Accelenation see what a high-end GeForce GTX 295 card can do for an AsRock DDR Athlon X2 system that has a single 16x PCIe 1.0a slot. Here's an excerpt:

It is interesting to note that the CPU-bound level changes between the various Crysis settings. In V.High DX10 mode it sits around 33 fps, in V.High DX9 it's 38 fps, and in High DX9 it is more like 47 fps. This demonstrates that CPU loading is different in each mode. Enabling SLI mode reduces these limits further to 32, 36 & 43 respectively. Luckily these are all still above the desirable 30 fps mark.

It is clear that investing in a GTX 295 card is pointless unless playing at the very highest quality settings (unsurprisingly). In Crysis this means Very High mode. In High mode the resolution needs to be pushed beyond 1600x1200 for the 295 card to show any real benefit over its forebear.

On such an old system most situations will be CPU-bound, but this cap can actually help to stabilize the frame-rate and make for a smoother gaming experience. I've now played both Crysis and Warhead through on this platform under V.High DX9 mode at 1600x1200 with 4x MSAA and have been totally happy with the frame rate level and consistency. I even increased distant object detail by settings e_lods = 0, which reduces the CPU-bound performance even further, and was still happy with the performance.

Finally, there's the vexed subject of heat. Although some of the heat produced by a 295 card is exhausted out the rear, most is not. This hot air will cook the inside of a case. In my opinion there is a definite need for an after-market air duct that clips to the side of the card and directs the remaining hot air out of the case. In truth, this graphics card requires serious water-cooling, but it is unlikely that the target audience for this article would contemplate such a system. So in the absence of water-cooling, simply make sure all that hot air is expelled from the case.

So in conclusion, our advice would be to always upgrade the base system first, if possible. But if for whatever reason this is not possible or convenient, then a GeForce GTX 295 card will deliver fantastic visuals at playable frame rates. And when the time comes to upgrade the remaining system, that 295 card will continue to serve you well.