Upgrading from GF4 TI4200 64meg.... 9800pro or 6200? Anything else?

[GrimReepr]

Hello.

I have an older desktop that is still doing what I need, as I do most other stuff on my p4 laptop and my other p4 mobile laptop. However, I have been playing World of Warcraft on my AMD 1.4 athlon with 512 pc133 and a GF4 ti4200 64megs. It did get the job done, but I was thinking a much better AGP card would more than double the performance. I really don't have the money to re-do the entire motherboard/cpu/ram configuration, so I decided to try this route.

What is the best AGP card I could put in that slot? I have the ABIT KT7 I believe, and it's 4x AGP.

How does the 9800 pro match up against the gf 6200? Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[BlacKJesuS]

I think that the 9800pro...outperforms the 6200 and theres one in the the fs/ft forums thats like $95 shipped...there is a 6600GT for $130 on newegg

 

[imported_Kiwi]

While the original 128 Bit GF 6200's weren't terrible (like the FX 5200's are terrible), it seems that only 64 Bit versions are still easily found in the market. The original would've been an OK choice, the current version isn't. Radeon 9800 Pro's are supposed to still be quite good, especially at the pricing they are now available at. Any two-card comparison is easily done at gpureview, and the 9800 shows well against the 6200 there. I have a Ti-4200 in one of my PC's, and it's a good card, but the Radeon 9700 Pro I have in another system is better. What I've found most interesting is that my Ti-4200 runs just about as hot at idle as it does running games at full tilt. It's the hottest GPU at idle that I have.

 

[Leper Messiah]

find a used 9800 pro, it will be far superior to the 6200.

 

[Killrose]

Originally posted by: BlacKJesuS
I think that the 9800pro...outperforms the 6200 and theres one in the the fs/ft forums thats like $95 shipped...there is a 6600GT for $130 on newegg

I agree, stay away from the 6200 and get a 6600 at least. A 6600GT would be better. The 9800pro is getting abit old but is probable equal to a 6600 unless you play Doom engined based games.

 

[Leper Messiah]

Originally posted by: Killrose

Originally posted by: BlacKJesuS
I think that the 9800pro...outperforms the 6200 and theres one in the the fs/ft forums thats like $95 shipped...there is a 6600GT for $130 on newegg

I agree, stay away from the 6200 and get a 6600 at least. A 6600GT would be better. The 9800pro is getting abit old but is probable equal to a 6600 unless you play Doom engined based games.

Well, I dunno how those OGL drivers work for R300 series cards, but the 9800pro is at least a match for the 6600GT, and kills it with AA/AF (256-bit memory bus vs. 128 bit)

 

[BlacKJesuS]

NO IT DOESNT they are even if the 6600GT doesnt win

 

[Wentelteefje]

What's your budget? Approximately $ 100, or a bit less...? You could try eBay on a 9700 Pro or a 9800 Pro...

The Refurb section of Newegg has a Sapphire 9800 Pro for $ 95, an Apollo 9800 Pro for $ 95.30, or another Sapphire 9800 Pro for $ 99... Those seem like right deals to me, and will give still give you a lot of gaming joy...

Don't buy the Sapphire 9800 you're seeing there for $ 85, it only has a 128-bit memory bus...

What bothers me a little more, is the fact you're going to pair it with PC133 RAM... That will be bottlenecking it IMO...

EDIT: The fact that your mobo only supports AGP4x is no big deal, it will not hinder performance...

 

[Leper Messiah]

Originally posted by: BlacKJesuS
NO IT DOESNT they are even if the 6600GT doesnt win

I dunno. Maybe its just my 9800pro@ 450/400 or (R.I.P) my np@ 480/380.

 

[GrimReepr]

Thanks for all the great responses guys. I'll try and find a nice 9800 pro. I know 128bit is not good as mentioned... any particular make to look for? I'll probably just got Newegg since it's only like $30 more for a brand new card. I have traded on A&T before, but the price gap isn't that huge for this item.

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: Leper Messiah

Originally posted by: BlacKJesuS
NO IT DOESNT they are even if the 6600GT doesnt win

I dunno. Maybe its just my 9800pro@ 450/400 or (R.I.P) my np@ 480/380.

Uh, yeah, maybe.

At stock, the 6600GT is a good 10-20% faster than a 9800Pro at almost everything (yes, it's got a 128-bit memory interface, but it's also running the RAM at 500Mhz compared to only 340Mhz on a stock 9800Pro).

The 6600GT take a pretty big hit with AA/AF on in some games, though. It's somewhat crippled by its memory interface, but not too badly.

 

[chilled]

Originally posted by: Matthias99

Originally posted by: Leper Messiah

Originally posted by: BlacKJesuS
NO IT DOESNT they are even if the 6600GT doesnt win

I dunno. Maybe its just my 9800pro@ 450/400 or (R.I.P) my np@ 480/380.

Uh, yeah, maybe.

At stock, the 6600GT is a good 10-20% faster than a 9800Pro at almost everything (yes, it's got a 128-bit memory interface, but it's also running the RAM at 500Mhz compared to only 340Mhz on a stock 9800Pro).

The 6600GT take a pretty big hit with AA/AF on in some games, though. It's somewhat crippled by its memory interface, but not too badly.

My Leadtek 6600GT clocked to 590/1235. Without 8AA+16AF enabled it gets halfway between a stock 6600GT ad stock 6800GT. With it enabled it makes a 20-25% gain.

I owned a 9800Pro, 6600GT and 6800GT (a colourful uprade path!), and I felt quite a significant upgrade from the 9800 Pro and 6600GT. Overall I think the 6600GT is much faster, but then gain my 9800Pro didn't oc much - maybe 400/380.

 

[phaxmohdem]

I'd also recommend a 9800Pro on the sinple fact that it is pretty much gauranteed to work with your older AGP 4X board. I'm pretty sure that the 6600GT will NOT work on older 4X only Mobos. Note the notches in the AGP connector on the cards. The 9800pro Has 2, meaning that it is backwards compatible with the older 4X Slots and voltages, while the 6600GT AGP only has one notch towards the rear, meaning it requires a certain voltage found in the newer 8X boards. and honestly, I don't think performance between the two is enough to lose any sleep over.

 

[GrimReepr]

Do you guys recommend any particular make? I'm still torn between the 9800 pro and 6600gt... but all the saphire cards on newegg that are 9800 pros say the fans and heatsinks are horrible

 

[BlacKJesuS]

get teh 6600GT