Rodion Posted May 18, 2003 Share Posted May 18, 2003 I need some advice on whether or not I should buy a new video card and, if so, which one I should get. Here's what I currently have: P3 933mhz 384mb SDR GeForce2 MX400 64mb PCI GTA3 ran somewhat sluggishly on my system. I could get 25-30 fps in Portland and Shoreside Vale, but Staunton Island was very sluggish. From what I've read, Vice City supposedly runs better than GTA3. Do I need to upgrade my video card to play it? Keep in mind that my mobo has onboard video, therefore limiting me to PCI video cards only. If I do need to upgrade, which PCI card is the currently the best? Also, which card is the best value? Here are some of my options: GeForce FX 5200 128mb DDR for about $107.00 GeForce4 MX440SE 64mb SDR for about $52.00 Radeon 9000 64mb DDR for about $89.00 Is the MX440SE sufficient enough to run Vice City smoothly with decent graphics quality? Do I need to upgrade at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt0153 Posted May 18, 2003 Share Posted May 18, 2003 That card should be fine but if u can upgrade do it,because the PCI thing might cause some problems. Do u have a AGP slot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroBomb Posted May 18, 2003 Share Posted May 18, 2003 Well either the 9000, or the 128 MB GeForce one. I think those are the best. If you want top notch graphics, and around 60-90 FPS, I would suggest a GeForce 4 440MX 128 MB. Cuz dats wut I gots and I luvs I remember I got that for only 64 dollars at a site (with shipping and everything). Good deal aye? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodion Posted May 19, 2003 Author Share Posted May 19, 2003 (Bump) I would suggest a GeForce 4 440MX 128 MB. I wasn't aware that there was a GeForce4 128mb for PCI. I've only seen 64mb versions. There is a GeForce FX 128mb for PCI. Is that what you meant? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTA3Freak-2001 Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 I wasn't aware that there was a GeForce4 128mb for PCI. I've only seen 64mb versions.I don't think you can get 128Mb in PCI range, even if it did only 64MB would be used at a time because of the PCI restriction. I suggest you get a new mobo and processor that has an AGP slot but I reckon a GeForce 4 MX440 64MB would be good, I have one myself but its the AGP version and it works great with GTA3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TiTaN_KGB Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 i would advice: Geforce FX 5800 or GeForce 4 Ti series. Also ATI 9500pro or 9700pro aere good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalXTC Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 why do people always suggest Nividia? they suck a$$ buy Ati. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodion Posted May 19, 2003 Author Share Posted May 19, 2003 I don't think you can get 128Mb in PCI range, even if it did only 64MB would be used at a time because of the PCI restriction. I suggest you get a new mobo and processor that has an AGP slot but I reckon a GeForce 4 MX440 64MB would be good, I have one myself but its the AGP version and it works great with GTA3. PNY makes a GeForce FX 5200 128mb DDR card for PCI. Here's a link for it: http://www.pny.com/products/verto/geForceFx/5200pci.cfm Does anyone have this card or know whether or not it's worth $107. Would I be better off getting a GeForce4 MX440SE 64mb PCI for like $55? KEEP IN MIND THAT AGP CARDS ARE OUT OF THE QUESTION. MY MOBO ONLY HAS PCI SLOTS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanteinCali Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 If I were in your position I would be working on a new mobo and chip. XP2100 Amd is around the $70 mark now and you can get a very good nforce2 mobo for well under $100. Start there for now if money is a issue and then get a vid card a bit later. With your cpu so weak a video card will only help you out so much. A newer mobo with a agp slot will greatly increase your video card options as well. You should be able to find a good deal on a GeForce 4 ti 4200/4400 as well. I just sold mine for $100 when I got my ATI9700 so there are good deals around Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Shot Ya Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 im running GTA Vice City PC on a sh*tty 32mb TNT 2 and its running smoothly. Dunno why theres people havin troube with VC PC who have Video cards which beat the sh*t out of mine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurgen Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 "why do people always suggest Nividia?" ... because they're good cards, and have always had far, far better driver support than ATI have ever had. ATI make great hardware, but they need to revamp their software support department big-style. nVidia cards most definitely do NOT "suck a$$". Unless you're blind & ignorant. K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanteinCali Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 "why do people always suggest Nividia?" nVidia cards most definitely do NOT "suck a$$". Unless you're blind & ignorant. K. I agree they make very good cards. Ive had the last three versions Geforce2,3, and 4 with no complaints whatsoever. At the moment though, ATI seems to have a bit of a lead. I wouldnt give up this 9700 I have for any GeForce out there. Except maybe thier newest one but that thing approaches the $400 mark. That being said they are definetly a good buy right now especially if you get the ti4200 or ti4400. You really cant go wrong with those cards for the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortal LuD Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 If you want top notch graphics, and around 60-90 FPS, I would suggest a GeForce 4 440MX 128 MB. Pffftt, hahahah! Oh man, thanks for the good laugh. I wouldn't even recommend a GeForce 3, or GeForce 4 Ti 4200/4400 against an old Radeon 8500. The old Radeon 8500, (which is dirt cheap), out performs all of them, has more features, and better image quality. I've owned nVidia and ATi cards in the past, and I don't think ATi's drivers are in any way lousy. I think they're great. Just depends on if you're willing to spend more money for better performance and features. Radeon 9800 Pro anybody? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurgen Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 An 8500 out-performing a 4400!? Not in my experience. Also, it's not just my opinion that ATI's driver support is lacking, it's a well known fact. From the forever-delayed release dates to software incompatibility issues, they don't enjoy anything like the kind of history that nVidia's driver stability/compatibility affords. As I said before, while the hardware is great, software support is in need of a rethink. K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortal LuD Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 Well, do you even use ATi's cards? I've used Nvidia's, and they're just fine... And so is ATi's, their drivers are fine, they're stable, and they work just fine, and have for the past two or three years. Nothing to b*tch about, unless someone is just biased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulie Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 A geforce3 beats geforce4 mx 4xx. I'd suggest a gf4ti4200 or if you find a cheap gf3 buy that. But if I were in you, I would spare a little money and buy a Radeon 9500. They have full dx9 support and fast. TiTaN_KGB:"i would advice: Geforce FX 5800 or GeForce 4 Ti series. Also ATI 9500pro or 9700pro aere good" I would NOT suggest to buy a FX 5800. Instead I would buy Radeon 9700 or 9800. I think Nvidia made a mistake with that card . Hope they plan their next card better... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurgen Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 "unless someone is just biased." Nope, I do however build PCs for a living, and we haven't used ATI cards for quite a while, unless asked for specifically. This is due in part to flaky drivers, admittedly earlier versions, but also the rubbish that comes bundled with some cards, i.e. stupid taskbars causing GPFs & Illegal Ops in 98SE/2K/XP. Unwanted, but installed whether the user wants them or not. Also, although I do realise this may be only a personal gripe, but I don't like cards that try to do too much, nVidia included, but some of ATI's all-in-wonder range should never have left the factory. We spent about 6 months in 1999 trying to reclaim thousands of pounds worth of stock (faulty due to driver instability/incompatibility) from suppliers, and the All-in-wonder range were the main culprits, along with a pile of Rage Pro/Rage turbos. So I guess the point of this rant is that I base my criticism on personal experience, rather than something said in a trendy mag... I personally use nVidia cards (for over 4 years), one in each PC, and have had absolutely no issues with any piece of software, none, not one, and in that I include games, office software, high-end 3D rendering packages, (LightWave 5/6/6.5 and now 7, Bryce 2/3/4 and now 5, Maya, 3DSmax, etc), all of which run beautifully on nVidia cards, from the old Riva128 thru to the GF4-4600. I have yet to give any GF-FX cards a serious going over, as we've had little demand for them as yet. Not biased, jaded maybe, but not biased. K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortal LuD Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 While I'd agree on your choice of nVidia over ATi's cards, I don't see where their software and or drivers are flaky. I've used the Radeon line of cards since I ditched out my old GeForce2, and I can't think of one problem I've ever had off the top of my head. Granted, the GeForce2 never had any problems, or anything bad with the drivers, but even at that time I used both ATi and nVidia cards for the programs you mentioned, as well as hardcore gaming and had great results with both cards, and all driver sets. (There are some oddball leaked drivers for both cards though.) Even 'till this day I goto the Rage3D forums and see people having problems which stump me... 90% of these people crying about driver problems, bugs, or glitches are overclocking their cards way too far, have messy computer setups, and so-on. Same goes for the nVidia users, as I've been to their forums for a while too. Anything bugging you such as "taskbars" causing problems, lock-ups, and illegal operations is bull. You can fix that, can't you? I remember my mobile GeForce2 and mobile Radeon causing problems in my old Dell laptop, but hell, at that time Dell had some of THE worst drivers for those mobile cards. Building machines for people/clients is one thing, but what you use for your personal gaming/work machine is another thing. I myself would probably use nVidia's lower line of cards for people who do everything but gaming and modeling/animation, because they'd most likely have less problems and find it easier to get the drivers and have things running straight. But there's a thick line that seperates those kinds of people, from us... And that's common sense, and knowledge about computers, video cards, drivers, etc... Blah... I gotta stop talking, see ya! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodion Posted May 20, 2003 Author Share Posted May 20, 2003 I can hardly believe how far this thread has wavered from the original topic. I just wanted to know if anyone had any advice for me regarding PCI video cards. Most of the posts have either been about AGP cards or arguments about ATI vs. Nvidia. Do people even read posts before they reply to them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurgen Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 Apologies Rodion, we did kinda hi-jack your thread there... Soz m8. K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulie Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 Whoops . I thought you were after AGP-card because other people were talking about AGP-cards too . Sorry about that. To the nvidia vs. ati, I want to mention that driver problems are thing of the past now. Ati's cards work fine today and I have had both nvidia and ati. Both cards and their drivers have worked fine. The card I'm using now is a Radeon 9700 pro. Nothing wrong with the card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalXTC Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 May be a little late but i wanted to share with you all how awsome ATi is.... Ive got a sony vaio laptop which is currently my primary gaming source. Its a 1.13Ghz P3M with 328 MB of RAM and heres the best part....A Ati 7500 Radeon Mobilility with..........16MB DDR Memory....Only 16!!! and it runs games like Vice City GREAT! 800x600 with 32bit with no problems I even have the draw distance cranked all the way up. While id like to play games at 1024 x 768 it dont bother me too much. Heck even Raven Shield Runs Great. I also agree with the comment made eariler an Ati 8500 LE with 128 MB of DDR Memeory can be bought for around 100 dollars and will out do just about any GeForce Card out there (except the newest ones of course). I have to give it to rockstar for soing a better job on VC. I just hope they release a real patch for all the other bugs in the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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