Video Card Advise

[SoundwaveDotca]

Hello I need some advice I have been thinking about upgrading my Geforce4 MX 420 (Asus Majic something). Despite what people have said about the MX 420 it has acually served me well both for DVD playback which is a must for me since I mostly use my computer as a digital theater/sound system, and for playing the ocassional game of Jedi Outcast and Medel of Honer. Most of all I enjoyed it due to its passive cooling since I do have real issues with fan noise (got my CPU fan hooked up to a Zalman Fan Mate 1 and it works wonders as well as a Zalman power supply which keeps the box literaly whisper quiet). Anyway I have been tinkering with the idea of upgrading the card to either a ATI Radeon 9200 or a Geforce FX 5200 since they both offer passive cooling and many more features then the MX 420. So the big question is should I stick with the MX 420 or go to one of the other 2 cards? If so which one? Or is thier perhaps another alternitive? What I am really looking for is really the best passivly cooled card I can buy (that does not require any special modification such as the Zalman heatpipe heatsink). I have been leaning more towards the FX 5200 as it has such features as DX9 however I just done know enough about video cards in general to make an educated decision. Anyway any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

Soundwave.ca

 

[Mloot]

If you want the best performing, passively cooled video card, then your best bet would probably be one of the heatsink-only Radeon 9600's, like either of these two cards. As far as gaming performance, the 9600 should have a decent advantage over the 9200 or FX 5200.

 

[Corporate Thug]

i can speak only on behalf of the 9600 pro, and it kicks @$$. clocked at 520/340, it gives my 9700 pro a run for its money

 

[Schadenfroh]

for quake 3 based games like Jedi Outcast and Medel of Honer and no highend games. since you dont game much, the 5200 or the 9200 will both suit you fine and both would be a good bit cheaper than a 9600. but if your card still runs the games you want at the level you want. why upgrade?