Hello :I am interested in upgrading my current video card NVIDIA GeForce FX5200 128Mb for a much better one. Currently this card is installed on a Dell Dimension 4600 Pentium 4 2.80Ghz and 1.00 Gb of RAM.I am basically (like everybody else)looking for better frames results with all sliders to the max. Please, let me know your suggestions and/or recommendations based on experience.I appreciate your time and responses.Juliet Lima

This will get moved to the hardware forum. Can't get sliders to the max with your system, no matter what video card. FS is just as dependant on CPU as GPU. Best bang for the buck upgrade with that system would be a GeForce 6600GT, maybe a basic 6800, but that's it.If you have the budget, upgrade not only thr card, but also the mobo and CPU. Its the only way you'll get to sliders right without a slideshow!Allcott

Allcott,Thanks for the quick reply!! I thought I had a good system. Why woudl I have to change the CPU and Mobo.? Being my CPU a Pentium 4 with a good speed and plenty of ram (1gb) Isn't this enough?Thank you again for the help !!Juliet Lima

All of the new video cards use the PCI Express slot, which is why you'd have to upgrade your mobo and likely CPU as well... The best you can get in AGP is a GeForce 6600GT or an ATI X800. To get the new cards like the GeForce 7800 series or the ATI X1800 series, you need a PCIe motherboard.

Not only that, but frankly a 2.8 ghz chip is on the slow side for max slider, unless you compromise elsewhere. You should be looking at the 3.5 ghz threshold as a minimum, with the graphics card upgrade, to get you what you are looking for, I'd say.Your best bet as it stands is `component matching` where no one aspect of the system is substantially weaker than any other. As Ryan says, all of the top flight graphics cards are now made with PCI-Express in mind. You can still get AGP graphics cards - and good ones - but they will be a waste of money on your system, as the CPU will not be matched to the capacity of the card. You will not be able to get where you want to get with that computer (bearing in mind that you are talking only of maxxing FS. You might find if you play other games that an over-prescribed graphics card will give you the extra fps in those), but we've got dozens of posts here from people who have installed latest, greatest cards and seen hardly any increase in performance in Flight Sim. Allcott

>The best you can get in AGP is a GeForce 6600GT or an ATI>X800.If I might correct you here.;) AFAIK the best AGP cards out there are the nvidia 6800 Ultra, which is VERY VERY hard to find anymore, and the ati X850XT PE which can still be found. It's expensive, but if you are looking for top of the line AGP, it's what you want.

Hi,I have been running FS9 on a P4 2.5gHz with an ATI9800pro.Any better graphics card is not going to make any differencewith your present CPU.Most of my sliders were maxed, only AI traffic turned down.The only slowdowns were at large airports, but thats goingto happen whatever system you have due to FS9 maximisingits use of the CPU, whatever speed it is.I still think that ATI give better graphics than Nvidea (I've had both) but this is just my preference.If your're not looking for advanced features then the ATI 9800 range are the best you need, and they arenow going cheap!!!!!!!!

Hi there!Don't want to hijack the thread, here, but can someone tell me: (I also have a P4 2,4 but with a Radeon 9600Pro)What would I gain by switching to 9800 ? I see it is twice the price of the 9600, and I believe my card is going down the drain.(Can you confirm that: At times there remains weird TV-like noisy rectangular square on the screen when switching progs, from the other program. Sometimes there are "Sticky" points, of eg. an ac nose, out from which there seems to grow an umbrella of distorted graphics, hard to explain..)Thanks,Dasher7

>>The best you can get in AGP is a GeForce 6600GT or an ATI>>X800.>>If I might correct you here.;) >>AFAIK the best AGP cards out there are the nvidia 6800 Ultra,>which is VERY VERY hard to find anymore, and the ati X850XT PE>which can still be found. It's expensive, but if you are>looking for top of the line AGP, it's what you want.Mike, You misunderstood, I was talking about best component matching, not the best available. There is little or no point in spending the extra on the cards you mention as they would still not allow the sliders to be used full right. Not with that CPU.Allcott

Dasher, Sounds like a heat issue. Clean the inside of the case, unclog the card fan and cooler and I bet your problem goes away.Allcott

>Mike, >>You misunderstood, I was talking about best component>matching, not the best available. There is little or no point>in spending the extra on the cards you mention as they would>still not allow the sliders to be used full right. Not with>that CPU.>>AllcottI understood you, that's why I didn't quote you. ;) I was replying to Ryan's post. IMO, not one of the 4 cards Ryan and I mentioned would be worth getting with that processor. I was mearly stating the best AGP cards out there, which is what I took Ryan's post as.

You best bang for the buck is a Geforce 6600GT for about $130. If you want to max everything out, then you have to dig deep into your pocket for a Geforce 7800 and eventually get a faster CPU.I have a Geforce 6600GT on an AMD 3200+ and have most sliders maxed, except for some weather settings and I tend to get an average of 30fps in 2D cockpit and about 20-25fps in the virtual cockpit.Pat

Wow! Thanks, thats good news, will check it out!!thanks fromhappy dasher7

Hi Juliet,I have a 3.06GHz P4 running at 3.5GHz using the stock, but second generation heatsink/fan. Can you overclock your 2.8 a few hundred more? The reason I ask is that I am using the GeForce 6800GT/OC and I am able to run most all sliders to the right at 1600x with 4xAA, 16xAF (sometimes 8xAF if flying heavy aircraft) and a slew of add ons running. I also added more memory to 2GB which has improved things somewhat. I set my lock on 25 usually, and that is usually where it stays, except in the most complex of situations, but it's 98% of the time hovering at 25. I can set this up to 30 or 35 with less intense aircraft. I would think if you could bump up a few hundred Ghz then a 6800GT/OC should be fine.Noel