Got a New nVidia - FX 5600XT

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Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

I picked this Chaintech FX 5600XT w/ 128mb for $119 at my local computer
shop. I know it's not the latest/greatest, but I'm planning on getting
the latest & greatest when the next generation of cards come out. I just
wanted something a little better than my old GeForce 2 Ultra whose
cooling fan had stopped working. I figure that the 5600XT might not be
as good as the high end GeForce 4 cards, but it HAS to be better than the
GF 2 Ultra.

I've not even bought any recent games because I didn't figure there was
much point what with a busted cooling fan. But I did load up Deus Ex and
while framerates were as smooth as you can perceive with the GF 2 Ultra
most of the time, when there was a lot of distant background to render,
the GF 2 Ultra's framerate dropped to probably 15 or 20 frames per
second. It does drop some with the 5600XT, but I've only got an Athlon
1333 right now. My mobo is an NF7 from Abit with the nVidia chipset.
I'm already set up with 768MB of DDR400 SDRAM. As soon as I upgrade my
CPU to an Athlon XP3200, I should really see the best improvements at
that point.

So far I'm happy to be making progress on my upgrades.

In the last two months I've upgraded the power supply, motherboard,
memory, CPU. I added another CD burner that's a lot faster than my old
DVD/CDRW combo drive, and then I added a 75-minute battery backup, and
now a new video card.

I'll probably get a new digital display before I upgrade the CPU. This
monitor, while 19", is horrible. Black colors are more of a hazy green
than anything else. This monitor is definitely on its last leg and it
isn't really that old.

Damaeus

 

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Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

Damaeus <no-mail@hotmail.invalid.net> wrote in message news:<osbv6097cvr18aqlea6c2084qe0fceafj4@4ax.com>...
> I picked this Chaintech FX 5600XT w/ 128mb for $119 at my local computer
> shop. I know it's not the latest/greatest, but I'm planning on getting
> the latest & greatest when the next generation of cards come out. I just
> wanted something a little better than my old GeForce 2 Ultra whose
> cooling fan had stopped working. I figure that the 5600XT might not be
> as good as the high end GeForce 4 cards, but it HAS to be better than the
> GF 2 Ultra.
>

The 5600XT uses a 64-bits memory bus internally...thus is
quite...slow...gaming wise seen. But surely for older games it will
suffice!

If you don't wish high performance..the 5600XT will suit you. But...
any modern game will spew this card out... be warned!

 

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Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

"Damaeus" <no-mail@hotmail.invalid.net> wrote in message
newssbv6097cvr18aqlea6c2084qe0fceafj4@4ax.com...
> I picked this Chaintech FX 5600XT w/ 128mb for $119 at my local computer
> shop. I know it's not the latest/greatest, but I'm planning on getting
> the latest & greatest when the next generation of cards come out. I just
> wanted something a little better than my old GeForce 2 Ultra whose
> cooling fan had stopped working. I figure that the 5600XT might not be
> as good as the high end GeForce 4 cards, but it HAS to be better than the
> GF 2 Ultra.

You made a pretty big mistake. The XT has crippling 64 bit memory, so it
will be super slow even for a 5600.

The bare minimum anyone should get is a 5700 (which isn't much more than
what you paid for that 5600), preferably a 5700 Ultra or 5900 XT.

 

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Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

In news:alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia, "Darkfalz"
<darkfalz@microsoft.com> posted on Mon, 5 Apr 2004 00:30:14 +1000:

> The bare minimum anyone should get is a 5700 (which isn't much more than
> what you paid for that 5600), preferably a 5700 Ultra or 5900 XT.

Well, live and learn, I guess. Maybe I can get a better card and get rid
of this one on eBay or something. But still it should be better than a
GF 2 Ultra. That was the biggest thing at this point.

 

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Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

"Damaeus" <no-mail@hotmail.invalid.net> wrote in message
news:2so170dc2u55q8ks095i2ejist38ugnc58@4ax.com...
> In news:alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia, "Darkfalz"
> <darkfalz@microsoft.com> posted on Mon, 5 Apr 2004 00:30:14 +1000:
>
> > The bare minimum anyone should get is a 5700 (which isn't much more than
> > what you paid for that 5600), preferably a 5700 Ultra or 5900 XT.
>
> Well, live and learn, I guess. Maybe I can get a better card and get rid
> of this one on eBay or something. But still it should be better than a
> GF 2 Ultra. That was the biggest thing at this point.

Exchange it.

 

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Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

> I'm never happy unless I have the best one from nVidia. So while I
> couldn't afford to buy the best, I'm hoping the 5600XT is at least better
> than the GeForce 2 Ultra, even if only by a couple of frames per second
> in any typical 3D game.
>
> I'll mend my errors after I pay for my car registration, insurance, new
> driver's license and two new front tires.
>
> But even before then I want to get a digital monitor because I'm tired of
> not having black on this CRT. Blacks are more like a greenish haze.
> It's really horrible. On the other hand, maybe I can take this thing
> somewhere and have it adjusted somehow to clear up the quality. If the
> monitor is warm and I turn it off then turn it back on, it gets really
> clear and then as it continues brightening up, it goes back to its
> somewhat blurry disposition. The monitor isn't really that old (maybe
> about three years) but I always run it at its maximum resolution of 1600
> x 1200, and I run it at 75Hz even though it's capable of 88Hz.
>
> Damaeus

It surely is a fact that monitors can die on you! And waning colors
and bad lighting is one of the symptoms you see when it will die...
and dying can go slow!

So yes, a new monitor might be of high importance for now, there is
always ebay to sell your FX5600XT once you got a new card!