nVIDIA GeforceFX 5200

PGNxJose · Jul 1, 2003

I have a 3year old system now and I want to upgrade some things, namely the video card and add some more RAM. I noticed that my motherboard doesn't have an AGP 2.0 slot (at least thats what 3DMark 2001 tells me) so I decided to get a PCI Card.

Now, how big of a difference would there be in a nVIDIA GeforceFX 5200 128MB PCI version and the same card in a AGP version? If you have any information, it would be great.

FYI: Processor = 800Mhz AMD Athlon, 128MB RAM, Current Vid Card = 16MB nVIDIA RIVA TNT 2

Schadenfroh · Jul 1, 2003

i thought that the 1.5 would work in a 3.3 slot its just that a 3.3 would not work in a 1.5, correct me if i am wrong (and im sure you would)

PGNxJose · Jul 1, 2003

Yea dude, you lost me.

PGNxJose · Jul 1, 2003

Which AGP version do I have?

In 3DMark 01/03 it says..

Under Motherboard then under AGP

Revision 1.0
Rate 1x, 2x (2x enabled)
Available Rate 0x00000003
Selected Rate 0x00000002
Aperture Size 128 MB
Sideband Addressing supported (disabled)
Fast Write not supported

Then under Card Slots it says

Slot 1/1 (AGP 4X)
Order 0
Type AGP 4X
Characteristics 5.0V, 3.3V, Shared, CardBus, PME Signal, Hot-Plugs
Data Bus Width 0 b
Details Available, Long
IRQ 0

... So which AGP version do I have?

titanmiller · Jul 1, 2003

I believe he is talking about the voltage provided by your AGP slot.

Pete · Jul 1, 2003

I didn't realize the FX 5200 required AGP 2.0.

As for what your MB has, just look it up on the manufacturer's website using the MB part number.

MercenaryForHire · Jul 2, 2003

A geForce4 MX440 should be more than enough. Use the extra money to buy 256MB of RAM.

- M4H

bandana163 · Jul 2, 2003

The FX couldn't perform really well with PCI speeds. Aftef all, even the GF2MX is cut back when not in an AGP slot.

Richdog · Jul 2, 2003

Dont get a FX5200 thats my best advice, spend a few extra bucks and get something thatll last you longer and wont dissappoint as much. radeon 9600 or even a Ti4200 would be better than that, just read the reviews, the FX5200 sucks. I think youll regret it in a year, especially if youre looking at the card as a longish term upgrade.

Dragontail · Jul 2, 2003

btw, PCI really cripples ur card performance in terms of bandwith as its MUCH slower than ANY AGP card.

Mloot · Jul 2, 2003

The PCI version is quite a bit slower than the AGP card. Every AGP 5200 I have seen has come with 200(400)mhz DDR RAM. Besides being slowed down by the PCI bus, the PNY 5200 PCI comes with 150(300)mhz RAM. That said, though, it's what I currently have in my system.

EDIT: IMO, although the 5200 PCI would be an upgrade from your TNT, I don't think it would be worth the $100 price tag. It looks like your system runs at 2xAGP. If it would work (and I'm pretty sure it would), I would advise you to get something like a BBA Radeon 7500, or so. That should match up well with your CPU, would still be faster than the 5200 PCI, and you could probably find one for about $50 if you look around.

PGNxJose · Jul 2, 2003

Thanks for all the help, everyone...

Some cards say: System requirements - Pentium 4/Celeron/III/II, AMD K6/Athlon or compatible with AGP 2X or AGP 2X/4X universal slot. Others just say AGP 2X/4X. Can I run either or just the 2X-only one?

Also, a ATI RADEON 7500 64MB will outperform a 128MB GeforceFx 5200 PCI?

I'm looking into these three cards I guess..

Geforce4 MX440 64MB - $60 (not even sure if it'll work on 2x)
ATI Radeon 7500 64MB - $50
ATI RADEON 7500 128MB - $70

I'm also going to have 512MB Ram in 3-4 days according to Newegg.

beserkfury15 · Jul 2, 2003

Just try to get an radeon 8500le or a 9100 which should be around that price as well. It performs better than the cards you've listed.

PGNxJose · Jul 2, 2003

Both the 8500LE and 9100 use AGP 2X/4X Universal Bus. I don't think they would work...

MercenaryForHire · Jul 2, 2003

Originally posted by: PGNxJose
Both the 8500LE and 9100 use AGP 2X/4X Universal Bus. I don't think they would work...

One stipulation of the AGP specs is backward-compatibility. Either one of those should run just fine on an AGP2X bus, as well as giving you a little future-proofing.

- M4H

PGNxJose · Jul 2, 2003

So.. if a card has let's say 8X/4X/2X.. I can run it on a 1X/2X slot?

JammingJay · Jul 2, 2003

Originally posted by: PGNxJose
Both the 8500LE and 9100 use AGP 2X/4X Universal Bus. I don't think they would work...

There are PCI versions of the 9100. Visontek makes both 64mb and 128mb versions of it.

PGNxJose · Jul 2, 2003

Yea.. but almost everyone here said that basically.. PCI sucks.

Would you happen to know if a card has let's say 8X/4X/2X AGP .. Can I run it on a 1X/2X slot?

Mloot · Jul 2, 2003

I have to agree with M4H. An 8500LE is probably the best card for your system, plus it doesn't cost alot.

And yes, a 64mb BBA Radeon 7500 will be a bit faster than the 5200 PCI. Even the AIW VE PCI, which is based on the Radeon 7500 core, was faster than the 5200 PCI. Now, the low-profile 7500 PCI would be slower, because it only has a 64-bit memory interface. The BBA AGP 7500's had core/memory speeds of 290/230(460), and many overclocked quite nicely. But be aware that alot of the OEM 7500's (just like with the 8500LE's) can have wildly variable core/memory speeds, so you have to do a little research to be sure what you are getting. I would stay away from any 128mb 7500's. Alot of the ones I have seen either sported SDRAM, or very slow DDR RAM. And that will not have any noticeable performance improvements with the extra memory. There have even been a few reviews that have shown that the Radeon 9000 doesn't benefit with 128mb instead of 64.

IMO, with your system, I would not spend any more than about $70 on a video card, just because it wouldn't be worth it.

PGNxJose · Jul 2, 2003

Thanks for the insight =)

Also, last time.. if anyone knowsif a card has let's say 8X/4X/2X AGP .. Will run on a 1X/2X slot?

Mloot · Jul 2, 2003

I don't know about a 8x AGP card, but take a look at the graph here. If you look about halfway down, it shows the Radeon 8500 and Geforce3 Ti500 as being compatible with 1x/2x/and 4x AGP. So, a Raddy 8500 or any Geforce 3 card should work just peachy in your system and should match up well with your CPU.

rbV5 · Jul 2, 2003

Also, last time.. if anyone knowsif a card has let's say 8X/4X/2X AGP .. Will run on a 1X/2X slot?

No, AGP 1.0 uses 3.3 V signaling.
Since AGP 3.0 uses the same 1.5V keyed connector as AGP 4X, AGP 3.0 motherboards and graphic cards can be designed to be compatible with existing implementations of AGP at 1.5V signaling.

Linked

PGNxJose · Jul 2, 2003

Alright. Many thanks for all your help.. and patience. =)

I decided to get the Geforce3 Ti200 64MB from newegg.com for $70.

lameaway · Jul 2, 2003

An AGP card should work just fine. All the newer cards (newer than r128 and tnt2) are _dual voltage_, and will work in both 1.5v and 3.3v slots. The AGP specs are backwards-compatible too.

EDIT: see http://mirror.ati.com/support/faq/agpchart.html

Mloot · Jul 2, 2003

Originally posted by: PGNxJose
Alright. Many thanks for all your help.. and patience. =)

I decided to get the Geforce3 Ti200 64MB from newegg.com for $70.

Nice choice. It will be a definite step up from your TNT!

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