Questions about Sapphire ATI Radion 3850 AGP

[Dr.Rock]

I'm thinking of upgrading my existing ATI Radion X800 XT graphics card with the 3850, which I understand is the last and most powerful of AGP cards. I'm not a big games player which is why I'm not opting to put costs into acquiring a more up-to-date computer (which I know would be better for games but much more expensive), so game-playing is something I just consider as a bonus than a necessity for me. The reason for upgrading my GPU is to play some of the newer games (for which my X800 doesn't support features such as Pixel Shader 3.0), and those games WILL last me a long time -- I still haven't completed "Far Cry" despite it being installed in my rig for a few years!

Some questions:

Does the 3850 support Pixel Shader 3.0, DirectX-9 and Windows XP? I'm sure it does, but it's not mentioned in the specs. The specs on the websites only mention DirectX-10, which is not relevant for me as that API is only for Vista.

Does this card have input for video capture, and what connections will it take (S-Video, etc)?

And can this card be used for non-HD editing, as the specs only refer to HD editing?

Thanks.

 

[Andy98765]

This link may help you decide Best Gaming Graphics Cards for the Money: AGP Interface : Best Video Cards For The Money: Dec '08

 

[Tkrockeruk]

Yes it supports DirctX 9, and yes you could do non HD video editing.

With regards to video inputs, I believe it only has outputs.

 

[Clunk]

The x*** series were the last cards not to have pixel shader 3.0 (also known as Shader model 3 or SM3.0).
The x1*** series, HD 2*** series and HD 3*** series all support 3.0 so yes you're fine there.

The HD 3850 supports up to SM4.1 in fact, so this is why you won't see 3.0 mentioned in the spec.

 

[thomp256]

Does the 3850 support Pixel Shader 3.0, DirectX-9 and Windows XP?

Yes. Sure does.

Does this card have input for video capture, and what connections will it take (S-Video, etc)?

I would doubt it.

And can this card be used for non-HD editing, as the specs only refer to HD editing?
Thanks.

Yes. It can.