New video card--, What should I be seeing? Options

[XYZ Factor]

I just upgraded my video card. Went from a 64MB Nvidia MX-440 to a 128MB ATI Radeon 9600XT.

I just played online for the first time with it but am not able to notice any difference. I even increased my settings and so far I noticed nothing...if anything...the colors and textures didn't seem as smooth in the higher settings.

I normally run in 1024x768...all colors 32-bit....all other settings on high (not higher or highest).

Also, if anything my FPS is lower....old card avg is about 90 then drops to 20s and 30s when activity is around me.....new card avg seem to be 70-80 and I didn't notice what it dropped to when activity is around.

I know there is a difference in the cards. I ran 3dMark01 (couldnt get the new versions to run without errors) and got a score of 3917 on Nvidia care and 11418 on the ATI card.

Should I notice a difference? If so, could I get details as to what I should see? Why aren't my FPS increasing in the game...they did in 3dMark?

Also, apart from games, should I see a difference in other proggies like photoshop or fireworks?

Any input, help, or advice would be greatly appreciated.

I AM TRYING TO VALIDATE THE $150 I JUST SPENT

[ScarFace]

Well first of all you WON'T see huge changes in the FPS. If your FPS increase 10 frames then I would say thats outstanding. Also with your current CPU you really dont have the power to take advantage of all your video card's capabilities. Another thing, in order for you to see a CLEAR difference between your NVIDIAS card and your ATI you would need to compare the picture side by side. But from my current knowledge I can give you my word that the ATI can and does produce slightly higher quality picture.