NEED HELP CHOSING A CARD!!!!

[Ben6666]

I don't need a card for 3d games or graphics development, I just need to setup
a machines for application development.

Would a lower-end card such as a GeForce2 MX do the job or am I looking in the wrong direction?

running on:
700 Mhz. PIII
128 MB RAM
w/NT 4.0 Workstation

can anyone recommend a good inexpensive monitor?
17" or 19"

 

[BFG10K]

So you're saying you're not going to be doing any 3D programming at all (ie OpenGL/Direct 3D)? If not you don't even need a 3D accelerator like the MX.

You'll need a video card that has high resolutions and high refresh rates, all the while having good 2D image quality because you'll be looking at source code all day long and you'll want to see as much of it as possible. A Matrox G200 or a V3 3000 (to get the 350 MHz RAMDAC) will be cheap and good choices for you.

 

[rampage2001]

I agree with BFG but its a shame to have a system like that and not have a half way up to date card in there.. maybe your grandson wants to play a gory game of Q3 when he comes over or something. I'd go with a cheap 'ole Geforce MX non twinview. You'll pay a meager $90. Some of these cards have poor 2d above 800x600 according to local legend. I have no problem with mine and the 2d stands strong against my neighbors radeon. The Radeon SDR might be a smarter choice to ensure 2D quality but you'll forsake those precious FPS.

I buy cards by dividing the price of the card by Q3A FPS..

 

[bonkers325]

if your system rocks go with a gts 2
if not geforce 2 mx

cheers,
bonkers325

 

[RoboTECH]

bonkers, he doesn't play games

Ben, grab yourself a Matrox or an older V3-2000 card. They have outstanding 2d, and are reasonably priced.

The best 19" monitor out there for the $$$ is the KDS VS-195e, if you're looking for a 19" monitor with good picture quality @ ~$300

 

[Ben6666]

Robo,

Sorry, I'm new to this...Should I use a PCI or AGP. How do I know if I can use AGP?

Is there a specific model of Matrox I should use?

thanks again

 

[WetWilly]

If you're not playing games, the best value out there is the Matrox G450. The 16MB SDR versions with DualHead can be had for $80-85 plus S&H. SDR won't make any difference if all you're doing is 2D. Some extra speed for 3D can be had by paying ~$20 more for DDR memory. All Matrox G450s are AGP. You'll also get very good TV-out as well. And it's unquestionably the best quality 2D you can find.

 

[Hawk]

What resolutions are you going to run? I say just get an older Matrox with 6-8MB, should be enough, or perhaps a G400/G450, and it doesn't really matter if it's PCI or AGP.

 

[RoboTECH]

agreed