CPAlleva

I'm trying to wait until next fall to buy a whole new pc, but I'm pretty fed up with my 6600GT, so I've been looking for a new video card. I have a P4 2.4 HT and 1.5 gb ram and Windows XP. I don't do a lot of gaming, but I do play Sims 2 and will be playing Sims 3 when it comes out. I believe that the 6600GT should be able to handle Sims 2 without problems, but I've been having issues with textures suddenly blurring and unblurring during gameplay.

Anyway, I've been considering two cards, the 2600GT and the 3850. There's only $20 between these two cards on Newegg. I know that the cpu will be a bottleneck, but other than that, I don't know much! Would the 3850 actually look worse than the 2600gt on my system? What else should I be considering?

Thanks for your input!

Judas

imo.... i don't recommend going with anything other then a x1650 or similare card for most agp cards... the HD2xxx agp cards have a fairly good history is issues with a number of people... capability issues.... the HD3850 is excellent.. but would be sevearly bottleknecked by your system....

Of course if i had to choose between the 2600 and 3850.. i'd jump on the 3850 in a heart beat...

__________________

blibbax

A 3850 is going to be wasted with that processor. The HD2600XT is more sensible, but seems a little pricey for what it is. You can pick up a HD3650 DDR2 for $80 or a HD2600XT GDDR3 for under $100, and you probably wouldn't notice the difference in your system.

The HIS ICEQ model may have a better cooler, but I don't think that it's sensible to invest in a AGP card at this time, seeing as you'll want to replace it when you upgrade your mothergoard or processor, which can't be far off.

CPAlleva

Thanks for the replies. After considering the advice I got here, I checked my records and found that my last computer upgrade was 6/2005, and that was just the mobo and video card! I feel more justified in buying a new mobo, processor, and video card now, so I'm going to go that route. Now I'm off to looks for good combo deals.

Thanks again!

Judas

word of advice.... stick with an intel P45 chipset if you can manage it.....

__________________

IvanV

Another word of advice, check if your current PSU can handle the job.

__________________
Feed the porkers and don't touch the buttons!

CDsDontBurn

i'd actually say to get a new PSU all together.

__________________

Dyre Straits

Another bit of advice: Do not, I repeat, do NOT fall into the trap of getting a motherboard that has integrated graphics. You definitely want the pleasure of a separate video card with its own VRAM as opposed to one that has to share part of the system RAM.

AND, do get at least 2 GB of good Dual Channel RAM for your new system.

__________________
Please Read My Reviews:

ThermoHAWK200 Touchless Thermometer<~>ULTRA 800W Pro AST<~>ULTRA 800W X-FINITY AST<~>CoolerMaster Mystique 632 PC Case<~>CoolerMaster GeminII CPU Cooler<~>CoolIT RAM Fan<~>Hour of Victory Interview<~>Oblivion:Shivering Isles<~>ULTRA GRID PC Case w/700W PSU<~>Saitek-Obsidian Mouse
<~>Interview: The Witcher PC Game<~>CoolerMaster CM Media 281 PC Case<~>ZEROTherm NV120 CPU Cooler

Important Message:

How You Can Help DriverHeaven!

CDsDontBurn

Dyre! WB buddy!

it's been a while

__________________

CPAlleva

Thanks, everyone! I'm thinking about getting this motherboard, this cpu, this video card, 4 gb of this ram, and a 550w psu. Thank God for MS live and their 30% cashback for ebay purchases!

Judas

should be a pretty decent rig....

what psu you grab?

__________________

CPAlleva

I haven't picked one out yet. Is there a big difference between psus?

Judas

quite...

typically alot of cheaper off brand models tend to have a high wattage rating that don't come anywhere close to a "real" rating worth mentioning.. i've come across some 600watt psu's that the 12v rail rating alone was below that of 135watts... everything was inthe 3.3 and 5v rails which is not nearly as important.... it's very tricky.

I tend to use OCZ psu for my highend builds and Coolermaster for my typical builds ... the coolermaster 500watt is usually standard that has showed excellent results. More powerful models are always nicer.....

__________________

CDsDontBurn

for your video card, i suggest that you get some RAM sinks to better cool your video memory. it's just a thought, not a requirement.

__________________

blibbax

I'd reccomend spending a little extra on the video card - that model is DDR2, which is going to put that 3850's horsepower to waste.

As others have said, make sure you get a branded PSU or choose very carefully if you don't.

CPAlleva

Oh, boy -- I should have known this would turn out to be a bigger endeavor than I thought

Picked up this psu, and now I will start figuring out this RAM sink thing.

Thanks again, everyone.

blibbax

Nice PSU, that should be ample.