Robert Richmond, vidcard advice?

[Kolgar]

Hi, Robert. Good to see you're still on the boards. About a year ago, you helped me get a performance boost by telling me about a VIA driver update, so I've come to trust what you think.

So what do you think about a vidcard upgrade for a P3-550? I'm definitely not going to upgrade the CPU until next year, but I want to get a nice boost for games such as Q3A and Return to Castle Wolfenstein.

I bought a GeForce2 MX400 for $95, but I got to thinking: With GeForce3 Ti200's available for less than $190, wouldn't I be better off buying one of those and swapping it into my new rig when I get it next year?

Or will the 3D card landscape have changed so much that I won't want my GF3 Ti200 anymore anyway?

I'm kind of torn here... some good advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Kolgar

P.S. I really prefer to play at 1024x768x32 or higher...

[Hellmund]

If u only want the advice of a single member then I suggest u use Vbulletins Private message service.

[RobRich]

Considering your processor, the GF-3 Ti200 would likely be your best choice over the long haul. Wish you would have asked before buying the MX, as you could have bought an ATI Radeon with DDR memory for about the same price.

The GeForce-2 MX (200/400) may prove limited for 1x7x32-bit gameplay when the latest games become available due to its low bandwidth SDR memory. If you are seeking 32-bit high-res, then the Ti200 would definitely be a cost competitive solution with the best in terms of future compatibility and performance. The GF-3 architecture will be well supported by nVidia atleast through the end of next year.

You can reference my condensed GeForce-3 Ti editorial at Rom's:

http://www.romulus2.com/articles/fea...iew/gfti.shtml

Good Luck,
Robert Richmond

[Kolgar]

Thanks, Rob. Your help is once again very much appreciated.

Good news; I didn't open the MX400 yet. Had to purchase it last Sunday though because the sale was almost over.

Will definitely check out the link you posted. Thanks again--and good to see you around.

Kolgar

[bw]

The Geforce2 MX 400 is fine with P3 550. But Geforce3 Ti200 with a P3 550, the video card would not perform at its for potential without a 1000 mhz or higher processor. So a sub 1000 mhz cpu would be the limiting factor for high end graphics card. Wait till next year and upgrade both video card and cpu.

[RobRich]

Today's video cards offer much improved processor scaling as compared to cards of the past. Several members here at SysOpt have noted better 3D performance gains from upgrading to a GF-3 from a MX than upgrading their sub-600 MHz processors to 1+ Ghz offerings. Most popular games can be sustained with a ~600 MHz anyway these days. Video card memory bandwidth and fill-rate are the key issues to pushing maximum textures. Most popular games are texture heavy.

Still, I can't recommend for anyone to purchase a MX these days. I usually recommend the Radeon LE as the absoluate entry-level minimum for gamers due to much improved memory bandwidth over the MX. A couple of simple reg edits to enable HyperZ and a moderate o/c to 166 MHz, and the LE offers mid-range performance comparable to the GF-2 GTS.

Any rate, the GF-3 Ti 200 will ofer much improved scaling when he does upgrade, plus his desire for 32-bit gaming demands the usage of a higher-end card than the MX.

Catrch ya' later,
Robert Richmond