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
My System specs are AMD 1.2GHz, 256 MB RAM, running Microsoft XP if that's any help.
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 ;)
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...
OK thanks for the advice.
What card would you recommend me buying?
I have a 2x AGP slot and a free PCI slot.
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..
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.
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.
"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].
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)?
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.
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.
QuoteOriginally posted by Andikins
I have a 2x AGP slot and a free PCI slot.
;)
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.
woo - lots of advice
would this card be suitable?
<http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=55273>
thanks again everyone
Sorry not sure if the link worked.
It's a Hightech ATI Radeon 9200 128MB PCI TV-Out DVI Retail Box from ebuyer for £60.
The ebuyer description is:
"Powered by ATI RADEON 9200, the Excalibur RADEON 9200 enables end users to experience the most realistic, life-like images, and visual effects on the next generation 3D games or multimedia application. With advanced graphics architecture, Excalibur RADEON 9200 provides best-of-class performance to accelerate all popular 3D applications. Among other high-end features, Excalibur RADEON 9200 is Micosoft DirectX 9 compatible for faster gaming, SMARTSHADER technology for more complex and realistic lighting effects and SMOOTHVISION technology for smoother-looking images. Excalibur RADEON 9200 also features VIDEO IMMERSION II and FULLSTREAM technologies for unprecedented video quality."
You said you can spend between £50 and £100. The card you described above is high in price. Hightech cards are not bad but tend to be overpriced. Sapphire Tech cards are probably the best 3rd party vendor since they manufacture most of the Built By ATI cards for ATI. You can get a much better card for a few more pounds.
Sapphire has 9600 for £84.40 including VAT. That would be a much better choice.
Look here http://www.cclcomputers.biz/acatalog/
-edit
On the link above, Goto:
System Components
Graphics Cards
ATI Sapphire
right thanks
I was under the impression that an AGP 8x card would not be compatibable with my 2x slot. Is that not correct?
I'm almost sure it's the other way around.
I know you can't use an AGP 2X card in an AGP 8X slot because of the voltage difference.
Newer video cards are backwards compatable though.
Goto the Sapphire Tech site and write their customer support department and tell them you are looking to buy a Sapphire Tech 9600, tell them the motherboard you own and they will confirm you can use that video card on your motherboard. (Tell them who makes the MB and the board #) I'm only telling you to do this to assure you it's OK.
That Sapphire Tech 9600 will make you MUCH happier than a 9200. (The 9200 is an AGP 8X version of the 9000 which is really an 8500.) That's already too old to buy as a new card and not a DirectX 9 card.) Just be sure not to buy any Radeon card that has a SE in it's name. They are sub-standard.
Here is the link for the 9600 so you can see the specs on the card.
http://www.sapphiretech.com/vga/9600.asp
Here is the support and contact page.
http://www.sapphiretech.com/contacts/contact.asp
They have a contact in the UK on this page.
Andikins, definately try to get a 9600 non pro or PRO [non SE or LE of course] over a 9200 if you can. 9200 cards are based on the Radeon 8500 and are somewhat old nowadays, they are not bad but with a 9200 you will probably find yourself wanting something a little more powerful pretty quickly. The 9600 otoh, for 20 pounds more will definately be powerful enough and last a year or two on new games at max detail.
heres a link to Tom's VGA chart with comparisons of 48 or so different cards at a few games -
http://www20.tomshardware.com/graphic/20031229/index.html