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Which card?

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ganonshin

Registered
Joined
Jul 15, 2004
I would like to upgrade my existing card, (an nvidia fx5200), but do not know which one to get. I want to spend about £100ish on one.

I have seen a nvidia gf fx5900xt 128mb for £117, how good a card is it and is it good value for money?

The reason I want to upgrade is to play doom3 and half life 2. I know the specs say my system will be able to play it but I want it to be the best it can without spending £300+ on a card.

I know alot of people prefer the ati cards, but I had a friend who could not get his up and running on his machine and it put me off them cards, (it was not faulty).

Could anyone recommend a card that will work with my system or give me some pointers as to what to look out for.

By the way my computers spec is -

MSI kt6 delta 6590 mobo
Amd 2600+ barton
512mb(333mhz) ram
Nvidia gf fx5200
120gb maxtor hdd
230w psu(dont know if you need to know this)

Thanks everyone.
 
Anything in the Nvidia line that is higher than that 5200 will do you good. If, like you say you can, get the 5900 for that price, go for it. That card is far above a 5200, and if you are into OCing and changing the BIOS, it is possible to get that card to run at 5950 speeds.
 
Also, WELCOME TO THE FORUMS!!!!!


Another hint, keep your system specs in your sig, like mine, so further help will not require you to write it down everytime.
 
a 230 watt PSU!...jeez might want to look into upgrading that too...alot of the power hungry cards have PSU requirements..i got a 5200 and just bought a 5900NU looks lika good card to me, and if you can pull off the BIOS flash and get it to a 5950u then you can OC it even further...its a fast little card.
 
Thanks for all replies.

I dont know what to do now Ive seen this ati radeon 9800 pro flashed to a 98000XT (second hand), the specs are core speed 438mhz and ddr speed 370mhz, thats what the guy says and it has a arctic vga cooler too, does it sound about right? I should be able to get this cheaper than the 5900XT.

Will the ati be easy to setup seeing that I have a nvidia in at the moment ive never upgraded a card before, Which one would you lot go for? and what do you think the ati card is worth, I think £80 sounds near the mark. what do you think?

Cheers all.
 
So do the specs for the ati seem ok? And what should I pay for it?
 
ok so ive made my mind up. I am going to get a ati 9800 pro for £120 and a 400w psu for £20 too.

Is there anything I have to look out for, as in will these bits be compatible with my computer?

The psu is a atx one my case is a midi atx - should fit straight in right?

And the card will fit staight in my agp slot right?

I can't think of anything else, can anyone else?

Thanks to everyone who has helped so far.
 
Well I have ordered the card and psu.

I opened up my comp and noticed it said max 450w on the side of the psu, I was getting mixed up with 230v(at the back), so it looks like I might not need the psu afterall.

Also I noticed there is no power connection going to my fx5200, I thought there would be one. I take there will be one with the 9800 pro what type will it be, a normal cdrom/hdd type?

Can anyone give more pointers on the above two points and can anyone think of any other problems I might come across.

Thanks to all who reply and keep up the good work.
 
yes on the 9800pro there will be a molex connecter, (a molex connecter is the same on that is on the HD's and CD rom drives)

and yes if you have a 450w power supply you will be just fine

and the ATI radeon 9800pro has much better image quality then most of the Nvidia line and is faster also, except for the 6800 series, but those are the top of the line
and if you are running a fx5200, then i am pretty sure that you will be able to run a 9800pro, so dont worry about compatiblity problems

also make sure that you are running the latest drivers from ATI's website

besides that i realy think that you will love that new vid card

also just so you know, going from a fx5200 to a 9800pro, is like goiing from a honda civic to a porcshe 911 turbo, its that fast!
 
WooHoo!!!!!!

Thats the best news ive had all.....well for a very long time.

I just cant wait, I should have it by Wednesday. If I have any problems I will post them here.

Thank you very much.
 
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