Civ4 video cards and AGP 2.0 compatibility question

[illram]

First off, thanks to all the people on here who have posted some great and helpful info about civ 4. The internet is truly a wonderful thing. I am not the most knowledgable computer person so I was hoping to run some questions by you guys, and thanks in advance for any info.

OK, so, I've been doing some research into getting a new video card so I can play Civ 4 with some more bells and whistles on my PC, and I've pretty much narrowed my search down to the GeForce 6600 line. However, I am a bit confused as to the compatibility of the higher end cards with my motherboard. My basic specs are:

Dell Dimenson
p4 2Ghz
1GB RAM
Intel Motherboard, AGP 2.0 2x/4x (last BIOS update was 2002, I am frankly a bit scared of updating my BIOS, heard some nasty tales)
AMI BIOS
I am not really sure about my power source, EVEREST doesn't tell me what it is and I don't want to open my PC to look at it if I don't have to.

So I have two questions:
1) if I purchase, say, the 6600GT (4x/8x)will it work with my 2x/4x motherboard? I'm a little confused as to what the difference is between a AGP 2.0 "slot" and an AGP 3.0 compliant board. (The card lists both as requirements.) I think I have an AGP 2.0 so I am guessing the GT just isn't compatible with mine.

2) The 6600 says it works on 2.0 boards, but I've heard it's not as fast as the GT. Will I notice a significant difference with Civ 4 if I go with the 6600 as opposed to the 6600GT? All I really use the gfx cards for is Civ 4 and video game emulators such as Project 64.

3) If I am off base here with my video card search and anyone knows of a good card which will run civ 4 well (and work with Vista in the future) let me know.

Thanks for any info!

 

[illram]

Update: I am pretty sure my power supply is 250w after checking the specs for my old dell on their website. (I purchased it in 2003 I believe, so it's kind of old in computer land). If I plug in a card that needs 350 or 300w am I commiting computer suicide?

 

[Zanmato]

The difference is AGP versions is the power they supply through the port. Also, different AGP ports are shaped differently to prevent incorrect card being installed. In all honestly if you're looking at the long term then look at getting a new PCI-e system as AGP is now a dying breed.

AGP 2.0, 1.5 Volts 1X at 267MB/s, 2X at 533MB/s, 4X at 1067MB/s.
NVIDIA GeForce 6600 Universal 1.5V AGP 3.0 Card.

Look here for a card list and the AGP slots it will work with: http://www.playtool.com/pages/agpcompat/agp.html

Look here for power supply: http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp.

There would be little difference in the GT versions of the cards. They are slightly faster but for the difference in price I honestly do not think you would notice much difference in performance unless you were working with high-end 3D packages and/or video editing. You might actually have problems running a GT version on your board anyway. GT versions need AGP 8x.

250w for a power supply is pretty woeful these days. If you are going up to a 6600 I would recommend at least 300w, recommend 350w PSU as it is what I am currently running and I have no problems. In addition, the 6600 cards and a few others around this benchmark need it's own power supply taken directly from the PSU. There is also the potential issue of heat, so make sure your rig is up taking it on.

 

[illram]

Thanks for the info Zanmato. That outervision website is fantastic; I think I'm going to with the leadtek 6600. From reading the forums here it seems that card works well with Civ 4. (Maybe when I get some free time I'll even have a chance to play the damned game!)