo Core processor from Intels Employee program.

Any advice on getting another year or so out of this old system???

[Dr Mordrid]

I'd hold off until you can get a PCIe 16x mainboard. Save that money for the whole system upgrade.

Upgrading to another AGP at this point would IMO be a waste of money given the biggest improvements are available by upgrading the graphics bus itself, even with cheaper cards like the X1300 or X1600 clones with 256 megs.

Yes, PCIe 16X does make that much of a difference.

Once that's done I like the ATI X1950's. They're quick, look good and the last several Catalyst drivers are much improved over the 'bad old days' of ATI drivers.

Heck, by the time you upgrade some very nice boards by both ATI and NVIDIA will be cheaper.

[ALBPM]

And so it starts......

Just requested a Conroe 2.67GHz (E6700) since they are available at our Site.

OK, so I've been a workaholic for the past couple years and lost touch with all the new hardware out there so am open to advice for mobo etc...

[IM_Riktar]

Yes, PCIe 16X does make that much of a difference.

Once that's done I like the ATI X1950's. They're quick, look good and the last several Catalyst drivers are much improved over the 'bad old days' of ATI drivers.

Doc is that to say that the X1950 has a 2d resolution as good as the Parhelia series? Or is the Parhelia better on a analog CRT?
Does using a digital LCD level the playing field when it comes to 2D desktop or graphics (Photoshop/Mediastudio/etc) programs?

[Mehen]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814161070

HIS Hightech H195PRF256DDAN-R Radeon X1950PRO 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 AGP 4X/8X HDCP Video Card - Retail

$214.99, $194.99 after mail-in rebate.

[IM_Riktar]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161070

HIS Hightech H195PRF256DDAN-R Radeon X1950PRO 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 AGP 4X/8X HDCP Video Card - Retail

$214.99, $194.99 after mail-in rebate.

Thanks for the link but it doesn't address my question. I have been looking at the higher end ATI X1xxx series as well as the Nvidia (7x00) offerings.

In the past I have been disappointed with the 2d quality of other makes compared to the Parhelia and I would be really PO'ed if I dropped $200 on a card that had a lesser display output.

[Mehen]

Thats the fastest AGP card there is (besides maybe the 512mb version), which you can get for as low as $220 after rebate.

As for 2D, I don't think anything will touch the Parhelia for analog quality, but for digital I don't think there is as much of a difference.