Slow CPU, decent card, is it worth?

Hi,

I have a slightly (ahem!) old system, the specs a

PIII 866
ASUS CUV-4x mobo (4x AGP)
256MB SDRAM
80GB ATA HDD @ 7200rpm + 20GB ATA HDD @ 5400rpm
Creative Vibra 128
Riva TNT2 M64 (yeah, I know!) 32MB

The TNT2, however lame (even when I got it! though I didn't know
then...), has served me well. I have played Max Payne, NOLF, UT2003,
UT2004 demo, RTCW, Half-Life, etc. using this card - mostly at
800x600x16..which I am okay with.
I know many of you hardcore gamers love to play at the highest
possible resolutions with FSAA and AF turned on; I am satisfied with
the content of the game and a decent frame rate, don't care much about
bells and whistles.

I'm looking for a decent nVidia card which, like the TNT2 did, serve
me for the next 3-4 years.
I might get a new mobo, CPU and more RAM after 6-8 months. But as of
now I want to play games like Splinter Cell, HL2, NOLF2, etc...
At the same time, I want a card that will be able to run the games
that will come out in the next 2 years and run with a decent frame
rate.

I want to know that if I get, say an FX 5700 or 5950 will it give me a
decent performance?

Will the slow CPU be a problem? I know it will be a bottleneck, but
approx how much performance will I lose? Like, if the game will run
10% slower because of the CPU, I can live with that, but if it's
40-60% then I'd rather get a new box!

Will it work on my ASUS CUV-4x?

Can you suggest any other cards which would serve my purpose?


Thanks in advance!

"Sammy" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

I have a slightly (ahem!) old system, the specs a

PIII 866
ASUS CUV-4x mobo (4x AGP)
256MB SDRAM
80GB ATA HDD @ 7200rpm + 20GB ATA HDD @ 5400rpm
Creative Vibra 128
Riva TNT2 M64 (yeah, I know!) 32MB

Ah, the good old TNT2 :-)

(...)

I'm looking for a decent nVidia card which, like the TNT2 did, serve
me for the next 3-4 years.
I might get a new mobo, CPU and more RAM after 6-8 months. But as of
now I want to play games like Splinter Cell, HL2, NOLF2, etc...
At the same time, I want a card that will be able to run the games
that will come out in the next 2 years and run with a decent frame
rate.

I want to know that if I get, say an FX 5700 or 5950 will it give me a
decent performance?

I would steer clear of these two cards since they are not equipped to handle
shaderintensive games like Far Cry and the upcoming Halflife 2.

Will the slow CPU be a problem? I know it will be a bottleneck, but
approx how much performance will I lose? Like, if the game will run
10% slower because of the CPU, I can live with that, but if it's
40-60% then I'd rather get a new box!

Your CPU is most definitely a bottleneck. Pentium 4 Northwoods on the Socket
478 platform are pretty cheap right now. Yiu should be able to get a 3 GHz
and motherboard for an affordable price.

Will it work on my ASUS CUV-4x?

Only if it's AGP 1.5 v compliant.

Can you suggest any other cards which would serve my purpose?

You need an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro as a minimum if the card is going to last a
while. But be sure to upgrade your CPU and motherboard as well, otherwise
you won't be able to unleash the full potential of the card.
---
Anders

Pointless to upgrade that system. Either of the two video cards you mention
won't improve performance that much, because the CPU/RAM will hold them back
immensely.

Save your money, and buy a new system when you can.

"Sammy" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

I have a slightly (ahem!) old system, the specs a

PIII 866
ASUS CUV-4x mobo (4x AGP)
256MB SDRAM
80GB ATA HDD @ 7200rpm + 20GB ATA HDD @ 5400rpm
Creative Vibra 128
Riva TNT2 M64 (yeah, I know!) 32MB

The TNT2, however lame (even when I got it! though I didn't know
then...), has served me well. I have played Max Payne, NOLF, UT2003,
UT2004 demo, RTCW, Half-Life, etc. using this card - mostly at
800x600x16..which I am okay with.
I know many of you hardcore gamers love to play at the highest
possible resolutions with FSAA and AF turned on; I am satisfied with
the content of the game and a decent frame rate, don't care much about
bells and whistles.

I'm looking for a decent nVidia card which, like the TNT2 did, serve
me for the next 3-4 years.
I might get a new mobo, CPU and more RAM after 6-8 months. But as of
now I want to play games like Splinter Cell, HL2, NOLF2, etc...
At the same time, I want a card that will be able to run the games
that will come out in the next 2 years and run with a decent frame
rate.

I want to know that if I get, say an FX 5700 or 5950 will it give me a
decent performance?

Will the slow CPU be a problem? I know it will be a bottleneck, but
approx how much performance will I lose? Like, if the game will run
10% slower because of the CPU, I can live with that, but if it's
40-60% then I'd rather get a new box!

Will it work on my ASUS CUV-4x?

Can you suggest any other cards which would serve my purpose?


Thanks in advance!

"RaceFace" wrote in message
...

Pointless to upgrade that system. Either of the two video cards you
mention won't improve performance that much, because the CPU/RAM will hold
them back immensely.

Save your money, and buy a new system when you can.

I completely agree.

Any money "invested" on that system is a waste of money. If you want any
components that will last you another 3 or 4 years then they need to be
really high-end components. And they either won't work on your current
system, or won't deliver anything like enough benefit for the money.

Save your dosh and buy a new PC when you can.

Chip


"Sammy" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

I have a slightly (ahem!) old system, the specs a

PIII 866
ASUS CUV-4x mobo (4x AGP)
256MB SDRAM
80GB ATA HDD @ 7200rpm + 20GB ATA HDD @ 5400rpm
Creative Vibra 128
Riva TNT2 M64 (yeah, I know!) 32MB

The TNT2, however lame (even when I got it! though I didn't know
then...), has served me well. I have played Max Payne, NOLF, UT2003,
UT2004 demo, RTCW, Half-Life, etc. using this card - mostly at
800x600x16..which I am okay with.
I know many of you hardcore gamers love to play at the highest
possible resolutions with FSAA and AF turned on; I am satisfied with
the content of the game and a decent frame rate, don't care much about
bells and whistles.

I'm looking for a decent nVidia card which, like the TNT2 did, serve
me for the next 3-4 years.
I might get a new mobo, CPU and more RAM after 6-8 months. But as of
now I want to play games like Splinter Cell, HL2, NOLF2, etc...
At the same time, I want a card that will be able to run the games
that will come out in the next 2 years and run with a decent frame
rate.

I want to know that if I get, say an FX 5700 or 5950 will it give me a
decent performance?

Will the slow CPU be a problem? I know it will be a bottleneck, but
approx how much performance will I lose? Like, if the game will run
10% slower because of the CPU, I can live with that, but if it's
40-60% then I'd rather get a new box!

Will it work on my ASUS CUV-4x?

Can you suggest any other cards which would serve my purpose?


Thanks in advance!

On Thu, 21 Oct 2004 13:09:13 +0200, "Hr. Albrechtsen"
wrote:

Your CPU is most definitely a bottleneck. Pentium 4 Northwoods on the Socket
478 platform are pretty cheap right now. Yiu should be able to get a 3 GHz
and motherboard for an affordable price.

Don't forget new memory and (likely) a new PS.


--
Neil Maxwell - I don't speak for my employer

Find a second-hand GF4-Ti for your old p3 and save your money for a
new CPU/board/case/ram combo since most of the new board next year
will likely be PCI-E without an AGP slot.

I'm looking for a decent nVidia card which, like the TNT2 did, serve
me for the next 3-4 years.
I might get a new mobo, CPU and more RAM after 6-8 months. But as of
now I want to play games like Splinter Cell, HL2, NOLF2, etc...
At the same time, I want a card that will be able to run the games
that will come out in the next 2 years and run with a decent frame
rate.

The video card would be dramatically bottle-necked by your CPU's speed
mismatch. I would start saving your money for a more long term solution.

--
DaveW



"Sammy" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

I have a slightly (ahem!) old system, the specs a

PIII 866
ASUS CUV-4x mobo (4x AGP)
256MB SDRAM
80GB ATA HDD @ 7200rpm + 20GB ATA HDD @ 5400rpm
Creative Vibra 128
Riva TNT2 M64 (yeah, I know!) 32MB

The TNT2, however lame (even when I got it! though I didn't know
then...), has served me well. I have played Max Payne, NOLF, UT2003,
UT2004 demo, RTCW, Half-Life, etc. using this card - mostly at
800x600x16..which I am okay with.
I know many of you hardcore gamers love to play at the highest
possible resolutions with FSAA and AF turned on; I am satisfied with
the content of the game and a decent frame rate, don't care much about
bells and whistles.

I'm looking for a decent nVidia card which, like the TNT2 did, serve
me for the next 3-4 years.
I might get a new mobo, CPU and more RAM after 6-8 months. But as of
now I want to play games like Splinter Cell, HL2, NOLF2, etc...
At the same time, I want a card that will be able to run the games
that will come out in the next 2 years and run with a decent frame
rate.

I want to know that if I get, say an FX 5700 or 5950 will it give me a
decent performance?

Will the slow CPU be a problem? I know it will be a bottleneck, but
approx how much performance will I lose? Like, if the game will run
10% slower because of the CPU, I can live with that, but if it's
40-60% then I'd rather get a new box!

Will it work on my ASUS CUV-4x?

Can you suggest any other cards which would serve my purpose?


Thanks in advance!

Get whatever you can afford don't worry about the bottle neck. It will run at
whatever your CPU can throw at it and you can always move it to another system
in the future.

Get whatever you can afford don't worry about the bottle neck. It will
run at whatever your CPU can throw at it and you can always move it to
another system in the future.

What future? The industry is on a move to PCI-Express. If he gets an AGP
card now, his next system will not likely be able to use it.

better to upgrade the whole thing to a midrange system than to have a
ferrari engine in your station wagon

"Sammy" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

I have a slightly (ahem!) old system, the specs a

PIII 866
ASUS CUV-4x mobo (4x AGP)
256MB SDRAM
80GB ATA HDD @ 7200rpm + 20GB ATA HDD @ 5400rpm
Creative Vibra 128
Riva TNT2 M64 (yeah, I know!) 32MB

The TNT2, however lame (even when I got it! though I didn't know
then...), has served me well. I have played Max Payne, NOLF, UT2003,
UT2004 demo, RTCW, Half-Life, etc. using this card - mostly at
800x600x16..which I am okay with.
I know many of you hardcore gamers love to play at the highest
possible resolutions with FSAA and AF turned on; I am satisfied with
the content of the game and a decent frame rate, don't care much about
bells and whistles.

I'm looking for a decent nVidia card which, like the TNT2 did, serve
me for the next 3-4 years.
I might get a new mobo, CPU and more RAM after 6-8 months. But as of
now I want to play games like Splinter Cell, HL2, NOLF2, etc...
At the same time, I want a card that will be able to run the games
that will come out in the next 2 years and run with a decent frame
rate.

I want to know that if I get, say an FX 5700 or 5950 will it give me a
decent performance?

Will the slow CPU be a problem? I know it will be a bottleneck, but
approx how much performance will I lose? Like, if the game will run
10% slower because of the CPU, I can live with that, but if it's
40-60% then I'd rather get a new box!

Will it work on my ASUS CUV-4x?

Can you suggest any other cards which would serve my purpose?


Thanks in advance!