Buying a new video card...

[Refrigerator]

However, given your CPU, I think a whole system upgrade is in order.

And I would, if I could afford it. :( But for now, I think a video card will be the most significant upgrade that I can afford. Right now the computer is using a 32mb card, so any upgrade will be great. A total system upgrade IS coming, but I don't have that much money right now, so...

Thanks for all the suggestions, but don't need a top of the line, GOOD video card. :P I'm probably not going to be playing any FPS in the near future. All I need is a slight upgrade for now. I'll look into all the options and let you guys know once I decide. Maybe it's worth waiting until I have $20 more.

@Deebye, thanks for those hardware links. :D

[yangman]

Most modern games do not take advantage of the huge amount of RAM avaliable in most modern video cards. What matterns is the GPU architecture, implementation, and overall bus speed of the card.

If you're still keep on upgrading, I suggest looking for an old or even used GeForce4 Ti. Since it doesn't look like this upgrade will be long-lived, you will still get the performance improvement without sacrificing necessary features.

[Roland]

And then I'll shut up (for awhile ;)).

VGA Charts Part III

Specifically:
Benchmarks
Quality Benchmarks

Notice the scores between the cards. MY card is the NVIDIA GeForce 4 Ti 4200 64MB 4x AGP, a.k.a. "GF4 Ti 4200 64". Compare those to the GeForce FX5200 (a.k.a. "GF FX 5200"), or the ATi Radeon 9200 (a.k.a. "R 9200 64").

Benchmark - UT2003:
GF4 TI 4200 64 = 54.4
GF FX 5200 = 33.2
R 9200 64 = 30.7

Quality Benchmark - UT2003 (4x FSAA, 8x Aniso):
GF4 TI 4200 64 = 14.0
GF FX 5200 = 14.8
R 9200 64 = 0.0 (not even on the Quality Benchmark list!)

Know how much these cards run currently (retail, $ U.S.)? My card is unlisted, but I'd imagine the price to be around the same as the other two cards, if not slightly less. The other two? ~$100. Is $100 really worth spending on a card that is not only the lowest of the low in the CURRENT generation of video cards, but is also WORSE than the lowest of the low in the PREVIOUS generation of cards? THIS is the point, the ONLY point, I'm trying to drive home. For just a little bit more money, you'll gain not only much more performance, but MUCH greater lasting power. Why buy something that's BRAND NEW and already obsolete? Does that sound like it's worth $100? It sure doesn't to me, and I know precisely what you're going through.

Let me step back a minute and say one thing: I'm not trying to force something you don't want or can't get down your throat. I'm just trying to impress upon you the options you're looking at, compared to the other options that are so very close to what you can afford to look at. Believe me, I know how tight money can be, and how you're struggling to find that perfect price / performance upgrade that will buy you just a little bit more time, until you get a whole new computer. I know all about it. I deal with it personally on a regular basis, and with friends (since they often come to me for computer help) just as often. I take a duty in watching the hardware coming down the pipeline, the rising and falling costs, and take it all into consideration to plot what's worth getting, for whom, and what's just flat out not worth the money, no matter how cheap. It's what I'm trying to start a business on, so I have to take it seriously, and keep up-to-date on it all. You don't have to trust my word; I don't expect you to necessarily. After all, it's your money, your choice, and ultimately you're the one who has to live with it in the end. So go with whatever you want. I just wanted to give you a bit broader perspective than most here did, or could.

I'll leave you with one final question:
Would you rather spend $100 on a piece of obsolete hardware, only to have to spend another $200+ to replace it when you eventually buy / build your next computer? Or would you rather spend $20 - $50 more NOW, and have something you can carry with you until at LEAST your next computer, before it even starts to show signs of its age?

Choice is yours, and luck and happiness be with you whatever you decide.

[Roland]

A damn good place for used stuff, including video cards. I just picked up a 3dfx Voodoo 4 4500 PCI and a Voodoo 5 5500 AGP for ~$75, all told (including shipping & insurance). Both cards are at least close to as powerful as my current card (which is just testament to the incredible work 3dfx did in their time), and it was money well-spent. Although, I would have liked to have gotten another 512 stick of PC2700 RAM and a GeForce FX5900XT from NewEgg.com, too, but that would cost me closer to $250 - $300. ;) ($80 for the RAM, and ~$200, give or take, for the video card). But, so it goes. Maybe that'll come next month. :D After all, I DID just see Van Halen LIVE in concert, with Sammy Hagar, which was well more than worth the money I spent on it, all told. :D

And, best of all, a lot of sellers ship to Canada! :) So there you go! Just be wary of prices. If you have any questions on what's too much, and what's a good deal, either compare them to my other post (and use the VGA Charts III as a reference), or just ask me. I'll be glad to enter my input (as I'm sure you've noticed ;)).

Ok, really done now. For now. :D

[Tal]

After all, I DID just see Van Halen LIVE in concert, with Sammy Hagar, which was well more than worth the money I spent on it, all told. :D

I hate you. ;) It was sold out in my area. :(

Though I have heard quite a few critics state that VH is not as good with Sammy as they used to be. Glad to hear that you enjoyed the show. :)

[Roland]

...critics have their heads up their asses. Hagar was phenomenal. No other way to put it. My g/f especially liked how he got up into the rafters (where the lights hang) and sang from up there. He put on a Patriots jersey with the number "87", or something like that, and on the back it said "WE ARE BACK". I can't tell what made the crowd go wilder: the Pats jersey, or the words on the back. :) Eddie was amazing, and his son was no less stellar (because it was Father's day, he made a guest appearance and soloed, then played with his dad). Alex was also mind-blowing on his drums. And of course, you had to love the Jack Daniels bass guitar, especially when someone threw a small bottle of JD on-stage and he grabbed it up and sucked it down in one gulp. :D

The opening band, Silvertide, was incredible. I haven't heard such good guitar-playing in aeons. I STRONGLY recommend checking them out. They have a VERY old-school sound (80's old-school, not 90's or 2000's), and blended so well with Van Halen.

The music, the bands, the overall performance - it was well worth WAY more than the ~$100 a ticket x2 I spent, plus the $110 on t-shirts and $13 on food. :) I honestly don't think David Lee Roth would have given a better performance. "The Red Rocker" truly rocked the house, living up to his name and them some. Not since Ozzy have I seen someone put so much passion and energy into a live performance. Every individual was incredible, and the whole was DEFINITELY far greater than the sum of their parts. It was a once-in-a-lifetime concert, and I'm so glad I got to be a part of it. It's something I'll tell my grandkids someday.