[magusbuckley]

Hello:

I have a system I build myself a little over a year ago. The video card I currently have is an ATI 9550. It's an AGP 256MB card. I bought a new hard drive to install Vista. I can't use a beta OS as my primary OS, so am putting it on it's own drive. Before installing, I ran the hardware compatablity check program. It said my video card would not support 2.0 pixel shading. I was able to install Vista, but I don't think I'm running the Aero software. I'm interested in purchasing a new card that is compatable with Vista. At first, I thought it would be silly to buy another 256MB card. If I'm getting a new card, I figured I may as well upgrade to a 512MB card. A friend of mine, however, told me that the amount of memory isn't everything. He said the speed of the memory on the card is also important. As such, he says some 256MB cards are actually faster than some 512MB cards. I suppose I would be willing to purchase another 256MB card if it's faster than what I have and is compatable with Vista. Can any of you recomend a video card that meets these specks? A TV tuner isn't required for my setup. One day, I may add a second monitor, so I'll probably need something that supports dual moitors. Before I talked to my buddy, I had found a 512MB card on Newegg. It's a Sapphire X1600PRO with GDDR2. I'm wondering if I can find something better.

Any and all information will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Magus

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well it depends on what slot your motherboard has the 9550 runs on agp so it looks like your stuck with that from memeory the X1600pro is only on the PCI-express slot and wont be able to run with your pc

your friend was right it doesnt only matter on the amount of memeory but the speed of the memory, teh speed of the GPU, the amount of pixel piplines and the bandwidth of the card

many more factors than just teh amount of memory

what is your budget for the new card

and if your wanting to run vista i would suggest waiting and buying a new motherboard and a new DX10 video card when they come out trust me it will be worth the wait

troppo

[troppo]

well it depends on what slot your motherboard has the 9550 runs on agp so it looks like your stuck with that from memeory the X1600pro is only on the PCI-express slot and wont be able to run with your pc

your friend was right it doesnt only matter on the amount of memeory but the speed of the memory, teh speed of the GPU, the amount of pixel piplines and the bandwidth of the card

many more factors than just teh amount of memory

what is your budget for the new card

and if your wanting to run vista i would suggest waiting and buying a new motherboard and a new DX10 video card when they come out trust me it will be worth the wait

troppo

[magusbuckley]

troppo:

The x1600PRO is an AGP card. That is the slot I have on my MB. I haven't heard of the new DX10 card so will look that one up. I suppose it doesn't matter too much what the card costs, I'll do what I can to get it. I figure I'll be spending less than $500 though.

Thanks,

Magus

[†Gladiator†]

they do make agp 7800 cards.
http://www.tomshardw..._aint_dead_yet/

it's pricey and hard to get one but..... if you want the best agp card this is it. 300 ish?