I need a replacement for my GeForce 2 Pro

[PepperBreath]

Long story short, my GeForce 2 Pro decided not to work anymore. As I only have an Athlon 1.333Ghz I'm a little confused as to how I should replace the GF2 Pro.

I could get a Radeon 8500LE 128mb or a GF3 Ti 200 for ~$100 dollars -OR- I could splurg and get a GeForce 4 Ti 4200 128MB for ~$150.

The second option is appealing but I know a 8500LE or GF3 Ti 200 would be a better match for my CPU. Basically, I'm very conflicted as to how to replace my card. Any advice?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Dragon365]

As long as you have ddr, 1.33ghz should be plenty to get enough power out of that TI4200, but spend a little more and get a 128mb version so you can play Doom III (it has 80mb of textures)!

 

[MithShrike]

I'd go with a 128 MB Radeon 9000 Pro. The thing doesn't perform as well as an 8500 but it does have some good features from the 9700 and is pretty cheap. Well, there's my say.

 

[BFG10K]

Spend as much as you can afford on a new video card because when you upgrade your CPU later your system will scale nicely with it. If you have $150 to spend, get the Ti4200.

 

[PepperBreath]

You guys think I should get the GF4 Ti 4200?

Basically my choice is this: Do a major GPU upgrade *now*(GF4) and only upgrade my CPU next year or get a cheap stopgap card(8500/GF3 Ti200) to hold me over until next year when I can upgrade both the CPU and the GPU.

And, if I go with the cheap stopgap solution which one should I get, the 8500 or a GF3.

I'm very indecisive. I *can* spend $150 if the GF4 is the way to go. Would you also recommend waiting a few weeks in case the price drops due to the 9700? I was playing Morrowind when my GF2 quit but I can hold off on that for another month if the prices are better.

 

[CubicZirconia]

Would you also recommend waiting a few weeks in case the price drops due to the 9700?

I would. When ATI really starts to roll out the new cards the gf4 line should drop in price dramatically.

 

[AnAndAustin]

You can wait, but GF4TI4200 cards are unlikely to drop much lower than they are now, and since they easily reach 4400 or 4600 speeds they really are a bargain. 128MB on any new card you buy really is a must. If GF3TI200 and Rad8500LE are priced very close then the Rad8500/LE offer slightly better 3D perf (even when GF3TI200 is o/c'ed), better TVout and much better '2D' image quality, the GF3 cards offer far better AA perf though. I would suggest you either get a Rad8500LE (MUCH better than a Rad9000pro, the Rad9700 features make NO diff) or get a GF4TI4200-128MB, which will sell on much better in 6-12months time AND also give fantastic perf, a great all-rounder PLUS it gets a very nice boost from faster CPUs. IMHO get the 4200-128MB, pref a 'Suma 4200 Special Edition' or 'Asus 4200 Deluxe' which both use 128MB 3.3ns BGA RAM and the 4400 design, come with higher standard clocks and o/c to GF4TI4600 speeds (or better).

 

[PepperBreath]

I don't know if I want to spend ~190+ on a GF4 which is what that Asus is going for on pricewatch.

I was considering a Jaton, Chaintech, or Albatron which can be had for around $150 on pricewatch. They are GF4 Ti 4200 cards with 128MB of ram. Would you know which one is the better brand? I was under the impression that between GeForce cards, there isn't much difference.

 

[Athlon4all]

Your CPU is fine for the GF4/R8500. its all about how much you want to spend. For $100, a R8500LE beats everything else for the Price, for $150-170, certainly a GF4 Ti 4200. Personally, I'd try to decide if u are going to want to spend $200-250 on a Radeon 9500 once it comes out later this year (it's the "Ti 4200" version of the Radeon 9700), and if u are going to, then stick with a 8500LE, if u don't think you will be wanting the R9500, then just go ahead and get the Ti 4200 now, its a fine card.

 

[AnAndAustin]

PepperBreath, unless you can confirm that a particular 4200-128MB uses 3.6ns instead of the usual 4.0ns there is virtually no diff in brand at all. If the cost is small then I would personally prefer a well-known brand, if '2D' image quality is a big priority then I would lean towards Leadtek or Gainward. But perf and o/c is tiny between 4200 cards using the same memory. Do get a 128MB version, you will regret saving that $20 down the road. If you can afford $190ish for the Asus 4200 Deluxe (3.3ns BGA) then do consider that it is better than most GF4TI4400 cards, has guaranteed defaults of 260/550 and o/c's to around 300/640, which is GF4TI4600 speeds AND perf!

 

[PepperBreath]

Austin and others, thanks for your help!

I think I'll go with a 8500LE 64mb for now. I should be fine with a 64mb part since I'll probably replace it next year anyway. AnAndAustin, you seem very knowledgeable about cards. Would you say that the 8500LE will take a dramatic drop in price next month or will the drop be negligible?

Would this be a good deal?

 

[AnAndAustin]

I would say the drop will be very small, if the card isn't discontinued. With the Rad9000 cards being named as they are, it doesn't make much sense for ATI to produce the superior Rad8500 cards, Rad9000 cards are much cheaper to produce. If you are in the market for a Rad8500 (or LE) then IMHO snatch one up now, 128MB if it doesn't cost much extra, any 64MB cards will be very difficult to sell on, much like selling on a 32MB card is now. Plus games due out over the next 6-12months will all benefit from the additonal RAM.

The link looks very good, it seems it is a true ATI Rad8500 (non-LE), it is oem (prob lower clocks and slightly cheaper RAM), but that isn't really overly significant, of course 128MB would be nicer and it does only have 1 RAMDAC (can't display two signals at once). So long as it has the connection you need (pic shows DVI, CRT and TVout), bear in mind it may only have DVI and TVout, DVI-to-CRT adds $5.50 to the price, and I believe you can be limited in resolutions with one. Still it will give excellent perf and image quality and is great for $90.

Everybody loves NewEgg, I would advise checking them out before you buy.

 

[PepperBreath]

Actually I did check out newegg. They have a Radeon 8500LE for $87 which seems nice but clicking on the chipset info, it seems that it's only clocked at 250/230.

link

 

[XBoxLPU]

Originally posted by: AnAndAustin
IMHO get the 4200-128MB, pref a 'Suma 4200 Special Edition' or 'Asus 4200 Deluxe' which both use 128MB 3.3ns BGA RAM and the 4400 design, come with higher standard clocks and o/c to GF4TI4600 speeds (or better).

And where can you get these cards in the USA ?

 

[AnAndAustin]

From what I hear (and bearing in mind I'm in the UK) the Asus 4200 Deluxe is widely available (newegg IIRC), the Suma 4200 SE is for the Eastern market I believe, and they don't answer emails.

 

[sep]

PepperBreath,

I recommend getting the GT20 (128MB). Newegg has this for $158 shipped. It's the normal 128MB 4.0ns 4200 board that will do just fine for your processor and future upgrade. If you have an extra $32 you can add to the $158 and get the ASUS Deluxe for one great overclocking card plus.


I do have to agree that 64MB video cards will be hurting once the newer games come out. I hope my G2Pro last until I can afford an upgrade.

Either way good luck and happy game
-JC

 

[XBoxLPU]

Originally posted by: AnAndAustin
From what I hear (and bearing in mind I'm in the UK) the Asus 4200 Deluxe is widely available (newegg IIRC), the Suma 4200 SE is for the Eastern market I believe, and they don't answer emails.

The newegg card is not a deluxe version .. at least looking at the pictures ..

 

[AnAndAustin]

If you are on a very tight budget then GF3TI200 and Rad8500LE cards are great for their money, although each card does have limitations. The cheapest 4200 on NewEgg is a 64MB version which is a bargain for $133, although I can't confirm it uses 3.6ns Samsung/Hynix RAM which is usual for 4200-64 and allows 300/620 type speeds. Of course the cheapest 4200-128MB is $158, even with 4.0ns RAM and a likely o/c of 'just' 300/550 it should still smoke the 4200-64 in most games, certainly newer games. The Gainward 128MB is worth the extra $7 (at $165) as they well known for excellent image and build quality, not that 4200 cards are known to vary much. Surely the ASUS V8420 GeTI4200 128M must be the Dluxe version since it's priced at $203... although it sure doesn't look like it (the 4200 Deluxe uses a longer design like 4400/4600 cards). Hmmm, even pricwatch doesn'y show any matches for 'Asus 4200 deluxe', 'Asus 4200 3.3' or 'Asus 4200 BGA' ... I haven't trawled through the whole list for 'Asus 4200' though. Be happy with a standard 4200, but do look for an enhanced version if it doesn't cost a whole lot more.

If you're in the UK however ... Komplett (very good store)

£187 inc VAT ... nice.