gonna buy a new graphics card

I'm asking you guys this because i love guild wars and want to continue playing it. However i am a little scared of going out to buy a new piece of hardware and finding out it won't work with all the games i like.

About a year ago i was in love with warzone 2100 and promptly screwed up my graphics card (no longer supports opengl or something like that). At the time I promised myself that when i go to buy a new graphics card I would get warzone again.

Anyways, i wanna know what kinda of graphics card to buy now.
here is my comp stats (belarc advisor):

Os: Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 (build 2600)

System Model: MSI MS-6593 1.0

Processor: 1.80 gigahertz AMD Athlon XP
128 kilobyte primary memory cache
256 kilobyte secondary memory cache

Main Circuit Board: Board: MSI MS-6593 1.0
Bus Clock: 133 megahertz
BIOS: American Megatrends Inc. 07.00T 04/02/01

Display: RADEON 9000 Family (Microsoft Corporation) [Display adapter]
RADEON 9000 SEC Family (Microsoft Corporation) [Display adapter]

(the above display drivers were all i could get to work after i screwed up my original drivers)

i think this is my video card: ATI Radeon 9000 Pro

i am replacing it because the fan stopped working on it,
it still plays guild wars though, just only with graphics turned way down

should i just buy the same card again? (i lost the disk that came with it, thats why i was unable to back to the original driver)

you do realize that you can purchase a new fan and install it yourself? anyways if you want better performance without buying a new mobo, i suggest the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814135186 or any other 6600gt AGP card if youre on a budget, otherwise i recommend the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150129 (7800gs) its more expensive but the difference is huge. both cards are AGP, which your mobo supports.

pick up some ram while youre at, itll increase fps if youre not already running 1gig.

p.s. youre up for a whole system overwhole sometime soon down the line, so you if you have the money you should consider a new pc rather than just the card

You don't need the Disk that came with it to get Drivers.

Just go to the official ATI website at: www.ati.com

+ How much RAM do you have?

for the ram question 512, and yeah my pc is old, and i wanna build a new one, but i don't know what processor, Mobo, vid card, ethernet card, harddrive, cd/dvd drive, power supply, floppy drive (prolly not that expensive?), or ram to get.


[edit] no i didn't realize i could buy a new fan,
also, i think i will not be building another computer for a while yet

1Gb would be about the max that your CPU could really use. (512Mb is probably enough) Anything more would be a waste for the CPU. Trust me I am a RAM freak and love the extra ram. As for a Vid Card any more then a 9800pro would probably be a waste too. I would think a Nvidia 6600 would fill the bill. It might even be a bit over kill...but not that much. I would hate to see you waste precious dollars on an older system....but to tweak this system would give you an edge up until you can buy a newer one.

EDIT: But having only 128Mb of ram is just way too low. XP will take almost 256Mb to run correctly...so you are using your HD for the "extra" ram right now...slowing your system down.

EDIT TWO: Duh...I am gettin OLD...I misunderstood. you are saying you have 512Mb ram now? Hmmm....that should work if you want to put your cash toward a Vid Card. Like I said a Nvidia 6600 should work fine for you.

i just got educated about cpu video card bottleneck, i now understand. you kinda saved my ass from a costly mistake, but the 9800pro even though lower performing sells at around or higher than the 6600gt price

and as for memory, im running 512, w/ xpsp2 and when i open GW im at a memory low (10-20mb left), whch is why i recommended it. you gotta tell me the about the cpu memory realtionship so i understand your statemnt about the memory being a waste

NOTE

the 6600 GT is reviewed as the best bang for the buck

the plain 6600 is reviewed as a dog and a waste of monet by comparison.

i have the 6600 GT and it has performed beautifully

6600 gt is way overkill for that CPU. I'd look into a vanilla X700 or 6600 for it; they are cheap enough.

And yeah, bump that RAM to 1 GB.

Wait it out for a month or two

7800GT series is going to be made on AGP

Hi. Don't post if you have no idea what you're talking about, and especially do NOT post if you havn't read the topic.

The 7800GS will not cope with his system.. correction: his system will not cope with the 7800GS.

Oh and.. nVidia already released the 7800GS a month ago. Wake up!

Good point Killion. We are trying to "tweak" this guys system at the best "Price Point vs Performance".

Also I didn't realize that a 9800pro is more then a 6600GT. I was thinking it would be cheaper. By all means get a 6600GT if the price fits.

The eVGa 6800GS is regarded is the best bang for the buck. $150 and you can overclock it nicely. Just get Rivatuner and go to work on the card. It overclocks really well.
Also, the 7900 series is coming out in like a week. The prices of the current cards will most likely drop and the 7100 will be the new "best bang for the buck" card.

Nevermind... didn't really look at his system. Upgrade your system first IMO.

How much money do you want to put out on upgrades? Think of 512 mb of value ram as what, $50 tops? But- this depends on what kind, older kinds cost more.

For the video card, if you want to be able to run all of your games on max, and you have the money, get a 7800GT... if you have PCIe, if not, then the 7800GS, for AGP. That covers it, so one of those will be compatable with your computer.

Really, if you want to get up to date and stay up to date for longer than a week, you need to rebuild your whole computer.

My new computer specs:

AMD Athlon X2 4400+
eVga 7800GT
2 gigs of ram
and some other crap.


Keep in mind, there are certain motherboards that are good for overclocking, and you might want to have a power supply you can rely on. Also, some fans maybe. Am I being overkill?

Alias X, maybe you didn't read this thread. We are trying to "tweak" his performance with what he has. So a 7800GT or GS is major overkill.

hi Dood

isnt it fun to dream with other peoples money though?

Hello Loviatar...

Yes it is fun. I do at work all the time with work money. In fact I bought the CN5100 Color Laser Dell Printer for work...*cough*. Nice device!

But here I like to stick to the OP's original question when it comes to their resourses. Not everyone can afford or have the total power with in their system to handle these high end cards...as you well know.

EDIT: Lovaitar....You should become the a Moderator here for the Tech Forums.

Stewart Smalley would say: "You are Good enough, Smart enough, and gosh darn it People Like you..."

thanks but no thanks

it is a truly thankless job and i have enough of that elsewhere

Hmm, the 7800GS/GT would be fine, and his system will cope with it just fine, the 1.8ghz Athlon is a nice cpu, maybe a bit old, but there is nothing wrong with it. The only reservation I have would be the psu. But a 6600gt will suffice(and yes, I do know what i'm talking about).

My vote for Moderator would have to go to Old Dood(wise man, and a gent)

has the OP given a budget?

If you want the cheapest possible upgrades,
ATI Radeon 9550 or 9250 if you have PCI - $60
512 mb of compatable valueram for less than $50

that would get you running GW just fine and dandy.