PCI Video card. (NOT PCI Express)

[tmlim]

My bro-in-law got a brand new computer this year, and it has no AGP slot. Apparently the video is integrated AGP and it sucks. Xabre something. Can't even get Warcraft 3 to run more than 800x600. It's a P4-2.8Ghz.

What's the best PCI video card on the market right now? And what does it compare to (ie Radeon 9600 or GeForce 4)

"A delayed game will eventually come out, a bad game is bad forever."
-Shigeru Miyamoto

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

Best PCI cards are The ATI Radeon 9100/9200 and the nVidia FX5200/5600.

Usually the FX5200 and 5600 are the same performance, but the FX5600 cost more so stick with the 5200 uless close enough in price.

Both the ATI and nV cards would be FAR FAR below the GF4 and R9600 performance.

They would still do better than the Xabre, and free up resources too, but don't expect to be dramatically changing settings and suddenly getting high res. or anything.


- You need a licence to buy a gun, but they'll sell anyone a stamp <i>(or internet account)</i> ! - <font color=green>RED </font color=green> <font color=red> GREEN</font color=red> GA to SK

 

[tmlim]

Thanks for the info. Looks like we don't have much of a choice but to get the PCI FX5200.

"A delayed game will eventually come out, a bad game is bad forever."
-Shigeru Miyamoto

 

[tmlim]

Also, are those ATI PCI cards only MAC? That's all I've found so far.

What do you think of this?
<A HREF="http://www.compusmart.ca/Product/Default.aspx?SupplierPartNo=098004" target="_new">http://www.compusmart.ca/Product/Default.aspx?SupplierPartNo=098004</A>
It's in Canadian dollars.

"A delayed game will eventually come out, a bad game is bad forever."
-Shigeru Miyamoto

 

[priyajeet]

i buy that if it were for $40. Bcos FX5200 can be got for $30-$60 range. Its the crappiest chip.

oops never mind, i forgot it was for PCI only. my bad. but still a bit expensive. shld be less than 80 for sure.

:tongue: <A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/priyajeet/fing.jpg" target="_new"><i><font color=red>Very funny, Scotty.</font color=red><font color=blue> Now beam down my clothes.</font color=blue></i></A> :tongue: <P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by priyajeet on 10/25/04 02:32 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[Zoron]

What kind of budget are we talking here? It would be better to replace the mobo and get a decent AGP card than going with a PCI solution that isn't going to be a whole lot better than what he's got now...

<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

The ATI cards can be both but looking at Compu<i>Smart</i>'s website you linked to it appears they only have the MAC version, but I think MAC versions work on PCs, but not vice-versa IIRC, however I wouldn't rely on that assumption especially when you have other options.

You know what I like most about all this, YOU ACTUALLY FILLED IN YOUR LOCATION INFORMATION in your profile, which makes it SOoo much easier to advise on buying choices. Thank You!

Anywhoo, I'm in Calgary, and I would say your LAST choice should be some place like Compu<i>Smart</i>, however MemoryExpress doesn't open in Edmonton for a bit, and ICComputers doesn't have any quality PCI cards from what I've seen in their list (unless they are mislabeling them as AGP).

The question really is what are you going to do with it?

If it's just for second monitor support, the R9200SE will be fine. And it's $99 at FutureShop (which I'd avoid, but PCI are so rare, that this is actually a good price for a hands on in person purchase). Only if this is the sole video card for a PCI only computer would I suggest going with the FX5200 you listed. Otherwise save the $60, heck even use it to buy an AGP mobo for whatever system it is and then get an AGP card.

And if you don't mind ordering off the .net then TigerDirect.ca has a few good deals; like a <A HREF="http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=294125&CatId=319" target="_new">GF4MX 420 for $42</A> or the <A HREF="http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1058660&CatId=319" target="_new">R7000 for $54</A> and an <A HREF="http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1058664&CatId=319" target="_new">R9200SE for $82</A> and even an <A HREF="http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=633850&CatId=319" target="_new">FX5200 for $109</A>.

I would say the R9xxx and FX5xxx are still the best choices for picture quality, but it depends on what you're displaying as to whether it's worth the extra money. For a 'tools' display it might not matter as much.

You are somewhat limited as to options for PCI and really at this point you're at the mercy of inventory in most cases. Toronto has some better options complete with R9100 PCI cards, but in Alberta we're somewhat limited. The Compusmart card seems a little pricey, but if you want someone local to bitch at and you don't like ordering online, then it might be a good choice.

BTW, I checked NCIX, their deals aren't as good as TigerDirect for this kind of card.

If I can think of anothe source I'll post something later.


- You need a licence to buy a gun, but they'll sell anyone a stamp <i>(or internet account)</i> ! - <font color=green>RED </font color=green> <font color=red> GREEN</font color=red> GA to SK

 

[pauldh]

Your brother-in-law got Dell'd huh???

Those cheap price tags on the 2400's sure looks attractive.... But gamers beware.

ABIT IS7, P4 2.6C, 1GB Corsair XMS 4000 Pro Series, Radeon 9800 Pro, Santa Cruz, TruePower 430watt<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Pauldh on 10/25/04 09:11 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[tmlim]

Thanks for all the info.

At this point we might just go with the 5200. I'm assuming there is very little performance difference compared to the 9200.



"A delayed game will eventually come out, a bad game is bad forever."
-Shigeru Miyamoto

 

[tmlim]

Actually, it's not a Dell. Got it from a local non-chain computer store. Said it had 8x AGP so I assumed it had an AGP slot. I didn't even think it could be integrated AGP.

"A delayed game will eventually come out, a bad game is bad forever."
-Shigeru Miyamoto

 

[Crashman]

Sure! The chipset has an AGP8x controller. The integrated graphics connect to that. Many boards also have a slot, and since AGP can't be shared, inserting an AGP card into the slot disables the onboard graphics. But both use the AGP8x interface...

Most boards that have no slot are cheaper versions of the ones that do. The price difference is around $3, so any company selling the boards without the slot is being BASTARDLY CHEAP!

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[pauldh]

Yeah, I figured not. But it is not a risky guess either considering the # of value PC's Dell gets out the door.
Most of the large oems have a crappy value line that has no AGP slot. Sad really they care more about a few extra bucks than delivering a nice PC. The fact that a small shop would do it is really sad IMO. I'd value the customer more than that.


ABIT IS7, P4 2.6C, 1GB Corsair XMS 4000 Pro Series, Radeon 9800 Pro, Santa Cruz, TruePower 430watt

 

[tmlim]

I agree. I was surprised that the small shop that I go to did that. I've bought lots of stuff from there and have been 100% happy until I heard about this.

Next time I guess my bro-in-law will ahve to do more research before he gets a computer. But since his old computer was a 500Mhz, and his new one is 2.8Ghz, he's really not complaining a whole lot.

"A delayed game will eventually come out, a bad game is bad forever."
-Shigeru Miyamoto

 

[cefoskey]

Dont waste your time with that PCI card!

Im going to assume that you have a socket 478 P4 chip....buy a new motherboard that has an AGP slot. <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=property&DEPA=1" target="_new">Newegg has a bunch of socket 478 boards with AGP slots starting at about $40.</A> If you want an i845 chipset it would be more like $50.

That opens up a world of video cards for that computer and allows you to play any game you want. For just $40 for the board plus the cost of a new card, you have a pretty good gaming machine! Think about it!

"Who is General Failure, and why is he reading my drive?"
P4 3.0C HT, Intel D865GBF, 1GB Crucial PC3200 DDR, 2x WD 36GB Raptor 10kRPM, BBA Radeon 9800PRO, SB Audigy, Hauppage WinTV

 

[tmlim]

All I know right now, is that it's a Pentium 4A. I'm an AMD guy, so I don't know a whole lot about Intel chips.

But changing the mobo is a good idea. I'll keep that in mind.

"A delayed game will eventually come out, a bad game is bad forever."
-Shigeru Miyamoto

 

[Titanion]

If you could find the exact board, but with an AGP slot, you would not even have to mess around with Windows... just reinstall chipset drivers, but you might not even have to do that... it would be an easy swap...

<font color=red><b>NF7-S/MBarton 2500+
210x11.5 1.82v SP-97
GB Corsair XMS PC3200
BBA 9800 Pro 423/369</font color=red><font color=black>
NF7-S/MBarton 2600+
210x11.5 1.76v
512MB CVR PC3200
Sapphire 9500@9700

 

[tmlim]

I found out using AIDA32 that it's a ECSL4VXAG w/ VIA VT8754 Apollo P4X400 chipset.


"A delayed game will eventually come out, a bad game is bad forever."
-Shigeru Miyamoto

 

[Titanion]

Don't know about that board, but if you find one with an AGP slot, it should be cheap. ECS has been comeing out with better boards lately, but too ban it is not an SiS chipset. Look for another model number that just ends slightly different, and then compare the features they offer and the layout. You could always attempt to call ECS/PCChips and ask.

<font color=red><b>NF7-S/MBarton 2500+
210x11.5 1.82v SP-97
GB Corsair XMS PC3200
BBA 9800 Pro 423/369</font color=red><font color=black>
NF7-S/MBarton 2600+
210x11.5 1.76v
512MB CVR PC3200
Sapphire 9500@9700

 

[Titanion]

L4VXA2

<A HREF="http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=243829" target="_new">http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=243829</A>

This could be what you want and need. Check into it a bit more, though.

<font color=red><b>NF7-S/MBarton 2500+
210x11.5 1.82v SP-97
GB Corsair XMS PC3200
BBA 9800 Pro 423/369</font color=red><font color=black>
NF7-S/MBarton 2600+
210x11.5 1.76v
512MB CVR PC3200
Sapphire 9500@9700

 

[tmlim]

Looks good. And good price.
Thanks for the find!

"A delayed game will eventually come out, a bad game is bad forever."
-Shigeru Miyamoto

 

[rx7000]

My brother bought a 495 dollar dell with no agp slot, he has a ATI 9200, It gets him a 99 fps in Counter Strike so that keeps him satisfied. Its performance on new games is pretty dismal but playable.

Asus p4c800 Deluxe,1 Gig Mushkin PC3200 Dual Channel Level II V2,Pentium 4 3.0 512k 800fsb HT, Thermaltake Xaser III, Thermaltake Spark 7+, Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS Platinum Pro, eVGA GeForce 6800 GT