Which nVidia makes sense for Athlon 1600+

[mdobacz123]

Hello,

I would appreciate your advice on the following topics:

1) Is DirectX9 support a thing to die for? Do many games really
make use of it? Does it make sense to buy a basic FX based card
because of this or is it better to go for higher end GeForce 4 cards?

2) Does it make sense to buy a FX5600/GeForce 4 TI class card if it
is to be coupled with an Athlon XP 1600+ (1.4GHz) running on a
VIA KT266A DDR board? Won't the CPU be a limiting factor? Maybe
an FX5200 class part is more than enough for such CPU?

3) Is there a card featuring FX5600 that you could recomend as far as
performance and stability is concerned which would not have too many
features such as DVI-out, Video-in etc. All I need is RGB output and I am
reluctant to pay extra for anything else. I am an Asus die hard "fan". Asus has
the V9520 Magic part featuring FX5200 which is pretty basic - just what I need
in terms of features. The trouble is Asus doesn't have an equaly simple FX5600 part.
Any ideas on other card manufacturers?

TIA,

Cheers,

Michal.

 

[NYHoustonman]

Any FX5600Ultra rev.2 would be good, I have no idea who manufactures them, but as others are sure to say it is overpriced. As there is a risk of being flamed, I will not mention A, T, or I, but only ask you to look at other companies as well.

 

[MDE]

A GF4 Ti 4200 would be a nice match for your system right now, unless you're planning a total system upgrade. And at the risk of being flamed, look at the ATI Radeon 9600 Pro, just as fast, if not faster than a 5600 Ultra and cheaper too.

 

[modedepe]

1) No it's not to die for. Not many cards use dx9 yet, and you're better off with a powerful card that has dx8 instead of a low powered card that has dx9.

2) Either of those would be ok to pair with your cpu. I'd get the ti4200 though simply because it's cheaper and performs faster with aa/af off than a fx5600.

3) Going back to the previous question I don't recommend an fx5600. There are however asus ti4200's, though they may include dvi etc. A lot of times you don't really save much money (or any) by getting one without those features. They've pretty much become standard on a lot of the newer cards.

So, to sum this up, a ti4200 for $100 would be a good choice. If you are planning to upgade in the somewhat near future though you might want to get a more powerful card.

 

[jimmyl930]

I don't think any games require DX9.0 right now. Don't get the FX5200. While it supports DX9.0, it's too slow to run it well.

Ti4200 would probably be the best card.

 

[Tab]

Originally posted by: jimmyl930
I don't think any games require DX9.0 right now. Don't get the FX5200. While it supports DX9.0, it's too slow to run it well.

Ti4200 would probably be the best card.

Homeworld 2, Chrome, Half-Life 2, Deus Ex 2, Tron 2.0...

 

[tenoc]

Homeworld 2, Chrome, Half-Life 2, Deus Ex 2, Tron 2.0...

These may require DX9, but don't require DX9-compliant cards.

Agree with the Ti4200 recommendations

 

[Corporate Thug]

ti4200

 

[xSauronx]

another vote for the 4200
im still using a gf3 .... im desperately waiting for christmas. Sauron needs a good video card to go with this overclocked 1700+.....mmmm

 

[mdobacz123]

Big thanks to you guys. Appreciated.

And as for A, T & I 😉: unfortunately ATi doesn't sell it's cards in Poland, where I live. Only third party cards featuring ATi chips are available, and I don't trust those card manufacturers at all (Hercules, Sapphire, Super Grace). Besides they seem to be more expensive over here than comparable nVidia's, probably due to different customs rates for whatever obscure reason.

Thanks!

Michal.

 

[MDE]

Hercules and Sapphire are fine brands, in fact Sapphire makes most of the "Built by ATI" cards anyways, and most variations are just in the coolers and memory used.

edited for speelling (this one was on purpose)

 

[Torghn]

Originally posted by: MonkeyDriveExpress
Hercules and Sapphire are fine brands, in fact Sapphire makes most of the "Built by ATI" cards anyways, and most variations are just in the coolers and memory used. edited for speelling (this one was on purpose)