GeForce MX concerns w/ K6-2

[skubik]

I just read an article over on anandtech.com about upgrading K6-2 systems, specifically about video cards.
My current setup is a K6-2 333, Asus P5A, Xpert98 AGP.

I'm wanting to upgrade to a GeForce MX card in the near future, but after reading this article on anandtech.com, I'm not so sure now.

The article said that newer video cards, like the GeForce2 line, require MUCH more power than older cards (like my little Xpert98), and if the mobo can't provide, the card will crash and take down your system, and the only way to fix this is to buy a newer mobo... which I don't wanna (can't afford to) do.

So I'm wondering whether anyone has a K6-2, or an Asus P5A mobo that they're running a GeForce2 MX card on, and what the performance is like... or whether anyone knows anything more about this.

Thanx

- skubik.

 

[bront]

Personaly, I'd upgrade your system from anything other than a K6-2. Also, check and make sure you have an AGP slot. If your current motherboard doesn't have one (A brown slot that is usually above all the others), then upgrading a video card won't do much, because the PCI Bus will slow you down tremendously. You might as well be throwing money down the toilet.

If you can save up between 500-700, you can build yourself a completely new machine online, with a Geforce2 MX card or something along those lines in it already. It's even cheeper if you're only upgrading Memory, Motherboard, CPU, and Graphics card, and keeping all the extra accessories.


60 FPS, 70 FPS, 80 FPS Crash!
Daylight comes and I have to go to work :frown:

 

[skubik]

I definitely have an AGP slot. It supports AGP 1x and 2x... so there isn't a HUGE problem there since all the geForce MX cards I've looked at support AGP 2x.

As for building a new system. I've thought of that, but I'm kinda at a time where I absolutely NEED to upgrade, but don't have the money to buy an entirely new system altogether. Unless I change jobs, and fast. ;^)

- skubik

 

[bront]

How much money are you looking to spend on your "Upgrade"? And how much can you spend?

I spent $320, and got an Athlon 1600+ XP, with a Gigabyte motherboard using the KT266A chipset, and 256 MB of DDR ram. That might boost your performance a bit more than a video card upgrade.

If you're looking to spend less, you can get Athlon MB and CPU combos for under $200, and mem is cheep.

However, if you need to upgrade, a Graphics card will do you good, but the K6-2 is underpowered for it's clock speed. I've seen a PII 300 kick a K6-2 450 around the room till it went home screaming.

A video card upgrade will significantly improve your graphic performance, but not much else. A CPU/MB upgrade will make everything much faster.

60 FPS, 70 FPS, 80 FPS Crash!
Daylight comes and I have to go to work :frown:

 

[Crashman]

I might try it. The MX400 uses less power than some earlier nVidia cards, due to it's smaller die process. I think it draws about the same amount of power as the original TNT2, but I'm sure there is somewhere you can verify that.

Back to you Tom...