I need some help with motherboards.
 

I've been spending money on my computer to get top performance on 3d applications and yet i STILL get slow down on mohaa and mohaash. I have a geforce fx 5600 with 256 megabytes of ddr ram, 1 gig of ddr ram, lots of space and an intel pentium 4 processor. I have found my problem, i have NO agp settings!!!! the tab for the video settings will not let me adjust agp settings. I looked on the box of my board and it had nothing involving agp 8x or 4x even. It did com with an agp slot for my card, but i don't have a cable for it. Could anyone tell me where i can find a good board that will work with pentium processors and has 8x agp on it?

http://www.tigerdirect.com

DFI Lanboy got excellent reviews, i believe the pentium IV socket is like 190 bucks. It has loads of features, and the new NFII chipset. However I have a few comments and suggestions to make before you go out and buy a new MB.

First, check your bios settings, make sure you have everything set correctly. Read through the MB and BIOS manual to verify proper settings.

2nd... Dump the FX card. I too had the FX 5600 and It has given me nothing but problems. Constant crashes, horrible benchmark scores and, worst of all... MOHAA looked like crap on it. So I went out and I bought an ATI 9800 Pro... If thats a little out of your price range, go to the ATI 9600 or 9700. For the past 3 generations Nvidia has had the lead for graphics cards cards, however ATI's new line makes Nvidia's products look like expensive plastic door stops. Don't believe me? http://www.futuremark.com download 3dmark, and compare and contrast for your self.

3rd.

Make sure your DRAM settings are properly configured on you motherboard. If your not sure what settings they should be at, consult the motherboard manufacturer.

BTW, the most likely reason you cant adjuct your AGP settings is because your motherboard only supports a maximum of 4x AGP. The new cards have an 8x Potential, which requires an 8x AGP slot for maximum performance.

but... like I said...

ATI, and DFI lanboy will put you in good shape.

1st let me state, I love Nvidia but currently run both a 9800 pro and 9700 pro and a Ti4600

Your GF5600 ultra did not get good reviews. So that could be your first bottleneck.

2nd AGP does not come with any types of cables. Your new video card might need some extra juice by way of your power supply but AGP does not have anything to do with any type of cables.

B4 purchasing a new MB check your MB's web site for a upgrade bois. If you still wish to purchase a motherboard, follow the links mentioned by Polemarcus.

Good luck and let us know how you made out. The info could help others.

Hey guys thanks for the suggestions, i've decided i'm gonna keep my video card for the time being. I did however get a new mother board. It's an Albatron 865pe/pe pro, this thing makes my computer WAY faster than it went before on my soyo lite. I'm getting top performance on all of my 3d applications and i'm very pleased. biggrin:

Glad to hear. Good buy by the way...