Quote from DEVIL 007 :

Hi all,

Why you guys confuse him:-(.

He has currently GF2MX card and this is very slow card even for LFS.I had that card as well.I had then upgraded to ATI8500 which gave me a twice performance even on 1.2Ghz Athlon(K7Architecture).

Secondly there is no FPS difference in LFS between the cards which has 128MB memory or 256MB memory because LFS even doesnt utilise more then 60-70MB of memory.

He should get for sure really nice FPS boost going from GF2MX(he use PCI version!!) to something I mentioned above already(AGP cards).
Asus N6600/TD 128MB
Sapphire Atlantis ATI Radeon 9600XT 128MB

And the last thing.Recomending him a upgrade right now is not wise at all.Around summer there will be new architecture for AMD - going to AM2 socket(doesnt look like a big step now but the more bandwith will be neccessary for quadcore systems) and also Intel will come with new Conroe CPU which looks currently very promissing against P4 architecture.
The upgrade now would be a bit pointless and not future proof.

If he wants to upgrade the right choice is around late summer better in christmass time.

And just a side note I am currently running AMD A64 system because it kicks P4 a** really easily in gaming.

spsamsp,
what yout mean by BN games?

BN = Brand New!

Guys... I understand that AGP is the best to have (at the moment)... so that is sorted but maybe you can drop a few websites for cheap video cards??

I know misco.co.uk but do any of you know any cheaper??

ebuyer.com, or if your feeling luck, fleaBay

Quote from Jakg :

ebuyer.com, or if your feeling luck, fleaBay

Thank you... I'll check them out!

hm ust a quick question for myself
do almost all new computers come with a PCIE slot?
if they do how many slots do they come with of pcie?

Quote from immense :

hm ust a quick question for myself
do almost all new computers come with a PCIE slot?
if they do how many slots do they come with of pcie?

New and old all come with PCI slots (as far as i know) and there's maybe around 4/5+ of them... sometimes they are being used for video and sound cards so you may get a few free to use...

Quote from spsamsp :

New and old all come with PCI slots (as far as i know) and there's maybe around 4/5+ of them... sometimes they are being used for video and sound cards so you may get a few free to use...

Hi,
He was talking about PCI-Express slots and not about PCI slots.Thats something really different.
PCI-Epress is mostly now used for graphic card as it can feed the card with up to 75W and has more bandwith then AGP slot.

Quote from immense :

hm ust a quick question for myself
do almost all new computers come with a PCIE slot?
if they do how many slots do they come with of pcie?

Most modern motherboard use PCI-E slots now.

Usually 1-2 slots for graphics card(u can use a pair of 2 NVIDIA - called "SLI" cards or a pair of 2 ATI cards called "crossfire").
And additional 2 PCI-Epress slots usually.

Quote from DEVIL 007 :

Hi,
He was talking about PCI-Express slots and not about PCI slots.Thats something really different.
PCI-Epress is mostly now used for graphic card as it can feed the card with up to 75W and has more bandwith then AGP slot.

Are PCIE the ones at the back of the PC where the removeable slots are to let the attached bit of hardware i.e. a 3.5mm plug to be used??

Quote from spsamsp :

Are PCIE the ones at the back of the PC where the removeable slots are to let the attached bit of hardware i.e. a 3.5mm plug to be used??

3.5 mm plug?What you are talking about please?
See attached pic.I made a quick one.

Quote from DEVIL 007 :

3.5 mm plug?What you are talking about please?
See attached pic.I made a quick one.

Gotcha!! Forget the 3.5mm plug... i was talking about a sound card connected into a PCI slot... i use PCIE for things like extra USB 2.0 ports and wireless network adapters...

Quote from spsamsp :

Gotcha!! Forget the 3.5mm plug... i was talking about a sound card connected into a PCI slot... i use PCIE for things like extra USB 2.0 ports and wireless network adapters...

How you can if you dont have a PCI-E slot? You mentioned something about your PC being 4-5 years old.
PCI-E slot is not compatibile with PCI slot.2 different things.

Quote from DEVIL 007 :

How you can if you dont have a PCI-E slot? You mentioned something about your PC being 4-5 years old.

I am very confused lol... my friend's computer seems to be older than mine and he has them... i am using my downstairs PC in my office for LFS etc so my PC is upstairs in my room and i cba to have a look lol... I may post about if i have them or not later but i swear i saw them when i fitted my new HD!!

Also... about the PCI and PCIE intergration, i know that the PCI doesn't fit with PCIE because of the added little piece on the end

spsamsp, PCI-E is still so new you can buy a brand new computer without it, a PC from several years ago will not have PCI-E, PCI-E and PCI are two extremely different things.

Quote from filur :

spsamsp, PCI-E is still so new you can buy a brand new computer without it, a PC from several years ago will not have PCI-E, PCI-E and PCI are two extremely different things.

Ok... But as long as i have AGP them i am fine, right??

Quote from spsamsp :

Ok... But as long as i have AGP them i am fine, right??

These specs on a Dimension 4400 doesn't mention any AGP slot, however, this specification of the chipset suggest it supports AGP4x. So if you do actually have AGP since the chipset should support it, it's still only running in 4x, whereas a modern AGP card would want to run in 8x.

In my opinion, you've waited too long for a performance upgrade, too many core things about your PC are outdated (400mhz FSB, AGP4x). Still, if you have AGP you could buy a decent graphics card which you could bring along for a completely new PC.

If you'd download everest, click "Report", do a "System Summary only", "Plain text", when it's finished hit "Save to file", save and attach the file to a post here, giving advice would be simpler (knowing what you have and what you don't).

Quote from filur :

These specs on a Dimension 4400 doesn't mention any AGP slot, however, this specification of the chipset suggest it supports AGP4x. So if you do actually have AGP since the chipset should support it, it's still only running in 4x, whereas a modern AGP card would want to run in 8x.

In my opinion, you've waited too long for a performance upgrade, too many core things about your PC are outdated (400mhz FSB, AGP4x). Still, if you have AGP you could buy a decent graphics card which you could bring along for a completely new PC.

If you'd download everest, click "Report", do a "System Summary only", "Plain text", when it's finished hit "Save to file", save and attach the file to a post here, giving advice would be simpler (knowing what you have and what you don't).

I can't as i don't have an internet connection up in my room as our router went back to my dad's old company... He starts his new one tomorrow so i may be in luck of getting one again!

Quote from spsamsp :

I can't as i don't have an internet connection up in my room

Get yours downstairs for a few minutes.

Quote from filur :

Get yours downstairs for a few minutes.

My dad would go mad if i stared disconnecting this PC lol and i'm only 14 so lagging a PC down the stairs and into the furthest room from the stairs is quite tiring, not to mention, messy!!

An AGP graphics card is a very good investment even if its going into an old system, because it can be carried into a new one. 90% of computers made in the last 10 years have AGP slots.

Personally I'd recommend either an Nvidia 6600 based card, or an ATI Radeon 9600 based card. Both offer excellent value for money and can be had for around £50.

Quote from Rtsbasic :

An AGP graphics card is a very good investment even if its going into an old system, because it can be carried into a new one. 90% of computers made in the last 10 years have AGP slots.

Personally I'd recommend either an Nvidia 6600 based card, or an ATI Radeon 9600 based card. Both offer excellent value for money and can be had for around £50.

Now that's the answer i've been looking for... Thanks everybody for all your help!!

Now i need a steering wheel with pedal, preferably with a Differential gear shift but i don't think there are many... so a sequential will do if there are no Diffs

Check your private message box..I have a Radeon 9600 and DFP for sale.