New AGP Graphics, or new MB & Graphics?

[Smudger]

Hi there,

I'm looking at upgrading my graphics card from a 9700Pro, and was originally thinking of just getting a new AGP card, as I only have an AV8. However, I notice there is a lack of high-end AGP cards. Would I be better off getting a new, PCI-E MB and graphics card, or just sticking with AGP? I'm looking to spend £200 max I think...

Any help/advice gratefully received.

*edit* If it's the MB route, which one would be best? I'm looking to keep the HD, RAM and processor

[sawyen]

well, not really.. if ur sure to stay with AGP and you have alot of money to burn.. like say £330.. there's Gainward AGP BLISS 7800GS+ that has a 7900GT chip under the hood and 512MB of cold hard memory.. heard from some ppl that they're getting towards 7900GTX speeds through some awsome overclocking..

Then again, thats entirely up to you.. I used to have an AV8 board.. solid as a rock..

[Syd]

Depends what you want to do with your PC and what display you are running. I am selling, amoungst others a 6800GT AGP on Ebay atm, normal sale price approx 100 pounds, it's a fantastic card and will play anything at 1024x786 on high settings, So unless you got a big assed monitor that is one option for you to consider.

Also if you go this route and wanna upgrade the processor in 6 months there are a few boards that take AGP and PCIe aswell

Good Luck

[charlaph]

New motherboard and graphics. I went through the same thing a couple of months ago and although I had to compromise slightly on my graphics card of choice it means I can go with dual graphics cards at some point - it's worth it for that alone. I chose to get a dirt cheap motherboard and good graphics card to get me started, and I intend to buy a better motherboard when I see a good bargain. I found that most PCI cards are slightly less than their AGP counterparts anyway, and that gave me just enough cash to get a starter mobo.

[scrandman]

I'd go for PCI-E myself (indeed I just have). Sure, you can spend £330 for the 7800GS with the 7900GT core as mentioned above, but for that cash, you can buy an actual 7900GT and a decent PCI-E board as well.

[1337_Hippy]

I feel so foreign on these boards in the US.

What are the rest of your system specs? If you've got a 754, I don't think there are many boards around that support both that and PCIe, though I could be wrong on that. And even then, if you don't have very good hardware anyway (specifically RAM), you'd be better off waiting until you can afford a new CPU, etc.

[Syd]

Look at Asrock they do a couple of boards that support AGP and PCIe

[barker967]

slightly over your price range but probably worth the upgrade and will keep you going for a good while:

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=314612 -£233.83

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=213218 -£44.05
total -£277.88

[e36Adz]

Hi there,

I'm looking at upgrading my graphics card from a 9700Pro, and was originally thinking of just getting a new AGP card, as I only have an AV8. However, I notice there is a lack of high-end AGP cards. Would I be better off getting a new, PCI-E MB and graphics card, or just sticking with AGP? I'm looking to spend £200 max I think...

Any help/advice gratefully received.

*edit* If it's the MB route, which one would be best? I'm looking to keep the HD, RAM and processor

Most definately go for a new mobo and gfx card.

I sold my A8V deluxe and my 6800GT AGP seperately, for approx £160-£170

I picked up an Asus A8N-SLi premium motherboard which was second hand for £30, and a brand spanking new 7800GT for £99

I ended up selling my ram aswel just to upgrade to 2gb but my advice is keep your eyes open on various sites, sometimes cheap prices do pop up and for £200 you should be able to get a very good pci-express mobo and gfx card.

[e36Adz]

Forgot to mention, if you move over to pci-express you might also need a new PSU, i did.

[Syd]

Most definately go for a new mobo and gfx card.

I sold my A8V deluxe and my 6800GT AGP seperately, for approx £160-£170

I picked up an Asus A8N-SLi premium motherboard which was second hand for £30, and a brand spanking new 7800GT for £99

I ended up selling my ram aswel just to upgrade to 2gb but my advice is keep your eyes open on various sites, sometimes cheap prices do pop up and for £200 you should be able to get a very good pci-express mobo and gfx card.

Nice bargain hunting mate, where did you get that graphics card from???

[taqies]

wow....you sure keep your eyes open. Nice bargain too. If I'm not mistaken, you must have got it off overclockers??? Am I right??

[e36Adz]

wow....you sure keep your eyes open. Nice bargain too. If I'm not mistaken, you must have got it off overclockers??? Am I right??

Correct

When I saw the 7800GT's in clearance for £95 I actually ordered 2. Turns out there was a mistake in the system, so I actually got NONE! I complained to them because some people who ordered after me actually got their card, so they offered me a brand new 7800GT for £99 all in which was too good to refuse. I managed to sell my 6800GT AGP on ebay for about £130!

[e36Adz]

Hi there,

I'm looking at upgrading my graphics card from a 9700Pro, and was originally thinking of just getting a new AGP card, as I only have an AV8. However, I notice there is a lack of high-end AGP cards. Would I be better off getting a new, PCI-E MB and graphics card, or just sticking with AGP? I'm looking to spend £200 max I think...

Any help/advice gratefully received.

Sell your A8V mobo and 9700 pro, with what you get from that buy yourself a decent pci-express motherboard.

With the £200 your willing to spend id get this:

http://www.lowestonweb.com/Products/...9-0E7D9F0C5D42