Whats a good PCI videocard to match with a PC133 system?

[MadRat]

I have an PC133-based motherboard using a Trident Blade 3D built-in graphics output currently and was wondering what PCI upgrade to match to it. This board has no AGP port, and its MicroATX, so I don't expect any miracles here. Just want to upgrade a crappy video experience for a friend.

I was thinking V3 PCI, Radeon 7000 PCI, or GF2 MX200. Are there better ones for under $100?

 

[Rand]

The GF2 MX200 in barely above TNT2 Ultra performance levels in it's AGP form... and the GF2 GPU is heavily dependent upon AGP's advanced feature set. Your looking at performance levels that'll be similar to that of a typical TNT2 board.

If you look around you can find a PCI Radeon 7000 or PCI GF2 MX400 for under $60.
Both are definitely preferable over an MX200, though the MX400 would be a better gaming board over the R7000. The PCI MX400 should provide performance a bit above AGP MX200 speeds, while the R7000 in PCI should be relatively comparable to an AGP MX200.

The V3 might be a decent choice if your look at playing mostly older games, wherein it's GLide capabilities would be a nice advantage.

ENPC has a GF2 MX400 for $48.
NewEgg has a PCI Radeon 7000 for $51.

You might get lucky and find a PCI Radeon 7500... every once in a while I hear of them below $100, but they seems quite difficult to find.

 

[AnAndAustin]

I agree completely with Rand's summary. Unfortunately PCI options are few, and you pay a hefty price too. However, since changing mobo, CPU & RAM are pretty complex and time-consuming there's little choice. Obviously seeing what CPU the mobo can take as well as upgrading the RAM to around 256MB can boost perf whilst staying on a budget, depending on specifics.

 

[MadRat]

I'll steer the friend towards the Radeon 7000 being that my AGP version is fine for most tasks. She isn't much of a gamer so the V3 isn't really any advantage to them. Wish the board was AGP but what do you say after the fact...

The KLE133 chipset isn't too bad of overall board for Thunderbird owners. I can see why people snatch these babies up for $40-60 a crack, considering its built in sound, video, and NIC! Not bad at all for the average joe. I was expecting much worse.

Thanks, Rand. Always glad to hear your opines around here.