2 cards available .. need knowledgable advice ..

[cheapO_79]

i am new to the this forum, but i was looking for some quick advice.
i have the choice of two cards for the same price, but i wasn't sure which card would suit my needs more adequately (my needs being to run some newer games reasonably well).
option 1: a local reseller has a geforce fx5700 LE 128mb
option 2: a friend is selling a used radeon9600 PRO 128mb
.. same price for either card (i.e. $100.00).
the rest of my system specs are as follows:
xp1900 on ECS K7SEM mobo
768mb pc133 sd-ram
on-board sound
40gig 7200rpm HD

.. for example, i was hoping to run doom3 at 800x600, medium video settings, and low audio settings.
which of these cards is more likely to help me acheive this (if either can .. i may be underpowered either way .. but i am not tech savvy enough to know off the top of my head).

any help greatly appreciated

 

[Robc1880]

Are you able to get anymore money for a video card upgrade? I ask this because if we know what your limit is then you can get some more suggestions. As far as what you've listed, definitely go for the 9600 because the whole FX line was crap. The 9600 will out perform that FX card any day.

If you want you could check this card out <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-407&depa=1" target="_new">this 256MB at newegg</A>

Xaser 3 case with 420W TT PSU
AXP2500 (11*200 at 1.85v)
9800 Pro 128MB (418/372)
NF7-S v2.0
PDP DDR400 1GB(2-3-2-5)2.6v
Lite-On SOHW-832S
WD 80GB 8mb buffer caviar edition.

 

[Crashman]

The 9600 Pro.

About what the last guy said, the 128MB cards usually come with much faster RAM than the 256MB cards, a full 50% faster!

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[cleeve]

A full GeforceFX 5700 would probably outperform a 9600 PRO in doom (that's probably one of the few newer games it would outperform it in, in general the 9600 PRO is better), but what you're talking about here is a 5700LE - the LE means it's limited, probably with a gibbled 64-bit memory bus.

The 9600 PRO is the better card for sure.

________________
<b>Radeon <font color=red>9700 PRO</b></font color=red> <i>(o/c 332/345)</i>
<b>AthlonXP <font color=red>3200+</b></font color=red> <i>(Barton 2500+ o/c 400 FSB)</i>
<b>3dMark03: <font color=red>5,354</b>

 

[HardWareBoss]

9600Pro. Now if you can go another $100+ buy 6600GT AGP.

 

[pauldh]

I am just agreeing with Crash, Cleeve and others. The 9600 pro without a doubt is the better card. Eeven in Doom 3, but moreso in just about every other game.

In an OGL game like Doom 3, <A HREF="http://www.ixbt.com/video2/over2k4-d3s-800.shtml" target="_new">the 9600 pro beats out the FX5700LE 128-bit</A>, while in other games like Farcry, <A HREF="http://www.ixbt.com/video2/over2k4-fcs20-800.shtml" target="_new">the 9600 pro crushes the FX5700LE 128-bit</A>. Now if it is a 64-bit FX5700LE...it will be much slower even.

Honestly, Doom 3 and Call of Duty are the only games that the FX5700le will even come close. Both handle COD fine, and I can't imagine buying a video card only based on Doom 3 performance. (as D3 stinks IMO, but anyway, D3 performance is far different than most games) Now go on to HL2 for instance, and the 9600 pro would probably be 400% faster than the FX5700LE while rendering the DX9 codepath. <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2281&p=3" target="_new">The FX series defaults to DX8 to remain playable</A>, as it is anything but playable in DX9.


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