AGP 4X graphics cards.

[Skogs]

Howdy people.

I'm thinking about updating my slightly dated graphics card. It's a GeForce2 MX with 32MB of RAM. I'm running it on a Dell Dimension 8100 (or maybe 8200, can't remeber exactly - it's at uni and I'm at home).

Basic specs are:

Pentium 4 1.8GHz
512MB RAM
Windows XP SP2

Now, the AGP slot runs on the 4x protocol, so what I'm asking is...

What's the best AGP 4x graphics card on the market?
What's the best value for money 4x graphics card on the market?
...and if you're extra knowledgable about these matters...
If you were me, what graphics card would you get?
Would I be better off getting more RAM?

And waiting for a new PC is pretty much out of the question.

Thanks.

[Endless]

In my opinion, the GeForceFX 5200 is a really good deal in terms of quality/price. It's under $100, it's AGP 8X/4X compatible, it has 128/256MB RAM, and it plays World of Warcraft dandy (the comp's RAM is the issue, though). It also has a TV out and manages dual screens, so I can watch a movie on my TV and use my comp's main screen at the same time.

[Yamaneko]

Get an FX series definitely. Nvidia kind of fell behind when they came out, but they're still great cards for the money. I have an FX 5700LE (which is actually clocked at the same speed as a 5200, although I do overclock mine) and it runs Half-Life 2 indoors at 40+ FPS and outdoors between 30 and 40 FPS. Be aware though, FX cards don't take kindly to DirectX 9, so although your software may be running DirectX 9.0c (?), your card usually defaults to DirectX 8.1 (or 8.0). You won't notice a difference if you play older games, or games like World of Warcraft, that don't use DirectX 9.0 specific features.

Or you might want to wait and get those dual PCI-Express motherboards that let you utilize two PCI-Express GPUs at once.

[Endless]

Well, assuming you keep your drivers up-to-date, any FX should support DX9.0c fine now, I think. It's not like I check what the card internals do when I play The Sims 2 (requires 9.0c) though, so I might be wrong. xD

[NM]

Please whatever you do, DO NOT get a GeForce FX 5200. There slower than the old GF4 range.

If you can i'd suggest getting one of the new generation cards like a 6600 Geforce. If not go for either a GeforceFX 5700 or5900 or the ATi 9600. And don't get the cut down version's if you can avoid it.

[Endless]

Most Geforce 4 Ti4200 cost about twice what the 5200 costs, so with a very limited budget, you can easily see why I suggested the latter.

[NM]

I didn't say to get a GF4, I said they were quicker than the 5200 cards. Plus a 5200 will struggle to run any newish game anyway and will need replacing in 3 to 6 months time.

[Shadowdust]

Howdy people.


What's the best value for money 4x graphics card on the market?
...and if you're extra knowledgable about these matters...
If you were me, what graphics card would you get?
Would I be better off getting more RAM?

And waiting for a new PC is pretty much out of the question.

Thanks.

Well I would have to agree that an FX 5200 would be the best way to go for value. It may not be the best card out there, but for $50-60 it's definitely the best value. And besides, it's far better than what you have right now. As far as quality, I went with an ATI Radeon 9600XT for $140 but they usually retail between $180-200.

[Yamaneko]

Well, assuming you keep your drivers up-to-date, any FX should support DX9.0c fine now, I think. It's not like I check what the card internals do when I play The Sims 2 (requires 9.0c) though, so I might be wrong. xD

FX cards support DX9.0c, but they run games like a slideshow. Half-Life 2 (I use this as an example because it's one of three most graphically intense games on the market now) runs at less than 10 FPS on my 5700LE using DX9.0c. DX9.0c has some nice water effects I could never enjoy.

[Samuraid]

If you can i'd suggest getting one of the new generation cards like a 6600 Geforce. If not go for either a GeforceFX 5700 or5900 or the ATi 9600. And don't get the cut down version's if you can avoid it.

GeForce FX 6000 series cards are truly DX9.0 compatible as they support shader model 3.0
If you want to get one, be careful as most of them have moved to PCI-Express instead of AGP 4x.

[Hawkeye]

5200? thats old by now. get radeon if you can, but if your gonna get FX, get 6000. pricey, maybe, but that card is gonna get old in about 6 months

technology is faster than the speed of light

[Shoeberto]

I didn't say to get a GF4, I said they were quicker than the 5200 cards. Plus a 5200 will struggle to run any newish game anyway and will need replacing in 3 to 6 months time.

I've ran an fx5200 for over a year, with doom 3 and half-life 2, with good fps at medium range graphics. the overall machine is going to affect game performance moreso than the gpu alone will.

[Skogs]

That's just the point - I don't wan't to get a card with all the bells and whistles on of my computer can't handle it. That would just be a waste of money.

[Mirage]

Just a few things I'd like to point out, in cause you don't know.
You will not be better off with more RAM. 512MB is plenty unless you like to keep photoshop open while playing.
You can use cards with a faster AGP speed than 4x on your computer without problems.
I'm not really up to date when it comes to graphics cards anymore, so I won't recommend one.

[Samuraid]

You can use cards with a faster AGP speed than 4x on your computer without problems.

Actually...
Many newer cards have different voltage requirements (cards started at 3.3V, then went to 1.5V, and then 0.8V) and the AGP pin layout on the cards also changed. Be wary when buying a card...in fact, I would suggest sticking with only those that are explicitly 4x compatible.