hephaestus Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 (edited) I want to upgrade from a gf2mx400 to a fx5200 128. I have xp1600 and 256ddr. Would the 5200 be a good bang-for-buck in my situation? And dont tell me to get ATI, I dont want one. Any suggestion on brand would be appreciated. Edited July 6, 2003 by hephaestus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Maximum Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 Hey, I'm actually upgrading to that same card, from a GF2 as well. From what I've read (and I have read a lot), both PCGAMER, MAXIMUMPC, and a few sites say it is the best cheap card out there. I've recently found it several places online for little more than 50-60 bucks, when its on retail for 100-140. Go for it, I'm getting mine on my birthday at the end of the month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specter Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 I think its a good choice bro. And Id definitely stick to the Nvidia cards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hephaestus Posted July 6, 2003 Author Share Posted July 6, 2003 Yeah, i think its a pretty good choice, and its cheap. But there are so many brands, and each brand has a few different models for each card...lots of flavors out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specter Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 Vision tek is a good one, so is PNY. Some like MSI, but I know some who have had driver issues with them, and Id stay away from gainward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hephaestus Posted July 6, 2003 Author Share Posted July 6, 2003 (edited) I dont think Vision Tek deals with Nvidia chipsets anymore...could be wrong Can't find a cheap PNY...guess you get what you pay for? If I were to buy a cheaper brand, could i not just download the latest nvidia drivers if the drivers provided cause trouble? My current card is Inno3D, so I'm thinking of going with that, or eVGA. Edited July 6, 2003 by hephaestus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruin Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 Get a 9500Pro *pushes buttons* I've been happy.. But anyway, I'm assuming you've done your shopping as far as prices go? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 Leatek is always a good choice. A step up from a 5200 would be an FX 5600 256... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hephaestus Posted July 6, 2003 Author Share Posted July 6, 2003 Get a 9500Pro *pushes buttons* I've been happy.. But anyway, I'm assuming you've done your shopping as far as prices go? You pitch in $60 towards my 'college fund' and I'll think about it... Yeah, dont really want to spend more than $70 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannik Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 You get what you pay for. The FX 5200 is cheap for a reason. It's not really a leap ahead of your GF2MX, despite the marketing. Spend the $20 more, and get yourself the next step up (whatever that is for your budget)... it WILL be worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specter Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 Take a look at the ti4200 and 4600. I understand they are fairly cheap now, and they will be good for a year or more still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Ranger Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 As you can see Heph, we all have our personal opinions. So let me throw my two cents into the mix: First off, I have been a huge nVidia fan since their TNT series debuted. I have personally owned a TNT2 and a GF4. Currently, my primary rig has an ATI card installed. IMHO, nVidia went wrong with the release of the FX cards. Price vs. performance just aren't that great. And the FlowFX cooling system wasn't that brilliant either. I already have a freight train Volcano 9 - why do I want another one competing for attention? Again, I'm not bashing nVidia here, just not understanding the whole "cinematic graphics evolution" push. Look at most un-biased benchmarking, and you'll see ATI head to head, and in many cases, exceed the FX Series. My point is, just get what you can afford, but I'd look at a GeForce4 Ti4200 128MB over a 5200FX. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hephaestus Posted July 6, 2003 Author Share Posted July 6, 2003 I've been eyeing the gf4 TI's for over a year, and I know they are performers, I just wasnt sure how the fx cards stacked up against them. And price is always an issue with me...I'm really tight. I have to be if I want to eat during next two semesters. I'm not totatlly disappointed with my current card, but when things hit the fan, all I get is chop. For example, the M16 vs Ak games we've been playing-- i'll have to stop playing for over a minute waiting for the chop to quit. Next year, after I graduate, I'm planning on building myself a desktop, and I want a card that will last at least another year. So looks like I'll look around for a TI. I hear Commanche 4 runs wild on those Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RooK Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 Comanche 4 runs fine, full detail, on my 8500 128mb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 Take a look at the ti4200 and 4600. I understand they are fairly cheap now, and they will be good for a year or more still. My Ti4400 has problems when the battles start raging in C&C. I dont even want to think of what it'll be like in a year/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hephaestus Posted July 6, 2003 Author Share Posted July 6, 2003 Comanche 4 runs fine, full detail, on my 8500 128mb. yeah, runs fine on my gf2...but i'm lookin for more than fine Thanks for the input though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NurFACE Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 You want to consider the Geforce FX5600 256MB DDR DVI TV-OUT AGP8X. Gainward FX PowerPack! Ultra/780 has a review in June MaxiumPC magazine so far that may be a winner. http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?...efer=pricewatch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specter Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 I have seen alot of issue with the Gainward, with drivers, and XP install issues. Especially when trying to use Nvidia's drivers, and not Gainward's. Not by everyone mind you, but enough for me mot to recommend the Gainward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Ranger Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 I would agree with RooK, regarding the 8500 128MB. It, and the 4200 are similar, but I didn't mention it, Heph, because I wanted to abide by your wishes... As for brands, I am very impressed with PNY's Ti4200. Extremely stable, and a great overclocker too... ASUS and Abit also make excellent cards. MSI is not bad, but I have heard too many negative stories about MSI products to test my luck. P.S. If you want a Top-of-the-Line card, go with ATI - hands down. Good Luck Heph, and let us know what you decide... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hephaestus Posted July 6, 2003 Author Share Posted July 6, 2003 OK, I found a Leadtek ti4200 128ddr 8xagp for $107...closer to my price range than most. Does an 8x card require an 8x mb, or can I use it with my 4xagp board? I know 8x isnt a major feature to consider, but I'm just thinking it might help in the long run. Also, realize that a superfast card really wont do me much good with my current pc. I have a K7S5A board, xp1600, and 256ddr. While this system is fairly upgradable, I still dont want to pour too much money into a card, as a cpu and memory upgrade will soon be due. Or I'll just save my money and build a new machine--but, thats a different thread for a later date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stinger Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 (edited) Id be closer to looking at another 256MB of RAM sooner than a new video card...256 is just too small in this day and age. And 8x AGP will work with 4xAGP IIRC. Edited July 6, 2003 by Stinger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteKnight77 Posted July 6, 2003 Share Posted July 6, 2003 VisionTek now makes ATI cards and not nVidia cards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Id be closer to looking at another 256MB of RAM sooner than a new video card...256 is just too small in this day and age. And 8x AGP will work with 4xAGP IIRC. Yes, 512 Megs of RAM seems to be the standard now-a days. Of course theres about four main types of RAM that are in use, and Id suggest you use anything over PC2100. And an 8x AGP card needs to have at least a 4x and/or a 2x option for it to work with a mobo that doesnt have an 8x slot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specter Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 (edited) I just axed VisionTek off my list. Damn. Oh well. The AGP8x cards will work with 2 or 4x. Also, 8x doesnt provide much of a performance gain, not enough to worry about. It has even had some compatability problems. Also, the RAM upgrade would be a major improvement for you. 512 is a good number. Edited July 7, 2003 by phantom110565 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hephaestus Posted July 7, 2003 Author Share Posted July 7, 2003 (edited) I may buy a stick of 512 and take out one of my 128s...640 sounds like a good number. Does the ram have to match or can i mix it: 128 of pc2100 (1) 512 of pc2400 (2) ? My board only supports up to 266MHz...looks like pc2100 is the limit. Edited July 7, 2003 by hephaestus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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