AGP Graphics Card Upgrade Suggestions?

Question

AGP Graphics Card Upgrade Suggestions?

Answer 1

How on earth did you wind up with an AGP slot on a recently built computer? AGP motherboards haven't been manufactured for a few years, although plenty are still in circulation. The GeForce FX 5500... well, that was around before the Pyramids were built. You really should return that artifact to Indiana Jones, asap ;)



In any case, The best AGP card money can buy is the Radeon 3850. It's slightly faster than the AGP Radeon 4670 but has two drawbacks. It's very hard to find nowadays and requires a 450W power supply. It usually sold for around $90 from NewEgg, Tiger Direct etc. There are a few left on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeon-HD3850-PCI-Express-Graphics/dp/B000YNUX3W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1274462442&sr=8-2-spell



The next-best card is the AGP Radeon 4670, which is newer and more energy-efficient (a 400W power supply is ATI's official recommendation but that's an inflated estimate, it usually runs fine on 350W). That card sells for about $120.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161337



The Radeon 4650 is the 3rd-best card you can buy (about half the speed of the previous two) but it's only $75ish and uses even less power than a 4670.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150433



Nvidia abandoned the AGP interface several years back when they discontinued the GeForce 7900GS. They never manufactured any 8000 series, 9000 series, or 200 series cards in AGP- so they aren't competitive in that arena.

Answer 2

The Radeon HD 3850 and HD 4670.





@Gorden: Your link is broken and that FSX forum post is from 4 years ago. The 7900GT is obsolete now, and it was never available in AGP anyway. One company (Gainward) announced plans to market an AGP 7900GT card in Europe but I don't think it ever made it to store shelves. The GeForce 7900GS was the best AGP card back in those days... But even its big brother the 7900GT is slower than a Radeon 3850.

Answer 3

I would go with the Radeon HD 4650 1GB I linked to below it would help an aging AGP system still play some not so current games. The card I am linking you to costs 74$ USD, and it is a whole lot cheaper than buying a new motherboard, cpu, ram and video card. If you are not on the cutting edge of gaming playing the most current games this card will serve you well. The guy stating AGP is the worst is actually pretty wrong. Standard PCI has a maximum data throughput of 132 MB/s which is a whole lot slower than AGP 8X's 2,100 MB/s. PCI-E 16X has a max of 4000 MB/s (8000 MB/s going both directions). AGP is not a bad slot it is aging but if you don't want to full out replace your whole computer an AGP card is still a decent option. Hope I helped you some.



Ryan

Answer 4

Its better to go for a PCI Express Card now that they come with advanced capabilities. If you have a PCI X16 slot then you can go for a higher end card like GTS 250 or GTX series.



AGP cards are quite old now and it is very difficult to get proper service. Almost all AGP cards have acquired legend status which means even the support provided, in case there is a need for any, cannot be so reliable.

Answer 5

well agp is outdated and those cards are going up in price.i know u said upgrading-the mother board is not a option but u should look into it cause everything is going pci express

Answer 6

LOL AGP card are bad for gaming bro. First check what kind of slot type games you have on your computer by opening it it should have a PCI-e which is PCI express card those run games sick. Or if you have a plain PCI there not to good for gaming but decent enough to run smooth depends on card you decide to upgrade. AGP slot cards are the worst bro. Am hoping you have a PCI-E slot card so you can upgrade and run so good on your computer games.

Good site to buy cheap graphics card www.newegg.com you will find different slot types there.

get a Geforce 8800 it cheap and decent. Or you can get a Geforce 9800 cost more but way better.

Answer 7

depends how old your motherboard is. if it has a PCI-E slot (a big long blue slot) then id suggest the radeon HD 5770. depends what your cpu and ram are like pointless getting a good graphics if its let down by the rest of the stuff by the way the 5770 is around £120 but sooooo worth it although ive had nividia before i prefere ATI now

Answer 8

Go to office works they can help you

Answer 9

This is from the gamespot forums for MS Simulator X.

I include the question, and the answer:



QUESTION

which of these video cards is the best for this game, I'm getting a Dell XPS 410 however im going to order a seperate video card from newegg.com.



GeForce 7900GT 239.99

GeForce 7900GS 211.99

GeForce 7800GS 235.99



I'm also considering the GeForce 7950GT however I assume it's better than the other 3, which of the "3" would be best for the game, and does anyone know if they are all 4 compatable with the XPS 410...



If you have any other suggestions in the same price range please let me know.







ANSWER

I would absolutely say 7900GT.. Yhough you should, if you can afford it, get the 7950GT2, it's pretty awesome.



But why not get the newest - 8800GTX, the most powerful card on the market There we can speak of power! It just costs a bit more.. A good deal more, probably (although I am not fully aware of any prices).



But of those three you have listed I would recommend the 7900GT. It's nice, strong and stable. It's not that big a difference in price from the 7800GS, and is much better (compared to the price). Don't get the 7900GS, not as good as you probably think.