PCI card for old PIII

[opuntia]

I?ll be upgrading my tired old Dell PIII (Win XP Pro, 512 RAM) system real soon (I?ll be building my own system?can?t wait!!), and in anticipation of the upgrade, I recently purchased the Dell 2005FPW during the last recent coupon deal.

The problem arises in that I?m probably 4-6 months away from my new system but my current computer can?t handle the native resolution of the 2005FPW (1680x1050). I?m going to have to purchase a new video card, but I?ll have to buy a PCI interface one. I?m willing to spend a little for the card because I?m going to give my old PC to a family member. The three cards that I?m considering are (based on searches in AnandTech forums):

APOLLO BLOODY MONSTER 3 GEFORCE FX 5700 128 MB (NEWEGG LINK)

CHAINTECH GEFORCE FX5200 256 MB (NEWEGG LINK)

CHAINTECH GEFORCE FX5200 128 MB (NEWEGG LINK)

I realize that none of these cards can display the 1680x1050 reso in DVI, but my current card can?t even display that reso in analog.

To make a long story short, which card to you consider the best, and do you think these should be able to work on my old PIII computer.

Thanks in advance for you help. BTW I can't begin to say how much I've learned alread by reading this forum..it's the best!!

 

[keeleysam]

The 5700...

 

[imported_Kensai]

Welcome to the forums. The FX 5700 will be your best bet for the highest resolution over DVI.

 

[CrispyFried]

5700 is a bit overkill for a PIII. Id go with the 5200 128 meg. Youll just be wasting money on the 5700 as the PIII wont be able to drive the 5700 to max potential in 3d games and 2d performance will be almost identical. They both have the same max resolution.

 

[biostud]

5200 128mb, to save money. Why shouldn't the DVI be able to handle the high resolution?
or get a radeon 9250

from chaintech 5200 homepage:
Support for single-link DVI for compatibility with next-generation flat panel displays with resolutions greater than 1600x1200 without the need for reduced blanking

 

[opuntia]

Originally posted by: biostud
from chaintech 5200 homepage:
Support for single-link DVI for compatibility with next-generation flat panel displays with resolutions greater than 1600x1200 without the need for reduced blanking

That's great, I did look that one up on some other website and I must have read that wrong. I thought that 1600x1200 was the max that these cards could do. That makes my day.

I decided against the radeon 9250 because it doesn't have directx9.

Thanks everybody for your comments...

 

...........

 

[ddogg]

5200 128mb should be good for ur machine...anything more would be a bottleneck for ur card.

 

[opuntia]

I want to thank everybody for responding so quickly to my post. I still haven't made up my mind yet though. I was sold on the 5200, but then I read somewhere that ATI cards have a better DVI output.

 

[biostud]

Originally posted by: opuntia
I want to thank everybody for responding so quickly to my post. I still haven't made up my mind yet though. I was sold on the 5200, but then I read somewhere that ATI cards have a better DVI output.

that's why I sugested the 9250, although it isn't by much. And forget about DX9 on these low end cards. It will run too slow to use the extra features anyway.

 

[opuntia]

Originally posted by: biostud

Originally posted by: opuntia
I want to thank everybody for responding so quickly to my post. I still haven't made up my mind yet though. I was sold on the 5200, but then I read somewhere that ATI cards have a better DVI output.

that's why I sugested the 9250, although it isn't by much. And forget about DX9 on these low end cards. It will run too slow to use the extra features anyway.

ARRGH!!! I should stop reading other posts concerning this same subject...it seems like the 5700 is really the best PCI card (with its 128-bit controller), with the 5200 and the 9250 in a tie for second. Now I'm all confused!!!

However, Circuit City has a 9250 for $59.00 after $40.00 in rebates...that's hard to pass up.

Thanks again everybody.

 

[ddogg]

Originally posted by: biostud

Originally posted by: opuntia
I want to thank everybody for responding so quickly to my post. I still haven't made up my mind yet though. I was sold on the 5200, but then I read somewhere that ATI cards have a better DVI output.

that's why I sugested the 9250, although it isn't by much. And forget about DX9 on these low end cards. It will run too slow to use the extra features anyway.

ya it wont really matter....

 

[gwag]

5700

 

[opuntia]

Originally posted by: gwag
5700

Do you care to elaborate?

 

[keeleysam]

5700, as it has the 128-bit memory controller, and you will be able to use it in the future without headache. The 5200 is a POS, and the price defference isn't signifcant.

 

[opuntia]

Originally posted by: keeleysam
5700, as it has the 128-bit memory controller, and you will be able to use it in the future without headache. The 5200 is a POS, and the price defference isn't signifcant.

It turns out that the Apollo Bloody Monster 5700 that's I mentioned above is a "LE" version, which has a 64-bit memory controller (not 128).

Supposedly, this card, even though it says LE (which is a mistake) it has the 128-bit controller. However, $147 is kind of pricey.

 

[bradyapba]

heres a 128 bit 5700LE, for $105

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814139166

 

[2Xtreme21]

If you're simply planning to do 2d work with a card that will run 2D at a resolution > 16x12, you will be fine with the Radeon 9250 or pretty much any card that states a max resolution (Text). There's no reason you should be dropping more than $100 on a card that is just a "tide-over" so you can use your monitor before you build your system.

Of course, if you're planning on gaming at all, I'd begin building that custom system ASAP and not even bother getting a card now. There's no way in hell any PCI card will let you game in the native 2005FPW resolution.