Hi all!OK, I need your help in making the correct graphics card purchase. Since I'm on a budget and still will have to go AGP, I've narrowed my search down to one of the following, though other suggestions will be welcomed:***Leadtek 6600GT (NVIDIA)http://www.nextgenelectronics.com/winfasta6600gt.phpAs far as I can tell, this is a good card gor the price, and it's supposedly quite silent, which is important to me. BUT, I've seen complaints that the card has a tendency to overheat and crash games on that account. I do not want to deal with crashes in FS based on poorly designed gfx cooling.Speeds: Core 500 MHz Mem 900 Mhz GDDR-3However, this is only a 128mb card. ***Sapphire Hybrid RADEON X700 PROhttp://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/sapphi...0_pro/page2.aspThe X700 PRO features a slower 420MHz core clock frequency, while its memory operates at 432MHz. However, it does have 256 mb ram.It looks like (from googling) that the card is rather silent and remains cool even under heavy loads. Because of the higher ram speeds and slightly higher Benchmark speeds, the 6600GT looks attractive. YET, it runs hot..?So, the X700 looks attractive mostly because of the extra ram, and the cool temps. The extra rams might better carry me into a more gfx intensive FSX, which I'll have to run on this system at least for some time?***Those two cards are in the same price range and that is my max range, money-wise. Cheaper cards exist, like eg a 9600 PRO/XT with 256 mb rams and a very cheap price tag. Are the other cards worth the extra money?Please no "get a new mobo for PCIe" posts, - I don't have the money or the urge for major system overhaul at this time and my current card is near dead.Any help appreciated, thanks,-Dasher7Current system:P4 2.4 ghz512 mb ramRadeon 9600 Pro 128 mbAudiophile 24/96

Hey Dasher,I have the pci-e flavor of the 6600 gt and I can honestly say I love the price/performance ratio for current games out there like F.E.A.R. and Half Life 2 and I also use it with my FS 2004 and it runs it very well with Active Sky and Birds Eye View I can set my frame rates locked at 45 with no problems. However my system is a little different from yours, ie I am runnig with 2 gigs of ram and a AMD 64 cpu, so overall performance is a sum of your parts of your rig. As far as the on board ram on the cards getting the one with the more memory will allow more more complex and detailed textures for most current games but I am not sure about FS itself since its an older game but it should work wonders with add on scenery products and if noise is a problem for you try looking at the XFX 6600 gt brand which to me is very quite. http://www.manticoreinc.com/tech/product_i...products_id=156 I think its the same card but alot cheaper or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...&ATT=14-150-089this is what i got but in the agp slot and still alot cheaper. I would also recommend using pricewatch for the lowest prices on the net. Hope this helpsPaul

Dasher--if everything you say is true re: the Leadtek 6600GT and the Sapphire X700 card, then I would go with the Sapphire ATI card.Why?256 ram. That's the overriding factor. You'll like that better than 128.Rhett

Hi Paul Thanks a lot for your reply and the links, I'll check them out.The more I read, I think I'll go with the 6600GT. It seems that running at high resolutions of 1600X.. or more with lotsa aa and mipmapping is where the card may crash with an out-of-memory message, because of its 128 ram. What resolution do you use?Ok, so having read the links only comfirms my initial urge to get the Winfast Leadtek thing. How big is your powersupply? Some reviewers said it needed lots of power.Thanks-dasher7

Hi RhettYeah, I'm still thinking about that. Maybe I should have a look at the fsx speculations on hardware reqs.thanks-dasher7

>>Dasher--if everything you say is true re: the Leadtek 6600GT>and the Sapphire X700 card, then I would go with the Sapphire>ATI card.>Why?>256 ram. That's the overriding factor. You'll like that>better than 128.>>>>RhettConsider,Video cards dont fill the frame buffer (mem) as suggested, if you get any out of memory error, that is system ram. 1. the extra ram on a >low budget< card is going to be slower than its 128 version, why? to keep cost down, so now you have a tad bit slower card.2.since it is a low budget card, you need to ask yourself, self will I ever use the xtra ram? Answer- probably not. why? because the need for the extra space in the frame buffer will only be used IF and when the card is run at high enough screen rez and filter settings (AA/AF) however when you push a lowend card like that it Won't perform well enough for decent game play, just pretty screen shots, so the card will most probably be used with settings that will never benifet from the Xtra memory.If you think you need a card with 256mg of memory best spend your money on a card that will use it or it is just a waist.6800GT at under $300 (you can still find them) are a bargan, mine was $270 last year -same as 6800GS (more plentiful).there are going to be some far greater alternatives for the old AGP very soon from both ATI and Nvidia if you can just wait a bit longer...well you can always say that, but there are some great things about to your favorite hardware reviewer site soon..

Dasher I use a 450 watt power supply, it the Antec True Blue and no the 6600 gt doesnt make anymore demands on my system than the previous card I had, which the power supply came over to the new system. However if you do like me and change the board the 20 pin to 24 pin adapter is very much needed otherwise you have to buy the atx 2.01 units. Bottom line yes you can buy the 6800 or higher cards but why would you those cards were designed for the new games like I stated before, the price performance ratio is still hard to beat and you can pick up a 6600 gt well under 200 and I think thats what your aiming for. Now if your doing more than FS then I would say maybe look to the newer cards but I can play my FS 2004 1280x960 32bit color will all sliders to max and no slowdown or stuttering and AA enabled. Also the cards with the larger memory onboard there is no performance gain only in how you set the textures in the game thus higher textures without going to the system memory and in that case yes there will be an improvement.thanksPaul

AH let me add something to this. I assumed that your going to run FS 2004 I didnt realize your planning this card for the new FSX am I correct in this assumtion? If so then yes I may just hold off on the card a little and save some cash for a extra ram and 6800gs if your definately not changing the board. Paul

I found through some searching that Toms Hardware, not a big fan of the site, but they stacked some agp cards using FS 2004 as a benchmark....http://www.tomshardware.com/2004/10/04/vga_charts_iv/page11.htmlits a good reference to get an idea what to expect with these agp cards.Paul

Hi Paul:Quote:"there are going to be some far greater alternatives for the old AGP very soon from both ATI and Nvidia if you can just wait a bit longer...well you can always say that, but there are some great things about to your favorite hardware reviewer site soon.."Do you have some specific thing in mind, (like, something secret) ;) or do you mean just the general turn of events with new standards?EDIT: Were you thinking abouth the Nvidia 7800 AGP? What prices can we expect?Thanks!-dasher7

Hi Paul (Pablo)Thank you very much for sharing your experience with the 6600GT, that helped a lot!-I still need to check out the fsx speculations, will do that now, though I might not like what I hear, and I tihink I'll probably end up getting the 6600gt, though I'll do some more checking (and waiting on them prices to fall just a tad, maybe..).Thanks,dasher7

Well if you are planning your upgrade around FSX then in my opin you should really let things settle out first regarding DX10 and FSX and AGP and PCI-E. The thought being that we don't yet really have a super-clear picture about how things will go in that regard.But if you need something RIGHT NOW, as in, your present gfx card is really out-of-date, then sure go for a 6600GT or something like that.I think what Paul means is that soon, most AGP cards are going to drop in price a lot. Even the 7800GT's, which now run about $300, are expected to drop considerably.

Hi,No I am not speaking of Price, what is around the corner may be dependant on what some of the vendors will or won't do as what Nvidia offers for AGP and what its partners offer maybe different as most of the NV PCI-E cards can be made AGP but with added cost, so what exactly will be offerd is hard to say at this point...but there is a good outlook...AGP will not be lost, but it will remain behind, after 2-6? (7800AGP)you should keep your peepers out for the month of march.As for the 6600's go well one problem they will have with FSX is that they do not support shadder V3.0, 6800XX-7900XX cards do supprort SV3.0 (so will the new 7200/7400 and 7600).Edit: I should add that the ATI 1600XT-AGP is a very decent AGP card, as far as quantity and price and what others offerings will come out of the competition for the remaining AGP to DX10 market will bring will fun to watch.