Classic British Flight Sim

Hello again everyone!

As well as the digital camera mentioned in another thread I think it's time to upgrade my PC again.

Now here's my system spec as it stands:

ABit KV8 Pro MotherBoard
Athlon 64 3700 Socket 754 CPU
ATi Radeon 9800 Pro 256Mb Graphics
Soundblaster 24Bit sound
120Gb HDD SATA
650W PSU
52X CD-ROM
48X16X8 DVD-RW

Now a while back someone said my Graphics card was the part of that setup which was dragging the rest of it down in performance.
Is that true?
If it is: then would this card be any better?

HIS Excalibur ATI Radeon X1600 Pro ICEQ 512MB DDR2 TV-Out/DVI (AGP) - Retail (GX-055-HT)
The HIS X1600 Series is designed to deliver unparalleled gaming and 3D graphics through 90-nanometer process GPU, its unique ultra-threaded core processing architecture. The new 3D architecture supports Shader Model 3.0, plus a 256-bit ring-bus memory controller and supports up to 512MB GDDR3 RAM. HIS X1600 Series delivers better gaming allowing for new high dynamic range visual effects, enhanced realism with adaptive anti-aliasing and lightening fast performance. The HIS X1600 Series is a perfect option for gaming and digital lifestyle enthusiasts.

- Powered by ATI Radeon X1600Pro - 500MHz
- 512MB-128bit 4 channel DDR2 memory - 800MHz
- 12 Pixel shader processor
- 5 Vertex shader processor
- 8 Geometry Pipelines
- Ultra-threaded SM 3.0 Engine
- 256-bit Ring-bus

Cheers,

Hi Andy,

This thread wasn't really too out of place in E&S but I've moved it here as it will fall under the auspice of our resident Hardware Guru.. Charlie Bravo

ATB

DaveB :tab:

Ahh yes you're right there Dave, cheers for that!

You might want to look at the Radeon X1800XT. They can be had for quite reasonable prices these days.

Thanks Jonesey but i can only find PCI-E cards using the X1800XT. :sad:

I just can't afford to upgrade my mobo/CPU to that so i'm stuck with AGP8X im afriad.

Is the X1600XT the best I can go on AGP?

Cheers,

I was in this exact position only a few months ago.

First off, whats your budget?

You have the same CPU as me and at present and I see no reason to change it.
AMD & Intel both have dual core CPU's available and although I've read good things about them I just don't see them as a must have for the time being. The S754 3700 is a fast chip but your motherboard is holding you back with it's AGP slot.

There are several S754 boards available with PCI-E slots on them. Although you'll have the expense (around £40) of buying a new board, you will save money on a graphics card, as AGP cards are dearer than their PCI-E counterparts.

Coming back onto your message about the X1600Pro, these are faster than the 9800Pro but not much as they are crippled with a 128bit memory bus.

Motherboard wise, I would look at the Asrock K8NF4G-SATA2 (which I have) or the Asus K8N4-E priced at £32.42 and £42.55.

Graphics card wise, I wouldn't consider (on a budget) anything other than an ATI X1800GTO or an Nvidia 7600GT

If you can't afford either of these combo's then I'd save your money until you can.

I don't have a specific budget but as cheap as possible is best for me!
I sadly don't have alot of cash to play with anymore! :sad:

But thanks for your help yet again CB and I shall now be saving the pennies for a little while before I upgrade! Might wait until MS relese the specs for FSX then decide what exactly to do.

Cheers for your help!

No worries mate, anytime