Mother board and graphics card compatibility

[DuncanC 0]

I currently use an Abit KT7A RAID motherboard and would like to purchase the best graphics card for gaming that is compatibile. Alternatively if the main board is not up to the task of supporting the newer graphics cards I'll build a new system. So I need some guidance here. Also is it generally cheaper to build up your own system from components or buy a complete customized system from a vendor? Thanks for any help.

[peterh 1]

It depends on how much of the PC you need to replace. All cards are now PCI Express, how many PCI cards do you have? If replacing the motherboard, you may have to replace the CPU, the memory and possibly the PSU as well. If it turns out you need to replace more that half the PC, its cheaper to buy a new complete PC.

 

[Relic 0]

You have an AGP port on your board, so you won't be using PCI-E cards.

 

I shop here, and there's the list of AGP cards that ncix sells. AGP Cards Personally, I'm a fan of EVGA cards, and the 7600GS at $155 Canadian is a good price.

 

If you want something to tide you over until you do a full system upgrade, the 7600 series of AGP cards will do the trick for now. There's no point in spending much more than $100 to $140 American on a vidcard for your system.

 

Before you ask, AGP cards that state they are "AGP 8X" will work in your AGP 2X/4X slot, so that's not a problem.

 

***EDIT***

 

Alternatively if the main board is not up to the task of supporting the newer graphics cards I'll build a new system. So I need some guidance here. Also is it generally cheaper to build up your own system from components or buy a complete customized system from a vendor?

 

The 7600 is a newer card, PCI-E actually, but it uses a "bridge" so it will work in an AGP slot. What slows the card down is the AGP slot itself, it's just not as fast as the PCI-Express slot.

 

Basically, a 7600 AGP, although it's the same card, will not be as fast as a 7600 PCI-E due to having to use the AGP slot.

 

In general, building your own system is cheaper than buying a pre-built system, plus you can build it to meet your specific needs. You want a gaming system, you buy gaming/performance components.

 

Building your first system can be kinda nerve racking, you want to make sure you get all the right stuff. Not a prob, there are plenty of people in here willing to help. Gives you a sense accomplishment when you complete your first build and it boots, it's your build, and it didn't come in a box that looks like cowhide.

[Shadow64Bt 0]

One piece of advice for you if you decide to go through and venture into the wonderful world of PC Building. When you select a motherboard, buy one that is stable and has been out for at least 3-6 months. Also, never buy cheap when it comes to motherboards.

I will give you an example of a brilliant mistake my friend and I made over two and a half years back. We both decided it was time to upgrade to 64-bit goodness, but we couldn't be bothered with PCI-E (this was before it really hit it's stride and AGP looked like it would hang on) since it would cost a lot extra. At the time, Asus was putting out the A8V Deluxe, based on the VIA KT880 chipset, not the best but a far cry from the problematic KT600s. We both jumped at it, and got the boards a month apart. Fast forward less than a year, and my friend calls me up and tells me about these strange problems he's having with data packet drops and lost files. I figured he was being lazy and not keeping his system healthy. Well. About a month later, my system started formatting my 250GB SATA HD in roughly 15 seconds. No jokes, no exaggerations. 15 Seconds, and that was full format. Now, it doesn't recognize SATA drives, and half the IDE channels don't work.

 

Lesson learned. Don't buy brand-spankin' new until it's been run around the corner for a month or three. I have a new experience with Gigabyte as well, but that's a story for another time, and it isn't pretty.

 

Good luck, let us know how your endeavor turns out.