HD & Video Card Upgrade - Not sure??

[TwoShipps]

Greetings!
I need some advice on upgrading my current home pc. I am not looking for the greatest, just something that will work. Here is info:
PIII, 500
320MB memory
6GB HD IDE
WinME
3dfx Voodoo3
Intel Board - BusClock 100
200 W

I would like to go as high as I can on the new hard drive. Will processor support more than 40GB?

I would like a new video card. I play Links Golf a lot, and Links 2003 will not run w/my OUTDATED 3dfx card. What board will my processor support? 128mb?

Other than Links Golf, it is only used for email & a few office apps. I have a laptop for serious apps & digital media that I do for work.

Thanks to all who offer suggestions and help!

 

[Slam'n Systems]

Yep...Im pretty sure a Hard Drive 40Gigs and up will work on your PC!

What board will my processor support? 128mb?

I'm not really sure what your asking! Are you asking if it'll support a 128Mb Video Card or what?

 

[TwoShipps]

Slam'n Systems:

Yes. That is what I am asking. By adding a 128MB Video Card, will my processor become sluggish/slow? And if not, what card do you think I should use?

Thanks for your help!

 

[g5orbust]

any sized hard drive will work for you. Just make sure you have all the current ATA hardware to accomdate it (anything above ATA/66 to accomodate over 8GB)

also, can you tell us the AGP spec you are running (1x-8x)? That would help in determining the best card for you. A 64MB card will do you fine- it doesnt even need very sophisticated features that drive up price. I would suggest an aging, but still worthy, nVidia Geforce 2 Mx400 or even a Geforce 4MX 440. Both can be had at a very small price, though the 440 is better than the Mx400, so expect to pay more for it. Also, from ATI, we have the Radeon 7000 series and 9000 series- from there I suggest either a Radeon 7500 or 9000 graphics card.

 

[Slam'n Systems]

Being that your computer is kind of old...it wouldn't read the card as a 128mb! It may read it as a 64mb or a 32mb...matters how much your AGP / PCI slot supports up to! It wouldn't be sluggish...but I think you would be wasting money on a 128Mb unless your thinking about upgrading to a new PC sometime in the near future!

I suggest if your going for a 64Mb card: The GeForce2 Ti or the 128Mb Card: a GeForce4 Ti!

 

[Martin]

Some "older" motherboards may require a BIOS flash in order to support higher-capacity hard drives (check with the manufacturer) - generally an issue for some machines manufactured prior to 1998, but for the most part, 40+ should run without problems of any sort.

For that system, it would be a waste to plunk down a lot for a 128 MB card, seeing as it would be bottlenecked by your CPU. However, on the other hand, spending some money for a good/decent card with a hefty amount of memory (e.g. ATI Radeon 9100, GeForce3 Ti 200, GeForce4 Ti 4200, etc.) would be a worthy investment if you decide to upgrade your motherboard/CPU in the future.

 

[TwoShipps]

g5orbust: What do you mean by having the latest ATA hardware?

I am not sure how to find the AGP spec. Here are some more specs that might help:
Phoenix Bios 4.0 Release 6.0
Palette Snooping Disabled (What it the world is this?)
AGP Apenture Size 64 MB (option for 256mb)

Martin: Thanks for the BIOS info. I have contacted Intel w/o much luck so far. It is a SL35E board. Any ideas?

Thanks again. I am finding this forum site VERY helpful. You guys are great!
Thanks!!!!!

 

[iory_yagamy]

well as you said if the bios says agp aperture then you have agp slot. any card agp 4x will be good for you, since 4x and 8x are the only cards in the market , 47x is good for you, if your agp is 2x the 4 x will works fine. your cpu support any hard drive that you like, just check the id speed, ata66 or ata100 as g5orbust suggested you. there are many ati or nvidia card at good prices, also the memory.