I'm surprised p3 550mhz doesn't limmit you to older games.
It does limit me in games depending on how much the game utilizes the video card rather than the processor.

A game like SOF2 looks like it can take advantage of the video card and run decently despite the slow speed of my p3 maybe because it uses OpenGL + D3D

I tried NFS Hot Pursuit 2 (DX8 game) with the new video card and it looks like it relies on processor more because I had to lower detail to get more speed

I am well aware how outdated my system is now with an IBM 686212U workstation mobo with AGP 2x slot, 100FSB, and SD-Ram. I intend to upgrade to a modern faster system when I get enough money right now Im pretty low on the funds. Probably AMD A64 with new mobo with AGP8x + PCI-E