So I was thinking about a turbocache 6200...

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hurtstotalktoyou

Platinum Member
Mar 24, 2005
2,055
9
81
Hey, all.

I'm about to upgrade from my lowly Sempron 64 2800+ to a Core 2 Duo E6300. The problem is, my video card is AGP, which means I'll need to upgrade that, too.

I don't play games, period. Nothing. I do, however, watch a lot of video, mostly DivX, XviD or MPEG-1/2/4 downloaded from the net. My current card is a 64MB GeForce MX 420, and sometimes it stutters when playing full-screen video. Or maybe it's my CPU that lags--I'm not sure. Anyway, I'd like to get something a little better than what I have now, to minimize or eliminate trouble during video playback.

Please note I don't have nor will I get in the near future an HDTV. At the moment I have a simple 17" CRT. I might, however, upgrade to a 19" LCD at some point in the next year.

Also, I'd like to run Aero when I upgrade to Vista.

Finally, I need a TV-out port and support for simultaneous TV and computer monitor output. That is an absolute must.

So, to summarize, this is what I need:
1. PCIe x16 interface
2. both standard VGA (not DVI) & TV (s-video or composite) ports
3. supports simultaneous TV & computer monitor output
...and here's what I want, if possible:
4. runs Aero
5. DVI port (in addition to, not instead of, the other two ports)

And here's what I was thinking of:
Biostar V6202EL63 GeForce 6200 LE ($37.98 shipped)

Yay? Nay? Comments are appreciated.
 
Zap

Zap

Elite Member
Oct 13, 1999
22,377
7
81
It probably will work okay. I was using an MSI brand 6200TC briefly in my main rig while between (better) cards. Played Enemy Territory and WoW just fine at full resolutions, but with quality turned down.
 
S

SexyK

Golden Member
Jul 30, 2001
1,343
4
76
I tried Vista on a 6200TC and Aero was slow as molasses. Only got to use it for a few hours and I didn't do any tweaking, so you may want to ask around a little more before deciding.
 
M

Munky

Diamond Member
Feb 5, 2005
9,372
0
76
If you want the absolute chapest option, then it's a decent choice. But for a little more I'd at least get a passively cooled card like this one.
 
H

hurtstotalktoyou

Platinum Member
Mar 24, 2005
2,055
9
81
Hmm. That's not a bad idea, especially considering I do a fair amount of audio recording. Thanks for the suggestion! But I think I'd rather go with the Asus EN6200LE/TC256/TD/64 instead of the 7300, since it's a lot cheaper (only $39.98 shipped as opposed to $57.63). Unless of course there's some reason I shouldn't.
 
lopri

lopri

Elite Member
Jul 27, 2002
13,312
687
126
6200TC does work with Aero. By 'Slow', he means the FPS (yes, FPS) of the 3D desktop is low. The effects become jerky and overall experience wasn't that great in my case. I would at least get something along the line of 7300 GT. (or better yet, 7600 GT) In any way, for 3D graphical effects, borrowing system RAM isn't a good idea. There will be an inevitable slowdown. You really need something better than 6200 for a smooth Aero desktop.
 
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imported_cinder

Senior member
Sep 19, 2006
258
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I have a 5700 Ultra and was running Vista very smoothly. Although the card does not support some of the same things as the 6200TC it is a MUCH faster card and ran very well with Aero. I would agree that a 7300 or 7600(even the gs) would be a smarter choice. Or you can buy a lower card like the 6200TC and wait until the DX10 value cards are released.
 
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hurtstotalktoyou

Platinum Member
Mar 24, 2005
2,055
9
81
Well, a 7300GT is $75, which is *way* out of my budget. So I guess I'll have to forget about Aero. Even a 7300GS is $58, which is at least a $15 price premium to *maybe* use a pretty but ultimately frivolous feature of an operating sytem I might not even buy.

So I'll stick to the 6200 turbocache. I might pay the extra $4 for 128MB 64-bit GDDR2 (Biostar V6202TL16) instead of 64MB 32-bit DDR (Asus EN6200LE/TC256/TD/64), though. Maybe it won't let me run Aero, but I'd still pay a few dollars to further minimize video playback stuttering.

What do you think?
 
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imported_cinder

Senior member
Sep 19, 2006
258
0
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My personal opinion is that Vista has so many advantages that outweigh the disadvantages that its a definite YES to the upgrade. Security for one. Plus, windows 98, xp, all those were considering minor updates. Vista is considered a MAJOR update to windows. They changed a lot....its not just old windows with "eye candy" because that would be pointless.
 
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hurtstotalktoyou

Platinum Member
Mar 24, 2005
2,055
9
81
Oh, I realize Vista is a nice upgrade. It's just that I might not get it in its first year on the market. And even if I do, the video card is only necessary for Aero, not Vista itself. I'd sure like to run that feature if I can, but it really isn't necessary. I'd pay a few dollars extra for a card that could run it, but $75 is simply out of my price range, and according to you folks that's the bare minimum to guarantee its functionality. Isn't Aero just an eye-candy feature of the OS? I can do without it, I'm pretty sure.

But I thank you for the help, so far. I had totally forgotten to look for a passively-cooled card. That was a huge help!
 
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imported_cinder

Senior member
Sep 19, 2006
258
0
0
Honestly, if you want to run vista at around 75 bucks..you can get a nice x800 series card for that. Run it fine at a low price. As for passively cooled cards, a few companies make a 7300GT for around 80 that are passive.
 
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aka1nas

Diamond Member
Aug 30, 2001
4,335
1
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Originally posted by: lopri
6200TC does work with Aero. By 'Slow', he means the FPS (yes, FPS) of the 3D desktop is low. The effects become jerky and overall experience wasn't that great in my case. I would at least get something along the line of 7300 GT. (or better yet, 7600 GT) In any way, for 3D graphical effects, borrowing system RAM isn't a good idea. There will be an inevitable slowdown. You really need something better than 6200 for a smooth Aero desktop.
Click to expand...

Could it be an issue with the Turbocache feature in that case? Maybe a non TC 6200 would suffice. The only card that I have heard having performance issues with Aero on Vista RTM was the 5200 as the damn thing is just too weak. The regular 6200 PCI-E has a tad more mem bandwith than the FX5700 mentioned earlier and is only about 30% slower than that card.
 
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imported_cinder

Senior member
Sep 19, 2006
258
0
0
No the memory bandwidth is better on the 5700Ultra even if its on AGP vs PCI-e in comparison to the 6200. The 5700 Ultra has a 256bit memory interface where as the 6200 still only has a 64bit or 32bitbit memory interface for the Turbo Cache Edition and only 128bit on the standard. Plus the clocks are higher. There is no bandwidth gain from 5700 Ultra to 6200TC. The 6200 gets tops about 4 GB/s where the 5700Ultra gets around 14.5 GB/s. I still hold my stance that you should just look at a slightly better card.
 
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