NEWBIE: Needs advice on selecting graphic card
Ricky Romaya
I recently want to upgrade my ol' P100 classic to P4 class PC. I need
advice for buying a new graphics card.
I've decided to get P4 2.4GHz on Gigabyte GA-8IPE100-G (865PE chipset). Now
I need a decent graphic card for my very tight budget. I'm considering a
card with either NVidia FX5200 or MX4000, or ATI 9200SE or 9250. The
highest chipset that my budget can get is FX5200 or ATI 9250. Specifically,
I'm considering these card (largely because availability, listed by
ascending prices):
1. Cardex MX4000 (lowest price)
2. PixelView MX4000 (2nd lowest price)
3. Albatron FX5200 (medium price)
4. Elsa Falcox 925L (ATI 9250) (2nd medium price)
5. PixelView FX5200 (high price)
6. Asus A9200SE (ATI 9200SE) (highest price)
I'm not a very casual gamer (meaning: I hardly play games) but I intend to
do some (light) 3D works (Lightwave 7/8), and medium 2D works (Photoshop).
I want to get the best value for the money.
I've read some not very encouraging reviews on both FX5200 and/or 92x0
chipsets. Should I get MX4000 instead (Cardex has the lowest price, and
PixelView is on the 2nd place) then wait for for another budget boost
(somehow) and aim at higher chipset cards (like NVidia 6x00 or ATI X
series)?
TIA
Dave C.
"Ricky Romaya" <some...@somewhere.com> wrote in message
news:Xns95BD3CCE174C9r...@66.250.146.159...
> Hi,
>
> I recently want to upgrade my ol' P100 classic to P4 class PC. I need
> advice for buying a new graphics card.
>
> I've decided to get P4 2.4GHz on Gigabyte GA-8IPE100-G (865PE chipset).
> Now
> I need a decent graphic card for my very tight budget. I'm considering a
> card with either NVidia FX5200 or MX4000, or ATI 9200SE or 9250. The
> highest chipset that my budget can get is FX5200 or ATI 9250.
> Specifically,
> I'm considering these card (largely because availability, listed by
> ascending prices):
>
OK, you should consider a board with built-in video, like the following:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-157-030&depa=0
The money you save (cheaper motherboard, plus no need to buy a video card)
will allow you to upgrade to
2 X 256MB of RAM, instead of 2 X 128MB
Plus, the Intel Extreme 2 video adapter built into the mainboard will likely
be faster than any of the video cards you were thinking of buying. So you
get faster video, MUCH faster overall system performance (because you've
doubled your RAM), and spend not one penny more than you were planning to.
Oh, the Asrock board I linked to above has an AGP slot so you can even
upgrade video adapter later, if you want to. -Dave
Mac Cool
APOLLO ATI RADEON 9200SE 64MB DDR, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, "Devil Monster 3
Newegg.com $39.50
Both the 5200 and 9200 are better choices than the MX series. If you are
going to do 'any' gaming at all, I would recommend the Radeon 9600Pro
which can be found for ~$110 and is the most bang for the buck you can buy
right now
Here is a guide I often recommend for choosing quality, inexpensive
components:
http://arstechnica.com/guides/buyer/system-guide-200411.ars
They also link to an excellent price search engine that may help you save
a few bucks:
http://arstechnica.dealtime.com/xFS?FN=Motherboards&KW=GA-8IPE100-G&FD=
1717&x=0&y=0
... as you can see, there is quite a range of prices on your choice of
motherboard with Zipzoomfly having the best price.
--
Mac Cool
Phisherman
JAD
Michael Hughes
> Plus, the Intel Extreme 2 video adapter built into the mainboard will
> likely be faster than any of the video cards you were thinking of buying.
I would have to disagree; I once had the misfortune of using a system with
an Intel IGP, and it supported some very odd resolutions, and all of them
at a maximum of 24-bit color, making it unfit even for applications that
involve only 2D rendering -- suffice it to say, gaming performance was so
abysmal that even GLQuake slowed to a crawl with the little 4MB horror.
Intel's legacy of crappy IGPs is still with them, apparently, and, although
I cannot give a first-hand account for what you could expect with the
"Intel Extreme 2" IGP, I wouldn't advise you to have very high
expectations with regards to its performance in games.
Just a quick Googling, in fact, reveals that it is the opinion of many that
the ATi Mobility Radeon 7500 is faster than an Intel Extreme 2 IGP, and
that the closest equivalent would be a PCI GeForce 2 MX 200, which almost
anyone can tell you is a Bad Thing, unless your taste in graphics doesn't
far exceed Heretic 2.
I wouldn't expect *any* integrated graphics processors, short of the
GeForce 4 MX chipset included with some AMD motherboards based on the
nForce chipset, to offer any tolerable performance in games. So then, my
advice is to stay away. Stay far away.
--
Passion is inversely proportional to the amount of real information
available.
- Benford's Law of Controversy
Ruel Smith
> oh no says Ruel
Can't have thoughtful, insightful debate without resorting to childish
behavior, can you?
JAD
x'inux? Everything works with no problems....even the AIW tuners and
video capture?
"Ruel Smith" <No...@NoWhere.com> wrote in message
news:mh%wd.7325$FE....@fe37.usenetserver.com...
Ruel Smith
> what? did you not say you have no problems with ATI / Nvidia via
> x'inux? Everything works with no problems....even the AIW tuners and
> video capture?
My problem isn't related to ATi or nVidia. It's a problem with the
motherboard and Linux, particularly the AGP bus.
JAD
> motherboard and Linux, particularly the AGP bus.
right , on your current configuration...but on your prior 6 years no
problems with nvidia or ATI...at least that's the way i took it. And
well, quite frankly I would expect you shouldn't as All radeons use
the same driver since the 7500. BTW how goes the TV capture and TV
tuner features?
<<<<Hmmm... Been using Linux for 6 years now, and except for the
recent AGP
<problem, I've never experienced such frustration. You must not have
ever
<installed Linux. >>>>>>
<So, I boycott those companies that do
<not write drivers, as best as I can, on both my Windows and my Linux
<system. Nowadays, Intel, nVidia, and ATi are very involved in Linux,
and
<getting an Intel or nForce board to work in Linux is pretty easy >
<I've been using USB mice in Linux for about 2 years now without much
hassle.
<I even use a USB keyboard. It would be nice to use the extra buttons
<without all the hassle of hacking the XF86Config file. The media
buttons on
<my MS Natural Keyboard Pro can be programmed under Gnome, but not
KDE.
<Again, there's still work to be done.>
Here's a good instance of the warped mind of the x'inux project
engineer. Lets make a ton of P2P piracy software and DVD
ripper/copyright hacks instead of fine tuning the obvious.
6 years? do you know how long x'inux has been yacking about USB
support. And still you say today, I EVEN!! 'without to much hassle"
wish I had the "entertainment keys functioning". Ridiculous.
I don't write code, I wish I had the head for that. I wouldn't be
wasting my time on such stupid dead end things as rippers etc.. It
would be nice to have an open source system that could integrate with
main stream. However by the very nature of the beast, the main stream
is complicated intentionally, so its not easily integrated by anything
that isn't finger printed and approved. Linux could have/may still
save us from this is some way. As long as the intention is to be a
nuisance and is run/influenced by small minded unscrupulous people its
never gonna make it.
RS I am not knocking your knowledge of Linux, I wouldn't have bothered
addressing you if I didn't think you knew what your doing. But stop
making things out to be more than they are, by talking about the
"ideal linux of the future' like its here now.
It damn well should be after all this time.
"Ruel Smith" <No...@NoWhere.com> wrote in message
news:PM%wd.7333$FE....@fe37.usenetserver.com...
Ruel Smith
>> My problem isn't related to ATi or nVidia. It's a problem with the
>> motherboard and Linux, particularly the AGP bus.
>
>
> right , on your current configuration...but on your prior 6 years no
> problems with nvidia or ATI...at least that's the way i took it. And
> well, quite frankly I would expect you shouldn't as All radeons use
> the same driver since the 7500. BTW how goes the TV capture and TV
> tuner features?
Well, I only started using ATi drivers recently, as I've always used nVidia
cards. The ATi card isn't even mine, but a loaner to see if I could get the
video thing working with something non-nVidia. I've always used nVidia
cards/drivers in the past and had no problem with them.
> Here's a good instance of the warped mind of the x'inux project
> engineer. Lets make a ton of P2P piracy software and DVD
> ripper/copyright hacks instead of fine tuning the obvious.
What does someone writing P2P software have to do with developing for the
Linux OS itself? So, if I had absolutely no problems with my Linux setup,
and I was a developer, should my time and effort go into writing something
to solve all of Linux's problems? Why couldn't I spend it writing something
else? If your logic held true, then shareware programmers should
concentrate their efforts on writing software to stop
trojan/virus/malware/spyware/adware/worm/DOS attacks on Windows PCs.
> 6 years? do you know how long x'inux has been yacking about USB
> support. And still you say today, I EVEN!! 'without to much hassle"
> wish I had the "entertainment keys functioning". Ridiculous.
No, it's not rediculous, as I can run Gnome and they work. I just don't have
them in KDE.
> I don't write code, I wish I had the head for that. I wouldn't be
> wasting my time on such stupid dead end things as rippers etc.. It
> would be nice to have an open source system that could integrate with
> main stream. However by the very nature of the beast, the main stream
> is complicated intentionally, so its not easily integrated by anything
> that isn't finger printed and approved. Linux could have/may still
> save us from this is some way. As long as the intention is to be a
> nuisance and is run/influenced by small minded unscrupulous people its
> never gonna make it.
That's YOUR opinion, and apparently, very few agree with you as there are
loads of open source and shareware projects out there.
Linux has succeeded at many of its goals. I could care less if you ever used
it. You can keep on using Windows. Hell, I still use Windows quite a bit.
But, I also enjoy Linux.
> RS I am not knocking your knowledge of Linux, I wouldn't have bothered
> addressing you if I didn't think you knew what your doing. But stop
> making things out to be more than they are, by talking about the
> "ideal linux of the future' like its here now.
>
> It damn well should be after all this time.
Where did I make things out to be more than they are? Honestly, you couldn't
see the good in Linux if you tried. You don't like it, and that's that.
There's no convincing you otherwise. Linux could be to the point where it
leaves Windows in the dust and you'd still sit there and argue otherwise.
Nothing is ideal. Linux is constantly evolving. There are many areas that
Linux needs to catch up to Windows, but many areas Windows needs to catch
up to Linux. Linux, currently, is not perfect. Part of the problem is that
most people want their Linux to be like their Windows. I want it to be
nothing like Windows, but rather with its own style, feel, and panache -
kind of like how the Mac has it own groove.
Linux will be well on its way when more 3rd party OEMs start developing
drivers/software for Linux. It's coming.
JAD
for the
> Linux OS itself? So, if I had absolutely no problems with my Linux
setup,
> and I was a developer, should my time and effort go into writing
something
something
wasted R&D - priorities -
If you have absolutely no problems? The fact is, and you have said,
that it needs to improve, so of course you should be developing a way
of making it useful instead of constantly 'installing' it.
Ruel Smith
> wasted R&D - priorities -
In YOUR opinion.
> If you have absolutely no problems? The fact is, and you have said,
> that it needs to improve, so of course you should be developing a way
> of making it useful instead of constantly 'installing' it.
But, I don't constantly install it. I've reinstalled Mandrake 9.1 only once
because an upgrade to KDE 3.3 went bad and it was accomplished (every
driver and application included) in about an hour and a half.
Like I said, according to your same logic, all those shareware developers
that have all of this unnecessary software available via the many portals
on the web should be concentrating their efforts in stopping all the
virus/worm/trojan/malware/adware/spyware/DOS attacks the Microsoft Windows
users are faced with, as well as the many other problems Windows has.
JAD
active X exploits. That would effect ANY OS that supports it.
So don't support it right? Now we are back to the 'sterile' web that
some want.
BORING!
wasted R&D----not opinion fact how much ripper P2P software do we
need for One OS? Linux is all but dead....took way to long to develop
and there is no actual organization as to which direction it should
go. Linus is an asshole who basiaclly gave up after the kernal was
born.
"Ruel Smith" <No...@NoWhere.com> wrote in message
news:t8hxd.10188$FE....@fe37.usenetserver.com...