9800 Pro 128, or P4 3GHz cpu

[iLLWiLL]

Eventually I will buy both a video card and cpu/mb sometime down the line...

But in the meantime, which option below will create LESS of a bottleneck on my current 1200MHz Athlon system with Radeon 7200:

(a) Buy a Radeon 9800 Pro (All-in-Wonder) for $330, or

(b) Buy a 3.0GHz Pentium 4 (1MB L2 cache) plus a motherboard for ~$380+


I realize that with a card like the 9800 Pro, the cpu will be the bottleneck; and that a video card like my 7200 will be the bottleneck on a 3GHz system. But which will be LESS of a bottleneck? I don't need all the speed in the world...just enough to make games run smoother :P

[kimchicowboy]

from what i know, there's a big difference between a radeon 7200 and a radeon 9800 pro. therefore, i'd go for the vid card.

[M_A_C]

The new video cards are just on the horizon, so I'd wait for those and get the new CPU.

[bachviet]

Video card but do you really need the AIW card?

[iLLWiLL]

Originally posted by bachviet
Video card but do you really need the AIW card?
I would like to do some video capturing and editing in addition to gaming ;)

And to be honest, the only pc game that i really play is Counterstrike, which is 6 yrs old, lol. But I want a card that will last me as far into the near future as possible (at a reasonable price)...


When will the next-gen video cards be released, making the current-gen prices drop???

[iLLWiLL]

Originally posted by DarkFury
You can get an Asus TV-PCI card for around $60 at NewEgg and that can handle all your video capture needs better than a AIW can at a fraction of the cost...
Hmmm, I never thought of going that route. Are stand-alone TV cards more robust in features/quality than the AIW's??? I just figured the capture quality in the AIW's was the best, and since it came bundled with a gpu as powerful as the 9800pro, that you are getting the best of everything(?):shrug:


Oh, and would having a separate graphics card and tv card cause some conflicts/compatibility issues, in terms of tv capturing software?

[iLLWiLL]

Originally posted by DarkFury
These 2 threads will tell you almost everything you want to know about that...

http://www.gotapex.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=59752

http://www.gotapex.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=58987


If you have more questions that those posts don't answer... go here instead: http://www.dvdrhelp.com/capturecards

The thing about a "jack of all" trades product (not just video cards, but electronics in general), yes, it can do the job, but it might not do the job the best that it can be done.
Damn, those threads are long -- I'll take your word for it :thumbup:
But I'll bookmark this thread just in case I ever build a HTPC...

Thanks for input everyone. I think I'll settle for the regular 9800pro for now, and save over $100 :eek:

[cheapchinese]

and with that 100 bucks you can go to fry's and get the mobo + cpu package....:D

[iLLWiLL]

Originally posted by cheapchinese
and with that 100 bucks you can go to fry's and get the mobo + cpu package....:D
Oh no, see why'd you have to put that idea in my head! :dead: :D