So I decided to go CPU upgrade route and I got a MSI AMD2 board with AGP slot, 2 G of RAM and switched to AMD 64X2 chip. Installed the board and everything looks great. Runs without lag and zones load in a snap.
Problem is my card is completely unstable. Keep getting loop errors, render failed messages, etc. I have done all the tests that have been recommended and still cannot get the thing stable...UGH