GF4MX 420 question

[DevilsAdvocate]

I realize that this is a pretty low end card, but does it support DX 8.1 in hardware? Thanks!

 

[Rand]

Originally posted by: DevilsAdvocate
I realize that this is a pretty low end card, but does it support DX 8.1 in hardware? Thanks!

Definitely not. The GF4 MX is little more then a hyped up GF2 MX with an improved memory controller. It supports DX7 features in hardware, as did the classic GF2 core.

To be entirely accurate NO nVidia graphics card offers full compliance with DirectX 8.1, even the latest GF4 is only DX 8.0 compliant.
The differences between DX8.0 and 8.1 are pretty minimal though, the few differences there are are mostly merely more efficient ways of doing what could already be done albeit with a little more work in DX8.
The only fully DX8.1 compliant graphics card remains the R8500, and SiS Xabre series.

 

[novice]

Rand could have gone even farther by noting that the Geforce 4 MX 420 usses SDRAM and has the same memory bandwidth of the Geforce 2 MX. (2.7 gb/sec or less than half of what the Geforce 4 MX 440 offers with its' DDR ram and higher clock and memory speeds). The geforce 4 MX 420 is to be avoided at all costs, since you can easily find a superior performing Geforce 2 Ti with 64 mb of DDR ram and higher clock speed for the same price or less. The MX 440 isn't all that bad, kind of a tweaked Geforce 2 Pro, for the money. A far superior option is the geforce 3 Ti 200 or perhaps a ATI Radeon 8500LE, either of which can be had for around $100 or so.

 

[JEDI]

woah! did not know the gf4 mx420 had sdr ram. that means my radeon 7000 (aka radeon ve) w/ddr beats it? (anyone got a link to performance tests w/the radeon ve?)

 

[JEDI]

no, the gf4 mx420 has ddr mem!

Newegg link

 

[spanky]

why does the gf4 mx420 exists? is it purely a product to rip ppl off via marketing?

 

[JEDI]

well, the gf4 mx420 PCI exists so people like me that have a system (p3-667mhz, 256mb ram) w/o an agp slot can upgrade. i know, spend the $200 and get a new mobo/duron/gf3 ti200.

some walmarts have the gf4 mx420 on clearance for $50. (but not in the va/md area).

i'll try to get some performance #'s compared to the gf2 mx400 (which is basically the same as the Radeon SDR 32mb pci, which is what i have right now).

 

[JEDI]

here's some performance #'s i found. it only lists gf4 mx440, but it's close enuf i guess.

geez..only geforce3 ti200 or better can break 30 fps at 1024x768x32bit on the Unreal Tournament 2003 test?! the ati 8500 barely passed 20fps?!

Link

arrg..Spend $50 for a gf4 mx420 (if i can find one for that price) or $250 for a new mobo/duron/gf4 ti4200? (i've decided that the gf4 ti4200 is a better bang for the buck than the gf3 ti200.)

 

[JEDI]

arrg!!! the newegg link i listed above had false info. the Gainworld gf4 mx420 says ddr, but when u click on chipset info, it says SDR

so basically the gf4 mx420 is only SLIGHTLY better than a gf2 mx400. and both can be beat by a gf2 pro