Best PCI Video Card

[Scotty]

I want to upgrade a K6-2 system with a new video card. I am currently using a Voodoo 3 and figure either the Geforce 2 MX-400 or the Radeon would give me better performance plus better looking graphics. I know PCI is not as good as AGP but have to choice with the ASUS motherboard I am using. Please give me a recommendation,

Thanks, Scotty

 

[noko]

Your voodoo3 on your K6-2, I don't understand? You don't have a AGP slot or are you trying to keep your Voodoo3 in the AGP and get a pci card as well?

 

[Scotty]

I dont have an AGP slot of the motherboard, need to get a PCI card.

 

[Guest]

get a new processor instead, if you can.....the voodoo 3 is old, but the real bottleneck is the k6.

ignore everything i say

 

[AEboy128]

You could get the voodoo3 in PCI.

My system: <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=8946" target="_new">http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=8946</A>

 

[noko]

Your current setup is probably just as fast as trying to switch out the cards. The Voodoo3 was a very good card for K6-2 systems. At Rage3d.com a number of people where disappointed in the the speed up or lack of speedup by upgrading to either the Mx or the Radeon on a K6-2. In glide programs like Unreal Tournement the Voodoo3 will kick both of those cards out the park. If you are unhappy with your setup then a major upgrade would be more beneficial. The overall cost now days are pretty reasonable for upgrading your whole system.

 

[phsstpok]

I had a K6-2 @400mhz and upgraded my voodoo1 to a Geforce (which is much faster than a PCI Voodoo3). My Quake III framerates went from 18 to about only 22, maybe 24. Of course that's at 640x480, 16-bit color because that's all the Voodoo could do. With the Geforce I could do 1024x768x32 at the same 22 frames per second. The framerates were the same at all resolutions (all with mimimal video quality settings) because the K6-2 was the limiting factor.

The MX-400 will be just as limited for the same reason. You will gain 32-bit color though. If you have a faster K6-2 then you will do a little better but you will run into the same problem. It's too slow compared to the video card.

By the way, I later upgraded to a Duron system with the same Geforce card and now I get 57 fps at 1024x768x32 but with maximum quality setting. That old 640x480x16 test that only reached 22 fps is now hitting 118 fps.

What I am trying to say is a fast video card is going to do very little if the system is too slow. Upgrade the system and your voodoo3 will be able to reach it's full potential. If that's not good enough, then upgrade the video card later, too, but the card alone won't do much.

 

[Crashman]

The fastest D3D PCI card is the TNT2 PCI. Well, the new one may be a little faster, but not noticeably. The performance of the TNT2 aready exceeds the PCI's ability to tranfer data to it. Any more is a waste.
But for Glide, you can get a Voodoo3, just don't expect to play D3D games on it.

Cast not thine pearls before the swine

 

[Guest]

Crash, are you saying that the tnt2 is faster than the geforce 2 mx400 64mb pci? ohhhh, i see. the pci bus is the limiting factor. possibly true, although the engine on the geforce 2 chip and faster sdr memory is going to be faster than a tnt2, in my opinion....

ignore everything i say

 

[rcf84]

ATi radeon 32mb SDR PCI is the fastest.

Nice Intel and AMD users get a Cookie.... Yummy

 

[Crashman]

I should say that the best PCI card, the Radeon PCI, does not significantly outperform the TNT2 because of the limmitations of PCI. But I do have a Radeon PCI for sale if you want it.

Cast not thine pearls before the swine