Best onboard video help...

[psyfivr6]

Hey, Im looking to upgrade my graphics so I can play Counter-Strike Source and HL2. I have a modded Dell Dimension 2400 P4 2.39 GHz, 768 MB RAM, 60GB HD, Onbard Intel Extreme Graphics... At this point my moms GeForce4 MX-440 SE playes HL2 and CS:Source very well and mine plays it like crap. I get 5-30 FPS while hers gets 40-70 FPS. My problem is I only have PCI slots and I dont want to purchase a PCI card and then later down the road buy a new mobo for agp graphics. I am also on a limited budget of around $100-$130, which I dont believe is enough for a decent mobo and vid card. So my main question is which AGP 8x motherboards have the best onboard graphics for socket 478 that would be equal to or better then a GeForce4 MX-440 SE and also might have overclocking features for the processor? I was looking into the ATi Radeon 9100 IGP but I saw bad reviews and wasnt sure it was capable of handling HL2. Thanks

- Ethan

 

[woot7800GT]

Wait, Onboard video? It sucks ass. Any good mobo doesnt even have onboard video, save up a bit more and get a good mobo with either AGP or preferably PCIe v-card.

 

[Codeine]

Well HL2 is a very demanding game. So your going to need some type of moderate card. For 130$, i dont see you getting a board and video card either. Dont waste your money on a onboard mobo/card. Save it, then get a nice video card, such as the eVGA 6600 GT, which is around 160$. Also, dont get socket 478. All the new Intel processors are compatible with socket LGA775. With socket 478 you cannot upgrade..

 

[003]

Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813170143

Video card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814121189

The total cost is $189 USD, which is about the best you're going to do, but it's still not great. It will however outpreform your mother's computer for sure. Also, what type of motherboard do you have? Usually cheap PCs that come with onboard graphics also come with a non-standard mATX motherboard. If that is the case, then you will need this motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813130490
And this video card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814145118

That totals out to $144 USD, but if your computer supports a normal ATX motherboard, then get the first two. Hope this helps.