PCI Graphics card

Started by Andikins, 17 January 2004, 10:53:31

Previous topic - Next topic

Andikins

Would a GeForce2 MX400 64MB DDR PCI be able to run the latest games (e.g. Max Payne 2, Deus Ex Invisible War)?

Woud this be true of all PCI graphics cards?

thanks
 

Andikins

My System specs are AMD 1.2GHz, 256 MB RAM, running Microsoft XP if that's any help.
 

amp_man

It really all depends on the minimum requirements of the game, and the settings you use. You can probably play just about any game out there, but you will probably find yourself lowering detail settings to get decent framerates. Also, this is not true of all PCI graphics cards, I've got a couple ATI Rage PCI cards running around that barely runs anything ;)
When the sun goes down, the music turns up...

Windows XP Pro|Athlon XP 1800+|Voodoo 5 5500 AGP|MSI K7T266-A|768MB DDR 2700 RAM|SonicEdge 5.1 Sound Card

qrazi

nvidia and ati card on pci are more affected by the limits of the PCI bus then 3dfx cards.
and a geforce 2 mx will not run all games, let alone decent. but it will run more games then your current voodoo card...
ECS K7s5a@ 147 MHz, Athlon XP 1600+@1825+, Voodoo5 5500 @166 MHz, 512mb pc3200

Andikins

OK thanks for the advice.

What card would you recommend me buying?

I have a 2x AGP slot and a free PCI slot.
 

Manuelson

i don't think so..i have seen run pretty fast max payne 2 under a geforce2mx pci.. all the games runs, maybe with bad graphics, but it runs, i play max payne 2 with my voodoo4 pci with no problems.. there isn't all this difference between agp and pci..
Powered by ALL Voodoo..

amp_man

it all depends on what you're willing to spend. For your system, I would probably put in a Radeon 9600, Pro or XT if I could afford it. These will run you a little under $200, depending on the manufacturer.
When the sun goes down, the music turns up...

Windows XP Pro|Athlon XP 1800+|Voodoo 5 5500 AGP|MSI K7T266-A|768MB DDR 2700 RAM|SonicEdge 5.1 Sound Card

ArchAngelCD

You didn't how much you have to spend on your video card but you can buy a Radeon 9600 Pro 128Mb AGP card made by Sapphire Tech for $157 USD from zipzoomfly.com. For a few dollars more ($163 USD) you can buy a Radeon 9600 XT 128 Mb AGP. Stay away from any of the Radeon SE cards because they are very poor performers unless your budget is very tight. You can buy a Radeon 9600 SE 128 Mb AGP card for only $88 USD and it will still outperform most of the low end nVidia cards and will do DX9 whereas the GeForce 2 MX card won't. (I don't know where you live since you don't have it posted by your name so I don't know what the prices will be where you live)

IMO the ATI cards are better right now then nVidia, especially in DX9 games.
____________________________

Asus P4P800 i865PE | Intel 3.2 GHz P4C | 2048 Mb Kingston PC3200 Dual Channel DDR SRAM | 160 Gb Western Digital SATA HD | NEC ND-3520 16X DVD-RW | WinXP Pro SP2 | ATI Radeon X850 Pro | 6-channel AD1985 audio CODEC | 3Com 3C940 Gigabit LAN | Diamond Monster 3D II 24Mb SLI

peonyu

#8
"Would a GeForce2 MX400 64MB DDR PCI be able to run the latest games (e.g. Max Payne 2, Deus Ex Invisible War)?

Woud this be true of all PCI graphics cards?"

No it wouldnt. In Deus ex 2's case it absoluely requires a card that can do hardware pixel shading ie- DirectX 8, and a GF2 cant do that, neither can a GF4 mx. If you dont have a DX8/9 card it just wont play. So your only option is to get a DX8/9 compliant card such as a Radeon 8500-and higher, or a Geforce 3 and up [not counting mx's, those wont play DX2].
 

Andikins

Cheers everyone for the advice.

I've updated my profile - I'm from the UK.

I was looking to spend between £50-£100 ideally (i.e. roughly $75-£150), but I guess I could go higher if really necessary.

So is the general consensus to go for a 8500 or higher Radeon card (will have to be PCI I guess)?
 

amp_man

QuoteOriginally posted by Andikins
So is the general consensus to go for a 8500 or higher Radeon card (will have to be PCI I guess)?

I would reccommend higher, at least a 9xxx card, I'm quite satisfied with my 9500, although you might want to get something even faster than that. I'm not quite sure what the current exchange is between uk and american, so I really can't name a card/price, but a 9000/9200 is relatively cheap, 9500/9600 is a little more. As for PCI, why can't you use AGP? Most cards are backwards compatible, meaning they can run at lower speeds then their max, I've had my 9500 (8x) running at 1x.
When the sun goes down, the music turns up...

Windows XP Pro|Athlon XP 1800+|Voodoo 5 5500 AGP|MSI K7T266-A|768MB DDR 2700 RAM|SonicEdge 5.1 Sound Card

peonyu

#11
Since you have a Athlon 1.2 ghz then your mobo should have a AGP slot capable of 4x. So with that in mind im going to second amp_man and say go with a Radeon 9xxx card, best one for your price range would be a 9600 PRO since they are a steal for the price-performance that they give and it should be in your price range.
Plus if you search good enough you can get a 9600 pro with a Free half-life 2 coupon [when it ships].

But If your stuck with only PCI slots then i think it would be better to just upgrade your motherboard to one that has a AGP slot, then get a AGP card since they are better in most ways.
 

amp_man

QuoteOriginally posted by Andikins
I have a 2x AGP slot and a free PCI slot.

;)
When the sun goes down, the music turns up...

Windows XP Pro|Athlon XP 1800+|Voodoo 5 5500 AGP|MSI K7T266-A|768MB DDR 2700 RAM|SonicEdge 5.1 Sound Card

qrazi

when buying a 9600 pro, beware to not get Lite/LE version. the 9600 pro should have a 400/600 core/mem clock frequency. but there are lots of  400/400 pros out there.
ECS K7s5a@ 147 MHz, Athlon XP 1600+@1825+, Voodoo5 5500 @166 MHz, 512mb pc3200

Andikins