Help, should I buy ATI Radeon VE vs Leadtek Geforce2 or some other Geforce2?

[flight23]

Whats better, Radeon VE or Leadtek Geforce2 MX on newegg? Im only looking at the sub-$100 Leadteks

 

[duragezic]

Oh you're looking at the GF2 MX. When I seen GF2 I was like damn the GF2 runs circles around the VE. Actually the MX beats it too. A better comparison would be the Radeon LE vs. a GF2 MX and in that case I'd chose the Radeon then enable hyper-z and overclock it. Excellent value.

The Radeon VE is really slow and is only needed if you want dualhead.

 

[Quickfingerz]

Yeah, and if you want good dual head, then you'd have to go for a Matrox G450. Do you get as many features when you use two video cards as when you use a Matrox G4XX series card?

 

[Noriaki]

Ugh...the VE was a joke.
Don't confuse the VE with the LE.

The VE has only 1 rendering pipeline and no T&L. It's very weak 3D performance (the LE on the other hand is just an underclocked regular Radeon, with a few features "soft" disabled).

The VE is a POS...a GF2MX is definately a better choice for gaming.

 

[flight23]

Wait, so is the regular Radeon PCI better than the LE and VE?

Also, whats the difference between all the different brands making the Geforce2?

So here are the choices:
ATI Radeon 32MB PCI from staples for $45 after PM, coupon & rebate
ATI Radeon 32MB DDR 4X AGP Video Card - LE $69
Matrox G450 32MB DDR 4X AGP Video Card for $88
MSI StarForce 817, GeForce 2 MX, 32MB SDR RAM $75
MSI StarForce 818, GeForce 2 MX, 32MB SDR RAM $80
MSI Geforce 2 MX-400 (NV11 PRO), 64MB, SDRAM, W/TV-Out. 4X/2X AGP. MS-8826. Retail Box. $90
Gigabyte Geforce 2 MX 32MB SDRAM with TV Out 4X AGP $76
CardExpert GeForce2 MX 400 64MB SDRAM AGP $78
CardExpert GeForce2 MX 200 32MB SDRAM AGP $54
Evga Geforce2 MX400 64MB $75
Guillemot Hercules 3D Prophet 4500 Kyro II 4500 64MB No TV OUT SDRAM $108
Leadtek WinFast GeForce2 MX 32MB SDRAM 4X AGP Video Card $75
Leadtek winfast GeForce2 MX SH PRO 32MB SDR AGP with TV out.4X AGP $84
Leadtek WinFast GeForce2 MX DH Pro 32MB 5ns SDRAM 4X AGP Video Card $96
Leadtek WinFast GeForce2 MX SH MAX, 64MB 6ns SDRAM 4X AGP Video Card $103

Any of these that I should totally not consider? Whats the best deal? I dont play games all that often, but I do occasionally. As for 2D speed I figure basically everything is fast enough now. Ill be running a self built AMD 1.2Ghz, Epox 8k7a, 256ddr, 60gb, dvd, 12x burner, 8xburner, sb live, fps2000 speakers, antec sx830 case, 19" trinitron

 

[Bumboy]

DONT GET RADEON! its ATI's last hope of trying to earn money to survive and it still sucks

 

[flight23]

HEEEELLLLLLLLLP

 

[Caiwyn]

The deal with different "brands" of GeForce 2 cards is simple. The GeForce 2 is merely a chipset on which the video cards are based. Creative Labs, Guillemot, LeadTek, and other manufacturers make the cards that are based on the GeForce 2 chipset, which is made by nVidia. The differences in those cards are few and far between... Different manufacturers use different fans and heatsinks, and even then, usually the only differences are certain external features. I'm sure someone else could explain better than I what those external features might be.

As for the battle between the ATI Radeon and the GeForce 2, I would say the GeForce 2 is probably a more powerful card, from what I can tell from the AnandTech articles and benchmarks.

Be aware, there are several types of GeForce 2 cards. In order of how powerful they are (from least to most powerful), there's the GeForce 2 MX, the regular GeForce 2 (also known as the Geforce 2 GTS), the GeForce 2 Pro, and the GeForce 2 Ultra.

Most of these only differ in the amount and type of video memory integrated onto the card, but the GeForce 2 Ultra does in fact have a faster processor (in fact, it's really just an overclocked Geforce 2 GTS).

If it's advice you want, I personally would tell you to go for one of the GeForce 2 line of cards. I just picked up a Creative Labs Annihilator 2 Ultra (a GeForce 2 Ultra card), myself. It's not just a performance issue - nVidia's drivers are first-rate, and you can usually get one for a good price (especially now that the GeForce 3 cards are out). On the other hand, ATI has been known to make good cards, and has had pretty good product support in the past.

I'm sorry I don't know more about ATI's Radeon cards... I'm afraid someone else will have to help you on that.

 

[Sidetracker]

Thanks for that explanation Caiwyn! I'm looking for a video card too and have been very confused about all the choices there are out there. You made it a lot more understandable now. I wish someone had a guide to video cards similar to what you covered but expaining all the cards (geforce,kyro,radeon,etc...).

 

[goul]

So how is the Kyro II?

Its in his price range but I havent seen anyone commenting on it so far

whats the deal?

 

[bulldawg]

My experience with the VE will be my last ATI purchase. That thing sux!!!!!

 

[flight23]

bump.. someone please look at the list of options i put up

 

[duragezic]

Alright forget the VE. It's really slow and is only good if you need dualhead.

Check out the Radeon LE from Newegg. I believe they have a refurbished one under $60 and when you do a couple tweaks on it, it is effectively a Radeon 32 DDR and better than a MX.