|
|
 |
|
|
Pages: 1
Video Card Hunt
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)
Posted by: uh...ok
Currently I am still running on an old Voodoo3 2000 PCI... while I can definitely still live with it for another while, I've also been itching to get my hands on a GeForce card (actually, I've been dreaming of one since the very first GeForce came out).
Prices for GeForce cards have dropped considerably, and I was wondering if I should get one now or wait further...
In another forum, someone mentioned the way GeForces were ranked... MX<GTS<Pro<Ultra... MX is dirt cheap nowadays, while GTS is a little more pricy but has much better performance...
So I'm leaning towards getting a GTS...
Anyone have thoughts on that? Or perhaps even suggest a specific brand? (i.e. VisonTek, ASUS, Hercules)
I don't have too much money (as my only source of income is from tips from working at my parents' place, which isn't much  ) and can afford only $110 as of now, but with time, I can probably up that to about maybe $150 or $170... but I really don't want to spend too much on a vid card. Just want something good and cheap, nothing fancy... 
-uh...ok
Posted by: Canis Lupus
If you are a little concerned that it may be too "wimpy," consider buying a 64MB MX-400 version .. still gonna be pretty cheap...
Or if you want something faster that is not an nVidia-based card, get the Hercules 3D Prophet 4500, based on the Kyro II chip... much faster than the MX, and at basically the same price range 
Posted by: Gerbilo
hercules is good.
Posted by: uh...ok
Hmm I'll look into that 4500.
Haven't read too much on Kyro chips... are they also GPU-based?
I've been out of the hardware loop for too long... since my last upgrade, which was a 20-gig hard drive at the beginning of last summer...
-uh...ok
Posted by: Chako
The Kyro 2 seems like a good card, however you must be aware of several things. It does not do T&L and hence has no GPU (It was supposed to be in this version but it never materialized, saying that today’s CPUs are fast enough that you don’t need one. Interesting that they are also saying that they will include one on their Kyro3 chipset). However, with its tile based rendering, you may not need one until more games come out that actually benefit from GPUs and DirectX 8. Here is a site I found that features several different reviews of the Kyro 2.
http://www.neoseeker.com/Hardware/P.../3DProphet4500/
Posted by: uh...ok
Hmmm but I'm running on a P3-450, so whether or not it's a GPU may actually have an effect on performance... unless you guys think otherwise...
Thanks for the link.
-uh...ok
Posted by: JANNA
i would suggest going with a card based on the nvidia chip. mainly for the same reason that glide and voodoo have gone the way of the dinosaur. the extreme vast majority of game makers code for the nvidia chip and drivers in their games. and if a bug does arise in ur new uber game ur more liekly to get a patch for ur problem faster if it is related to nvidia bug than if u had a different chip. i remember way back when a lot of folks used to use powerVR chips and a lot of game companies just blew those users off and fixed problems related to the majority of their users. compatability is a bigger issue than a few fps in performance. i would save up a little more and get the card u really want and is ging to be supported for a long time.
Posted by: Chako
Yes I concur with Wargy. I was one of those sad schleps who bought a Matrox M3D video card (on of the first PowerVR cards) to hook up to my gawd awful Matrox Mistake..er Mystique. From first hand experience….it hurts when your card isn’t supported very much by the gaming companies. Anyone remember all those games that supported only 3DFX in 97? Same thing back then for all those non 3DFX users. Only time will tell if the Kyro 2 will be supported very much by games. It is telling that as it ships, it does not support any of the DirectX 8 features.
Posted by: Canis Lupus
You mean, you concur with JANNA, unless Wargy posted something I couldn't see, hehehe j/k 
Posted by: Chako
Lol....I sometimes wonder where my mind is. Sorry Janna, for some reason I quickly read over the post, neglecting to see who posted it, and for some unknown reason, figured Wargy posted....I stand corrected.
Posted by: uh...ok
JANNA and Wargy DO type kinda alike... except JANNA has way less typos and speeling erors.
Thanks for the advice guys... well I doubt I'm going to be getting a new card immediately... but hopefully I'll have one by the end of summer. And hopefully by then I'll have a little more cash to burn... hehe. I almost forgot that I have to save some money to buy some new games that come out... D2XP, etc...
Oh and 3DFX is still fine... my Voodoo3 runs games pretty decently still. It struggles with Tribes2, but T2 is such a monster that it shouldn't be used as a standard. I get 30-40 fps in Counter-Strike, and maybe 20 fps in the newer game demos that I've played. Just sucks that there'll be no more driver updates. 
-uh...ok
Posted by: Null Actor
I wouldn't get a kyro, just because of the odd compatability problem that pops up.
I think the MX is a good idea... if you don't mind playing in low res. If you like pumping up the resolution of your games, then you'll want to go with a GTS or better.
Posted by: uh...ok
Well I'm just wondering if the MX would last me another year or two...
Right now I'm workin' away (sort of) to be able to buy a better card that may last... In reading the reviews, I discovered that the GeForce Pro got the best ratings and it seems to also be the most bang for the buck.... might go for that...
As long as the Pro is below the $200 line... *hops onto Pricewatch*
-uh...ok
Posted by: uh...ok
Bleh, guess not. It's very expensive right now.
-uh...ok
Posted by: Null Actor
Well, unless you buy a geforce 3, no video card will last you a year. You'll be lucky to get more than 6-8 months out of anything you buy right now. A GTS or better will be your best bet, but even that is going to be struggling in a year.
Posted by: Chako
Yep. that is very true. I was once big on getting the best video card money could buy, but learned that technology and video games march on. Reason why I bought an MX400. It was cheaper, better then my tnt2 ultra, and I won't mind buying the next thing when its prices go down. Do not get caught up in buying the best thing when they come out unless you have unlimited funds, for AMD is on a 6 month cycle, and it can soon add up quickly (not to mention other competitors).
Posted by: Null Actor
You mean nvidia.
Posted by: Chako
ack...yes I was talking about Nvidia...not AMD.
Posted by: uh...ok
It's okay Chako... we know you have trouble with names (hey it hasn't been the first time! )
Anyway, as to Video Cards lasting... this Voodoo3 has lasted me two years, but I guess technology today is different from 2 years ago...
Hmm... a friend I know is still selling a brand new Geforce 2 GTS OEM for $150....
Whaddya think?
-uh...ok
Posted by: Null Actor
It's better than an MX.
Posted by: Foogar
After taking a tour of VisionTek I doubt I'll buy a vid card from someone else any time soon. I've never seen a factory setting as clean as this, but that's just personal prefs tho.
I'm personally leaning tward getting a Geforce3 for my machine. Not that it'll happen soon, I'm going wait until after I switch jobs to start upgrading...
Posted by: JANNA
as things are right now i dont think the gforce3 is a good buy. there really arent any good games out there that can take advantage of what it does or can do. maybe if NWN comes out someday it may be better on a gforce3 but one or two games running a fraction faster than a gforce2 card doesnt (to me) justify the extremely high price tag.
what dictates my hardware upgrades is i ask myself what games do i have and play that dont play as well as they could. when that number becomes the majority of what i play then it is time to upgrade.
|
|
|
|
|
