graphics card for ffxi only box

[frodnonnag]

i'm looking to finish off a computer specifically to run ffxi on my hdtv.

here's the info on the motherboard:
M957G V1.0 Upgrades - PCchip M957G V1.0 M957G V1.0 Intel P4 Motherboard

its a pentium 4 with cpu of 3.40 GHz, supports 2gb of ram.

so far all i really did was upgrade to two 1gb sticks of ram, my next step is to update the graphics card. i want to spend no more than $200 for a really good card that will run ffxi with no issues on that board. i also plan on eventually this year just replacing that motherboard and processor, jumping up to a decent gaming rig. only catch is that i want a HDMI port for my TV.

first, whats the best card for my $$ that i can get, and second, will i be able to play ffxi with maxed/regedited settings on this box?

[Norellicus]

That page doesn't show any specs on the board, just 'upgrades' which also doesn't help since it doesn't list any info about available GPUs.

If it's an old AGP board (entirely possible and likely with P4) you're going to have a hard time finding 'modern' parts, 90% of the market is PCI-X now.

Additionally, FFXI doesn't rely too much on a heavy duty GPU, it does a lot of its work via CPU cycles, so you're already defined to a hard limit there.

will i be able to play ffxi with maxed/regedited settings on this box?

I'm fairly certain no. Until I upgraded from P4 to Core2D, my laptop using a Centrino Duo and a nvidia mobile GPU was performing better than my desktop was, even with a 512 MB Radeon...X1600, I think it was. Whatever one of the last 8x AGP cards produced before nvidia released the 8800 series was.

[frodnonnag]

this better info on my board?

Download Pcchips M957G (V1.0) PM800 VGA Driver 16.01.23.05 Driver for Windows 9X / Windows ME - Softpedia

[Neb]

I dont think you will find a HDMI capable AGP card you will have to go YBPR i believe. I dont think AGP slots can have sound support so you wont be able to use a DVI to HDMI adapter.

[Neb]

I was Wrong I found this one just make sure you have a good PS and you should be OK

Newegg.com - HIS Hightech H385F512ANP Radeon HD 3850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 AGP 4X/8X HDCP Ready Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

[frodnonnag]

i found a PC for sale on craigslist for cheap, here's its specs:

Gateway Support - Specifications

would this box be better worth getting and upgrading?

[frodnonnag]

sorry for bumping this, but the ram finally came in the mail... and it won't start up. i've tried reseating it, swapping it around and even tested my old ram again(it works). farthest i've gotten with the new ram in is the safe mode options screen, where it stops with the white bar across the bottom.

this site says:
Memory
2 x 184-pin DIMM sockets support two 2.5V DDR SDRAMs (DDR400/333/266)
Maximum: 2GB


for the ram i bought, a sticker on the side of it says

ddr 128x8 pc400 1gaum5108

[frodnonnag]

tested one stick, it boots up, testing the other, i get nothing, no startup at all, monitor won't turn on.

[Shuemue]

Some people are meant to shop at Dell. You are one of them.

[frodnonnag]

Some people are meant to shop at Dell. You are one of them.

being an asshole really doesn't resolve my issue or contribute to this thread, but whatever. i'm using this thread as a way to double check my work, making sure i don't buy something stupid and end up frying the whole box, even so, i need to make mistakes to learn from them, not pay some overpriced dipshits to build a box for me.

[The Stig]

He isn't really being an asshole but just revealing a truth. Prices nowadays aren't as bad and personally I'm willing to spend that little bit more just so I don't have to waste time and/or think about it.

Anyway do you have a spare machine you can test that RAM on. If you can plug that in and see if it boots up, if it doesn't then you know what to do I suppose.

[Avanarius]

For some reason I think the motherboard probably needs a bios update to be able to support 2gb of ram, but that's a long shot.

I don't think it's worth dumping any more money into the computer you have because you wont be able to use any video card or memory that you put into it for a future build. You'll just have to buy all new stuff.

You can build a pretty decent gaming machine for under $500 these days so just save your money until then. It'll completely blow away any P4 build.

Also, that pentium d computer you listed also isn't worth it either. (Unless your looking to buy a tabletop oven)

[frodnonnag]

He isn't really being an asshole but just revealing a truth. Prices nowadays aren't as bad and personally I'm willing to spend that little bit more just so I don't have to waste time and/or think about it.

Anyway do you have a spare machine you can test that RAM on. If you can plug that in and see if it boots up, if it doesn't then you know what to do I suppose.

the one stick doesn't boot up at all, so i think it is just a faulty piece. i am hoping the turn around on it isn't 20 days...