Bottlenecking!

Hey everybody, this is my first posting here at gamershell but i've been reading the forums for a while...
And i'ld like to ask you guys a question regarding my system
So, i got a question about this computer i have, i bought it like 4~5 years ago (by the time that a MX440 was 'high-end', hah) and back then it kicked ass.
Well it still works great, i've done a few updates on the hardware and i was thinking, how far i could the system go (i think the question should be "would it go?") with a graphics card until the system bottlenecks?

its an Asus A7V8X-X (AGP) with a 2.0+ Athlon, 512mb ram (333 MHz DDR / PC2700), And a FX5200.
The HD is a Maxtor, 80GB, runs at 7200rpm, and a 500w power supply.
For example, it runs bf2 @ 800x600 with everything low. It runs slow. Its playable, but slow.

I'ld rather buy a new computer.
Jeez, I'ld happily buy a new computer..
but i'm short on cash...

So is there any way to upgrade this one, or should I give it to my little sister?
Also, are the older cards price expected to go down (dramatically? *prays*) wen DX10 starts to go strong?

Thanks in advance!

Well there are quite a few upgrade options and if you are short on a few quid thats probably going to be your only choice.

You are going to need a bit more RAM and really you could do with a nicer video card. I would recommend getting 2GB of RAM (even BF2 kinda needs that) and if you wait a few weeks you will be able to pick up a new ATI Radeon AGP graphics card based on the new r600 core.

ok stop. short of money and you wanna run bf2 better.

first another 512mb of ram will help out alot you do not need 2gigs! i run bf2 on medium settings fine w/ 1gig of ram and i don't have any problems w/ the speed it runs at.

second you need a better vid card. ati or nvidia both will work don't let the fan boys tell you that you need one or the other in order to play i run an nvidia 6600. you should be able to get both for under 100quid!

in the ati realm i would say either the x800 or x1600 series in nvidia 6600 or better. any of those will get you to play bf2 way better than you are now.

of course w/ ram the more the better but honestly 1gig will run any game out right now. and before every starts to flame me remember vio said he is low on cash! budget upgrade ppl!

Unfortunately, the higher end AGP video cards out there are pretty expensive compared to their PCI-E counterparts. The NVIDIA GeForce 6600 was a very nice AGP card for a decent price, but it's getting increasingly difficult to find them. You'd definitely benefit from 1 GB of ram. 2 GB never hurts either though depending on what you use your computer for.

I personally think you should sell your current system and get a pci-e based system and start your upgrades from there. This may sound like an expensive thing to do but keep in mind you might find someone willing to pay a good price for it. Upgrading a pci-e, ddr 2 system is way cheaper then getting older ram for your current setup or a AGP videocard. I am aware that this completely seems to contradict everything you asked for but in the long run this route will be the cheapest and the best way to get more performance for your buck.

You also might wanna consider the option of selling everything, buy a PS3 and smack some good old linux (that's free) on it and you have a extremely powerful pc compared to what you have now. I am gonna get so flamed for that last remark

LINUX ROCKS!

Haha linux rocks indeed!
Thanks a ton for the information guys!

I'll be looking forward to add more 512mb of ram and getting a video card somewhere near a X1300XT, a 7300GT, a 6800Xtrem, or perhaps even a X800GT. I still have to look for the AGP availability of these or similar cards, but i hope it wont be hard to find... Its not gonna be a hardcore gaming pc but hopefully we'll see some good improvements

Stay clear of the X800GT! That is a Shader Model 2.0 card and its kinda defunct already... you should only be looking to get a SM3.0 card minimum!

I have to agree with Gazz on this. You need to upgrade. The best AGP card
available is still going to give bad frame rates on most new to somewhat
new games available. But if you just have to have one go with the NVidia 7800GS
or the 7900GS. ATI blows. There drivers suck and their way behind on development.

vio whatever you do do not listen to slaymate!

his pc cost more than god could afford! and he wants everyone to have the same specs as himself! I can't afford but maybe one peice of his rig!

and slaymate like vio said just 2 or 3 posts up this is not going to be a hardcore gaming rig but w/ the upgrades he will see some improvement!