Graphics Card Upgrade Question (PCI/AGP)

[tullyccro]

I just inherited a computer that's about 6 years old, but runs great. I'm looking to upgrade the video card so that I can run Empire.

I've got 1G RAM, and my processor brings me up around the minimum, but I'm definitely going to need a new graphics card, trouble is, I only have 1 AGP slot and the rest are standard PCI, not PCI express. Is there a card I can buy that is not PCI Express that can handle Empire?

Any recommendations?

[Brusilov]

If you supply details about the region that you live in someone in the area may know where the good deals are hiding. What is available in the USA (and where) can be different to the UK, or Australia or South Africa.....

[eddie291]

Some ATI cards are still made in AGP. I'm not too familiar with them, but I do know that the better ones can get a bit pricey. Especially since you can buy a much, much better card like the 4830 for about the same price.

What processor do you have? If you meet the bare minimum then you'll probably bottleneck the card.

Newegg is a good place to start if you live in the States.

[SirVulf]

I would have to say the ATI Radeon HD 3850 512MB is probably your best bet for a playable AGP graphics card.

Performance comparison here: http://www.guru3d.com/category/vga_charts_crysis/ - look near the bottom AGP really doesn't get built anymore. That they're still being sold is just due to office computers systems still being on older technology for a lot of companies.

Prices: http://search.pricewatch.com/video_c...gp_512mb-0.htm

In my opinion, get rid of your AGP setup. AGP is dead. PCIE is already at 2.0 standard. With USB3.0 around the corner I can only imagine PCIE3.0 being close behind.