Videocard upgrade help - From total crap to something usable

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tamas
  • Start date Start date
T

Tamas

Hi, I'm a great lame about hardware an' stuff, I could use some help
pls.

My comp.conf. _now_:
Celeron 1.7
256 RAM
GeForce 4 MX 440 <- _This_ is total crap. And I want something usable,
but as cheap as possible.

Like Prince of Persia and Deus Ex 2 won't run anyhow with this card
(lacking pixel shading or sumthin' like that), and I'm sure there will
be more (Kotor is buggy as well). So I wonder what would be a good
choice.

Like some Radeon 9600 SE? It's cheaper than GF4Ti, deas that mean I'm
out of my mind if I bought that one? What about GF FX 5600 XT 128Mb 64
bit or 128 bit (Pixelview, if it means anything...) If you tell me
it's better than GF4Ti, I'll buy that one.
 
if you are serious about wanting to play games the way they were meant to
be played then a 9600 pro is minimum i would say.
The rest of your system is pretty lightweight as well.
Get a p4 in there and at leat 512 meg of ram. Celerons ar every poor for
gaming.
Or for the price of a P4 you could get an athlon XP 2000+ a good Nvidia
Nforce2 based motherboard and your 512 of ram.
Put a 9600 pro in that and watch her go!!.
 
if you are serious about wanting to play games the way they were meant to
be played then a 9600 pro is minimum i would say.
The rest of your system is pretty lightweight as well.
Get a p4 in there and at leat 512 meg of ram. Celerons ar every poor for
gaming.
Or for the price of a P4 you could get an athlon XP 2000+ a good Nvidia
Nforce2 based motherboard and your 512 of ram.
Put a 9600 pro in that and watch her go!!.
Click to expand...

You have a point I agree, but I don't have that much money. Besides,
I'd settle for being able to play the games smoothly at low-med gfx
settings.
Currently I just want a videocard with pixelshading (meaning GF3Ti or
better) so if either of the two cards I mentioned before would do the
job I'd buy that one, 'cause they're cheap. But I'm so unfamiliar with
hardwares that I dunno if those cards are crap and no better than my
garbage can, or are they good enough.
I simply haven't got a coice, I have to upgrade my video card first,
 
Tamas said:
I'm so unfamiliar with hardwares that I dunno...
Click to expand...


something i always try to remember when i come into a group like this is
that the regular participants will be "hardcore" about the subject because
they wouldn't be regular participants if they weren't. :) so naturally it
follows that they will have the latest information about the latest,
greatest and fastest cards because they wouldn't be "hardcore" if they
didn't. they will also be somewhat dismissive of anything that doesn't
quite match up to what they know to be the latest, greatest and fastest.
there's nothing wrong with that. this is "their" domain and special
interest.

anyway, i just plugged a 9600se into my box and it's running unreal 2 just
fine if that tells you anything. that is easily the most graphics-intensive
game i own and the card is doing fine. my machine's specs are more recent
than yours, so your mileage may vary. good luck.
 
Big Fat Turkey said:
something i always try to remember when i come into a group like this is
that the regular participants will be "hardcore" about the subject because
they wouldn't be regular participants if they weren't. :) so naturally it
follows that they will have the latest information about the latest,
greatest and fastest cards because they wouldn't be "hardcore" if they
didn't. they will also be somewhat dismissive of anything that doesn't
quite match up to what they know to be the latest, greatest and fastest.
there's nothing wrong with that. this is "their" domain and special
interest.

anyway, i just plugged a 9600se into my box and it's running unreal 2 just
fine if that tells you anything. that is easily the most graphics-intensive
game i own and the card is doing fine. my machine's specs are more recent
than yours, so your mileage may vary. good luck.
Click to expand...

A very reasonable and informative reply. Who let you in here?

The posters who are saying he needs to upgrade his cpu, mobo and memory
before the vid card have it backwards, IMHO.

A Radeon 9800XT would be wasted in that system, but a 9600 non-pro, or pro
or XT (I would personally spend a few extra dollars to avoid the crippled SE
version,) would give respectable performance now and do even better when
there's money to upgrade the rest.

When it comes to gaming, video and memory mean more than cpu speed.
 
Hi, I'm a great lame about hardware an' stuff, I could use some help
pls.

My comp.conf. _now_:
Celeron 1.7
256 RAM
GeForce 4 MX 440 <- _This_ is total crap. And I want something usable,
but as cheap as possible.

Like Prince of Persia and Deus Ex 2 won't run anyhow with this card
(lacking pixel shading or sumthin' like that), and I'm sure there will
be more (Kotor is buggy as well). So I wonder what would be a good
choice.

Like some Radeon 9600 SE? It's cheaper than GF4Ti, deas that mean I'm
out of my mind if I bought that one? What about GF FX 5600 XT 128Mb 64
bit or 128 bit (Pixelview, if it means anything...) If you tell me
it's better than GF4Ti, I'll buy that one.
Click to expand...

You got a celeron... and you wish to game.

mutual exclusive unless you only play Pong!

Get a real processor, a Pentium 4 would be nice... yes... and not a
celeron.. a real Pentium 4.
 
Big Fat Turkey said:
something i always try to remember when i come into a group like this is
that the regular participants will be "hardcore" about the subject because
they wouldn't be regular participants if they weren't. :) so naturally it
follows that they will have the latest information about the latest,
greatest and fastest cards because they wouldn't be "hardcore" if they
didn't. they will also be somewhat dismissive of anything that doesn't
quite match up to what they know to be the latest, greatest and fastest.
there's nothing wrong with that. this is "their" domain and special
interest.

anyway, i just plugged a 9600se into my box and it's running unreal 2 just
fine if that tells you anything. that is easily the most graphics-intensive
game i own and the card is doing fine. my machine's specs are more recent
than yours, so your mileage may vary. good luck.
Click to expand...

I'm always here Turkey, and have to agree with what you say. I've been
building my own systems since my IBM compat Tandy dual Floppy, 300 baud
modem for local BBS, Geeez!
I have a intact IBM XT 8086 (something like that) w/Amber monitor in the
attic. Probably what I should be using now!

Hardcore maybe but also nostalgic. You have to respect the old shit!

If I was you I would steer clear of anything with MX attached. At least
video cards. I'm not pro or con for Nvidia or ATI since I own both, but as
of now I think I would trust my money on ATI!!! My 2 cents!
 
Dark Avenger said:
(e-mail address removed) (Tamas) wrote in message

You got a celeron... and you wish to game.

mutual exclusive unless you only play Pong!

Get a real processor, a Pentium 4 would be nice... yes... and not a
celeron.. a real Pentium 4.
Click to expand...

P4 stands for 'Pong 4' only weezles use pentiums!!!

Just kiddin' !
 
You got a celeron... and you wish to game.
mutual exclusive unless you only play Pong!

Get a real processor, a Pentium 4 would be nice... yes... and not a
celeron.. a real Pentium 4.
Click to expand...

Come ON people! Is _everybody_ that maximalist here? I need help, not
disregards about my hardware. :-(
I have a Celeron and it _did_ work well so far, believe it or not. K,
had some problems with the new Unreal and with some other games, but
c'mon, Celeron 17K _should_ be enough. (Though there _must_ be some
shitty things about games not running on older machines. Take any
old-time game, Aliens vs. Predators 2 for example, it runned on a crap
of a videocard, and better gfx than that is only for pussies and
richies. Whatever. I think new games are programmed badly, and they
are programmed badly _on_purpose_ so you have to buy the newest gfx
cards and other stuff, damn I hate this!)
Nevertheless I've already written that I agree, I have nasty proc.,
not enough rams, etc. but I don't have money, so don't tell me to
spend lotsa money buying this or spending little more for that, for I
won't - I can't. I'm a stupid little cod, that's what I am if that's
satisfying.
And I have to buy a new videocard first.
So... Is a GF FX 5600 XT or a Radeon 9600 SE better than a GF4Ti or
not? (If not, I'll buy a GF4Ti, though it's hard to come by in our
country and is a little bit expensive, even if it sounds nonsense.)
 
Tamas said:
I need help, not disregards about my hardware. :-(
Click to expand...


i am an american of slovak ethnic heritage so despite any enmity that might
exist between my blood and yours (assuming you are magyar :), i will send
you an oem (dell) nvidia fx5200 (non-ultra) for $25US. i figure that will
cover shipping costs and my travails in packaging/transporting it safely.
you would get the card and nothing else -- no retail packaging, manuals,
etc... the card was given to me by a friend who bought a new dell and used
the card for one day before replacing it.

if you're interested, i'll post a "throwaway" email address for you to
contact me. remove "nospam" of course. :)

(e-mail address removed)
 
Z28 said:
I've been building my own systems since my IBM compat
Tandy dual Floppy, 300 baud modem for local BBS, Geeez!
Click to expand...


i only entered the "techie" world with an IBM aptiva 166 pentium (non-pro),
so you apparently long predate me in the game. ;)
 
I'm always here Turkey, and have to agree with what you say. I've been
building my own systems since my IBM compat Tandy dual Floppy, 300 baud
modem for local BBS, Geeez!
Click to expand...

Ah -- the old days. I started out with an Amstrad (in Germany at the
time), then a Laser 128 Apple IIc clone (in the Philippines at the
time), then an Atari 1040STE.

Kevin Miller

"The avalanche has already started;
it is too late for the pebbles to vote."
 
Big Fat Turkey said:
the defunct 3dfx crowd. ;)
Click to expand...

Hey, if I'd known that, I would have slammed the door. I still have a
"Rendition: Take it to the RRedline" t-shirt in my drawer. VQuake rulez!
 
Hi, I'm a great lame about hardware an' stuff, I could use some help
pls.

My comp.conf. _now_:
Celeron 1.7
256 RAM
GeForce 4 MX 440 <- _This_ is total crap. And I want something usable,
but as cheap as possible.
Click to expand...

DUDE.... we already told you this in the post below, under a different
handle... "Which video card should I buy"

The 440mx, as crappy as THAT card is, the thing is FASTER than the
rest of your computer. You're video card is WAITING for your PC to
catch up!
Like Prince of Persia and Deus Ex 2 won't run anyhow with this card
(lacking pixel shading or sumthin' like that), and I'm sure there will
be more (Kotor is buggy as well). So I wonder what would be a good
choice.

Like some Radeon 9600 SE? It's cheaper than GF4Ti, deas that mean I'm
out of my mind if I bought that one? What about GF FX 5600 XT 128Mb 64
bit or 128 bit (Pixelview, if it means anything...) If you tell me
it's better than GF4Ti, I'll buy that one.
Click to expand...

A 9600se or 5600XT will perform a little better than the current
440mx... if at all.... and in YOUR CPU/system setup - no difference at
all. A GFTi4200, as I stated is a great card... will do very little
for your setup... but if YOU must buy a $100 card, get that one.

You're trying to get your system to do something IT CANNOT DO.
 
anyway, i just plugged a 9600se into my box and it's running unreal 2 just
fine if that tells you anything. that is easily the most graphics-intensive
game i own and the card is doing fine. my machine's specs are more recent
than yours, so your mileage may vary. good luck.
Click to expand...

Compare Unreal2 on your 9600se to my Ti4200 or 9800Pro... you'd notice
a difference with the settings cranked up.... Yeah, it DOES look
better on the 9800pro.
 
Come ON people! Is _everybody_ that maximalist here? I need help, not
disregards about my hardware. :-(
I have a Celeron and it _did_ work well so far, believe it or not. K,
Click to expand...

Dude... were not making fun of you. You are trying to get
improvements out of something that is very slow. If you can get it
for not much more, get the TI4200... and when you upgrade your PC,
it'll be usable.... its still a damn good card by todays standard.

Look at this chart:
http://www6.tomshardware.com/graphic/20031229/vga-charts-13.html#unreal_tournament_2003

It shows the Ti4200 getting 22~26fps. Turn off the FSAA and it'll be
around 60fps which I was getting on my system. But these scores were
done on a P4-3.2Ghz... about 5 times faster than your current PC.

So with the Ti4200, details on LOW LOW, low res - you can play Unreal2
in about 15~25fps.
had some problems with the new Unreal and with some other games, but
c'mon, Celeron 17K _should_ be enough. (Though there _must_ be some
shitty things about games not running on older machines. Take any
Click to expand...

The Celeron 1700 = Pentium3=750(or OLD Celeron 1.0) or so.... get mad
at Intel for selling bullshit.
richies. Whatever. I think new games are programmed badly, and they
are programmed badly _on_purpose_ so you have to buy the newest gfx
cards and other stuff, damn I hate this!)
Click to expand...

Some games are programmed badly (HALO) but you see... WE WANT the EYE
candy... that requires HORSE POWER... otherwise we'd all still be
happy with our SUper Nintendos and Playstation(Original).... Hey, I
still like playing UT from 1999... good game... play that instead.
Nevertheless I've already written that I agree, I have nasty proc.,
not enough rams, etc. but I don't have money, so don't tell me to
spend lotsa money buying this or spending little more for that, for I
won't - I can't. I'm a stupid little cod, that's what I am if that's
satisfying.
Click to expand...

Fine... you learn... shit happens. Work the streets, pimp your
girlfriend... she'll understnad ;)
And I have to buy a new videocard first.
So... Is a GF FX 5600 XT or a Radeon 9600 SE better than a GF4Ti or
not? (If not, I'll buy a GF4Ti, though it's hard to come by in our
country and is a little bit expensive, even if it sounds nonsense.)
Click to expand...

Ti4200.
 
Ah -- the old days. I started out with an Amstrad (in Germany at the
time), then a Laser 128 Apple IIc clone (in the Philippines at the
time), then an Atari 1040STE.
Click to expand...

WIMPS!!

Commdore Vic20 - 3.5K RAM... 8 colors. 22col b 20 rol character
graphics... and I loved it... "If only I could afford that 8K ram
expander!!"
 
i am an american of slovak ethnic heritage so despite any enmity that might
exist between my blood and yours (assuming you are magyar :), i will send
you an oem (dell) nvidia fx5200 (non-ultra) for $25US. i figure that will
cover shipping costs and my travails in packaging/transporting it safely.
you would get the card and nothing else -- no retail packaging, manuals,
etc... the card was given to me by a friend who bought a new dell and used
the card for one day before replacing it.

if you're interested, i'll post a "throwaway" email address for you to
contact me. remove "nospam" of course. :)

(e-mail address removed)
Click to expand...


Thats might big of you.... hats off.

Hay TAMAS... that's the best deal yet... and put the money away and
save for other upgrades.
 
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