Non-gaming DVI/AGP card for 17" LCD : MX440 or ATI 9200?

[srps]

I need a DVI/AGP card for 17" LCD (1703fp) that I just bought. The machine is DELL 400SC with 2.4C P4 +1GB RAM. I do browsing office/DataBase apps, some photo and video stuff. No gaming.

I want good image quality, text sharpness, quick and snappy screen rendition. I prefer to run quiet, so no fan. Card needs to run stable and be good at DVI. Budget is around $60.

I'm considering Albatron MX440 128MB for $47 & Sapphire ATI 9200 64MB for $57

Which one do you recommend? Any other suggestions?

Next step up seems to be this Sapphire ATI 9600 128MB for $95. Would I see any significant improvement with this card for what I do?

Thanks in advance.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

The 9600 wouldn't help you at all here. If you want no-holds-barred 2D quality at that pricepoint, get a Matrox G450 with the DVI cable upgrade - or a used Quadro4 from the FS/T forums, again you'd need to score the DVI cable upgrade.

But from what you've listed, I'd go with the 9200.

- M4H

 

[Jeff7181]

Matrox

 

[srps]

Thank you M4H & Jeff:

I came across this G450 AGP/DVI 16MB for $35 shipped.

http://www.ictcompany.com/ver1/productinf_est.asp?idsr=791&Item=MG45MDVA16D

Do you think the performance and image/text quality will be affected in any way by lesser 16MB memory on this card?

I will be using only one monitor. I will be running at 1280x1024 as it is 17" LCD's native resolution.

Thanks again.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: srps
Thank you M4H & Jeff:

I came across this G450 AGP/DVI 16MB for $35 shipped.

http://www.ictcompany.com/ver1/productinf_est.asp?idsr=791&Item=MG45MDVA16D

Do you think the performance and image/text quality will be affected in any way by lesser 16MB memory on this card?

I will be using only one monitor. I will be running at 1280x1024 as it is 17" LCD's native resolution.

Thanks again.

The amount of video memory means virtually nothing to overall IQ (Image Quality) and 16MB is plenty to support that resolution. Matrox is excellent for 2D - you won't be disappointed.

- M4H

 

[srps]

Thanks M4H. I will go with this G450 16MB card, and see how it does.

 

[McArra]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire

Originally posted by: srps
Thank you M4H & Jeff:

I came across this G450 AGP/DVI 16MB for $35 shipped.

http://www.ictcompany.com/ver1/productinf_est.asp?idsr=791&Item=MG45MDVA16D

Do you think the performance and image/text quality will be affected in any way by lesser 16MB memory on this card?

I will be using only one monitor. I will be running at 1280x1024 as it is 17" LCD's native resolution.

Thanks again.

The amount of video memory means virtually nothing to overall IQ (Image Quality) and 16MB is plenty to support that resolution. Matrox is excellent for 2D - you won't be disappointed.

- M4H

Very true

 

[SilverTrine]

That one day you want to run some 3d app you'll probably regret the decision, should have gone with the 9200.

 

[Peter]

I've gone for a 64-MByte 9200SE card (the one from ECS, for it having DVI-I, VGA and SVideo outputs). It came for 45 euros, and included a DVI-VGA dongle as well as an SVideo-RCA pigtail. The halved RAM bandwidth from a plain 9200 is irrelevant for 2D work, it being fanless and low-profile is handy, particular for small, poorly ventilated systems.

Around $75 buys you the next step up, a 9600SE.

 

[srps]

Just curious, what 3D apps are out there other than games, which I don't do anyway?

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: srps
Just curious, what 3D apps are out there other than games, which I don't do anyway?

CAD/CAM programs, eg: Maya, rendering (Studio Max), AutoCAD ...

- M4H

 

[GringoAudio]

Hey there! I too am considering a Radeon 9200-based card for non-gaming applications. I use Solidworks at work and we are being given access to licenses for limited home use. I am looking for a card which does Open/GL but also has some home/minor gaming capabilities. The newer ATI cards (9500 and up)do NOT pass Solidworks testing although the 9000 does and hence the 9200 does too. Solidworks explained why the higher performance ATI cards do not work but I do not understand the explanation. The e-mail thread follows:

Hello Greg,
re: 9200
While it did pass our tests, "Certified" is far more desirable than
"tested" - in the case of Certified, the video card vendor works with us
to ensure the card remains a good SolidWorks performer. Tested just
happens to pass in the current set of automated/non automated test.


Regards,

Adam Perry
Info@solidworks.com
SolidWorks Corp.

"SolidWorks: The Standard in 3D"


-----Original Message-----
From: SolidWorks Internet Information
Sent: March 08, 2004 2:14 PM
To: Adam Perry
Subject: FW: Videocard compatibility: is your list current?



-----Original Message-----
From: Greg Olsen [mailto:GregOlsen@smarttech.com]
Posted At: Monday, March 08, 2004 1:53 PM
Posted To: Internet Information
Conversation: Videocard compatibility: is your list current?
Subject: RE: Videocard compatibility: is your list current?


Dear Adam:
What about the ATI Radeon 9200? It looks like an upgrade of the 9000 and
9000 Pro which DO pass for Solidworks use.
Thanks again.

Hello Greg,

The 9700, as well as the 9500, 9600 and 9800 are all games cards and ATI
doesn't support these with professional applications. You may have heard
this one before. But with these cards, ATI has disabled a feature, the
ability to render OpenGL and GDI to the window at the same time. Without
that feature, when we highlight a selected object with OpenGL any
previous GDI rendering will be overwritten. We have talked to ATI and
they are not planning to change. Therefore we haven't added the card to
the pages. I know it would be reasonable to add the card and mark it
failed, but the expectation then would be that there would be a fix for
it at some time in the future.

Regards,

Adam Perry
Info@solidworks.com
SolidWorks Corp.


So after this lengthy read can anyone tell me if the 9200 plays current games okay and if it does Open/GL CAD apps too. Any other suggestions for a comprimise card?
Greg

 

[JonnyBlaze]

i have good luck with my 9800pro and 3d apps but most people reccommend to stay away from ati for real 3d apps. if your getting a cheap card, you should go with a geforce4 4200 or better. you can pick up a qudro4 550 for ~$100 and that would give you good support for solidworks and still play games.

JBlaze