Geforce fx 5200

[mgeorge]

I have just been going through some of these threads and am getting worried! I just bought a Verto geforce 5200 128 MB graphics card to play some of the newer games, (Deus ex, IW, half life 2, etc,), and it seems I got ripped off. I upgraded from my Geforce 2 MMX 64 MB, and to be honest didn't see that much difference except on some of the older games. I was able to up the res quite a bit on the original Deus Ex with the new card, but other games such as SOF 2 doesn't seem much different than the Geforce 2! Is this card really so bad!? Anyway the most important thing to me right now is how bad will the newer games be with the FX 5200, and will I be able to run DE IW at a decent frame rate with my 1.3 gig Athon processor and 384 MB Ram or do I yet again need to upgrade the video card! Christ, just to play a game it seems you need to go out and spend a fortune! Thanks.:confused:

[Red_Carnage]

I hate to dissapoint you, but you haven't bought the best card out there.
The 5200 specs look god, though a GF4 could beat it (the Ti 4400 or 4600).
The only benefit i can think of at this time is that you have DX9 support on your latest addition.
Next time, before buying check out several forums and test-sites.
You'd be surprised how many card get weighed in for SERIOUS testing.
I do think your card could handle DX:IW, but i can't tell for sure, seeing NO system specs are released at the time of writing.

[Amazon Warrior]

I'm feeling your pain. I too have the FX 5200, bought before I took a careful look at this forum, and read the wise words of Lawnboy, god of all things graphical, and now kick myself repeatedly in the head for being so stupid... though I got what I wanted, which was a 'slightly' better graphics card for the buget price of £50, so I can't complain _that_ much. *sigh!*

Oddly, I upgraded from the same card as you, too. Weird.

I'm going to start the Graphical Church of the Almighty Lawnboy, and hold regular meetings to sing of his knowledge and wisdom, while castigating myself with my old 8MB SiS card...

[ADP]

It will run it. Just how good, well dont know:confused:

[Amazon Warrior]

As long as it runs, I'll be happy.

[Tinuz]

Well, the 5200 is, so to say, an expensive frisbee. But i think it'll run DX2.

Indeed, checking before buying is the best thing to do.

[mgeorge]

Well I went to both Best Buy and Staples and was told this was about the best I could do considering I only have a PCI slot and didn't want to spend $300. I guess being cheap has its drawbacks! It just kind of ticks me off that Nvidia sells this like it's some kind of state of the art card for a reasonable price. Apparently you get what you pay for which I should have known. I guess I'll wait for the game to come out and see what happens. I'm REALLY looking foward to this game as I think the original was probably the best ever in terms of gameplay and even if I can't see everything to the max, hopefully I'll be at least able to play it. Thanks guys.

[Lawnboy360]

Like others have said, maybe you'll have to play at low resolution and low details, but it will run. You'll find out pretty soon, when the demo is available, how well it runs.

Even if you had bought a high-end card, your 1.3ghz Athlon would have become the bottleneck at some point. That kind of budget card is probably the best you can find for PCI; PCI simply doesn't have enough bandwidth for high-end cards.

[Xenon]

You get what you pay for in FX5200 case. But you don't if it's 5600. Wonder why I bought it...

[mgeorge]

I guess I need a new computer huh? It kind of sucks when you consider this one is less than 2 years old. I never should have bought an HP! BTW, when is the demo coming out? Any ideas. Thanks.

[Random]

Well, wait until the demo is released before deciding to upgrade. No one knows how well the game runs yet.

The demo should be out anytime between now and early December. No one knows for sure.

[Hwarang]

I wouldn't completely judge from the demo, as a lot of changes are made to a game in terms of its code between the demo and the final release, thats one of the main reasons for releasing a demo. You can probably assume that the final release will run slightly better than the demo after they have ironed out the last few technicolour bugs.

Hwarang.

[crimson_stallion]

Ok, I also have a video card problem.

I was originally intending on getting a 9600XT, or a 9800 non pro, but I am now stuck in a slight problem...

I have approximately $500 to spend for basically the rest of the year. This money was originally all going towards a video card, but now has to get me a video card AND good speakers.

With the speakers, sound quality is very important to me (im abit of a critical listener). Also, speakers are the type of thing you buy every 3 years, while video cards are the type of thing you get every year.

I saw a set of logitech Z-560's at electronics boutique for AU$299, this being the first time ive EVER seen then below about $350. I originally intended to wait for these until later, but this great price left me stuck, as the speakers are now discontinued and are very hard to find, and no longer even on the logitech site. If these speakers sell, i'm stuck with a choice between altec 621's (2.1 speakers) or logitech Z-640's (or the new equivalent). Neither provide the quality or abilities of the 560s, so this is essentially an offer I cant let go.

Another reason i decided to not spend too much on a video card is that i realised that soem benchmarks are already stressing 9600pro's, 9600Xt's and even 9800pros, which means whatever i fork out cash for now will likely be in need of replacement in another year (especially with new cards in development). I just dont think its work spending too much on a card whcih will be simply sub par in a year (while speakers in a year will still sound good).

Back onto the point, this leaves me with only a lame $200 to spend on a video card. This means I now am limited to a choice between:

1)FX 5200
2)Radeon 9200 /9200pro (which seem very hard to find, if they even exist?)
3) Radeon 9600 / 9600pro LV.

the 5200 is pretty much already out of the hunt. My question is, which card would perform better, a 9200 pro (if there is one), a 9600 non pro, or a 9600 pro LV (lower power pro).

From details on the site i saw these on, the 9600pro LV has (i think) the same clock speed as the 9600 pro, but a lower memory speed (which i can just overclock anyway).

I kinda figured the 9600pro LV for AU$240 is a pretty good price, and i might be able to scrape up that extra $40. would it be much faster then the non pro 9600?

Thanks for you help!

P.s.

I will then have to hope my bro will get me deus ex :IWfor christmas :S lol

[lyra]

the fx 5200 sucks,.im sorry but thats the plain truth. it will run Deus ex IW but at very horrible frames. i think u'll have to play it at 800*600*16 with all the details set to low. the card chokes on newer engines and i doubt if it'll run HL2 at acceptable frames. my advice is keep the card till the game comes out and then check it out.

[Neutrino]

I agree... Do not get the fx5200 card...

[Lawnboy360]

1)FX 5200
2)Radeon 9200 /9200pro (which seem very hard to find, if they even exist?)
3) Radeon 9600 / 9600pro LV.

Easy choice, get a 9600. I don't know exactly how much difference there is between the non-pro and the ProLV though.

[Beagle Boy]

I have the Asus v9520 magic 128mb Geforce Fx 5200 with Tv output and 8X agp (working in 4x) 3D card on a P4 2.4Ghz with 512mb ram. I upgraded from an Asus Geforce2 Mx 200 32mb.

I ran Tron 2.0 at 1280 x 960 x 32bit color with max detail ( No AA ). I am playing Max Payne 2 now at max detail ( No AA ) at 1280 x 1024 x 32 bit color.

i think u'll have to play it at 800*600*16 with all the details set to low

I dont think dx2 will support 16bit color.

[lyra]

hows your framerate at those resolutions?
i think your card has a 5200 ultra chip in it though.
and well sorry for my mistake; 800*600*32

[mgeorge]

Hey Beagle. Are you saying something good about the fx 5200 card?! I started this post and that's the first decent thing I've heard about it. Or is it sarcasm? Mmmmm. Anyway, thanks. It's good to think I didn't get totally ripped off. I just got Hitman 2 and Mafia, have to say they're both running smooth as silk at high detail on 1024 X 768 at 32 bit, so I guess it's not all bad. Splinter Cell also looks much better on the new card. Still though, SOF 2 runs about the same on the 5200, (crappy), as it did on my old Geforce 2. Strange!

[REMF]

i'm sorry for those who have 'upgraded' to a 5200, because in all honesty they arn't much faster than a GF4 MX, and a damn sight slower than a GF4 Ti.

yes they have the DX9 features, but they will never be able to use them because the card does not have the horsepower, it will automatically default to DX8/DX7 mode, or run like an absolute dog.

if you had a GF2 MX then its possible you did get an upgrade given how cheap the 5200's are, unless you bought a 64bit bandwidth version which wouldn't be any faster than a GF2MX.

as to a good card for DX: IW?

a 5600U (new version) or a 9600Pro should be the minimum.

a 256bit memory and 8 pipe card would be ideal for DX and future games, which boils down to a 5900/9800 which can be found pretty cheap these days.

a halfway house between the absolute minimum and ideal would be a 5700U or a 9600XT.

REMF

[XIII]

Originally posted by Beagle Boy
I have the Asus v9520 magic 128mb Geforce Fx 5200 with Tv output and 8X agp (working in 4x) 3D card on a P4 2.4Ghz with 512mb ram. I upgraded from an Asus Geforce2 Mx 200 32mb.

I ran Tron 2.0 at 1280 x 960 x 32bit color with max detail ( No AA ). I am playing Max Payne 2 now at max detail ( No AA ) at 1280 x 1024 x 32 bit color.


Let me laugh... what is your frame rate in max payne 2?
If playable, you can't be at max detail... moreover you play at 1280 x 1024. If you tell the truth, you must have serious slowdowns while playing.

[Roquefort]

hey hey hey, i've got a ****ty setup - 1.5ghz p4 384 meg of 133RAm and a fx5200 (128meg, not ultra) also running in 4x mode aaaaaand i've got max payne which i'm running in 1280x1024 with ALL settings maxed except no AA. It runs fine with only the mildest slowdown in big crowded areas. some games just stir the belly of the sleeping beast that is the fx5200!!

although honestly i'm pretty sure the 'beast' should be euthanised and we should all get 9600XT's

(writing my christmas list now :D )

[wilka91]

The GeForceFX 5200 is the worst card one could ever buy, it's as bad as the GeForce4 MX 420, which was not even better than a GeForce 2.

You can't play Half-Life 2, DX2 and all recent games with it, it's just too slow (unless you set all the details to minimum).

For the same price you should have gotten a GF4 Ti4200 or Radeon 9600 Pro, which are 2 times better than the FX5200.

[Roquefort]

i wholeheartedly agree with you but ut2k3 runs beautifully on my getup and dx2 is based on that (i no it's much upgraded, lighting etc.) as does max payne 2. it's a lot to do with programing, just look at halo pc. it pushes 5fps unless i knock it down into 1.4 pixel shader mode.

[KeoC4]

Originally posted by mgeorge
I have just been going through some of these threads and am getting worried! I just bought a Verto geforce 5200 128 MB graphics card to play some of the newer games, (Deus ex, IW, half life 2, etc,), and it seems I got ripped off. I upgraded from my Geforce 2 MMX 64 MB, and to be honest didn't see that much difference except on some of the older games. I was able to up the res quite a bit on the original Deus Ex with the new card, but other games such as SOF 2 doesn't seem much different than the Geforce 2! Is this card really so bad!? Anyway the most important thing to me right now is how bad will the newer games be with the FX 5200, and will I be able to run DE IW at a decent frame rate with my 1.3 gig Athon processor and 384 MB Ram or do I yet again need to upgrade the video card! Christ, just to play a game it seems you need to go out and spend a fortune! Thanks.:confused:

To be honest, I'd say the system is holding the card back. With my system, my GF4 4400 performed a hell of a lot better after I upgraded from 256MB RAM to 512MB.

Also, I think you will find that as DX9 games are released, the FX will start to benchmark better then the GF4, especially as nvidia still have a lot of coding to do on their drivers to make them better.

However when the DX9 games do get here, the 1.3 gig may become a bit of a kick in the teeth, though if you have a good motherboard, it should last you a long while yet.

[mgeorge]

Hey Keo. Thanks for the info. Let me ask a few other questions as I obviously don't know a whole lot about this stuff. Are you saying if I add another 128 MB of Ram to my system (from 384 to 512), it will make a significant difference, or do I need a new comp? Someone else told me that with no AGP slot I'm probably doing the best that I can do with my current system as the PCI slot wouldn't handle a better card anyway. I can't afford a new system right now, but I would like to be able to play some of the newer games. What about upgrading the CPU? Is that something I could do myself, or would the PCI slot hold me back anyway. I've heard that you can get an Athlon pretty cheap right now, but not sure if I could put it in myself, although I have upgraded the memory and video several times myself, and never had a problem. Also I have no clue about the motherboard. I don't even know how to find out about that. Can I get that info from the Bios? Any help would be appreciated.

[Roquefort]

hey, for as little as £160 u can get a whole upgrade kit - athlon 2500 nforce2 motherboard and 512megs of DDR Ram. it's bloody good. Check this out

http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?action=info&sku=120878&p=&t=&l=&AvdID=1&CatID=&GrpID=&cks=SER

[mgeorge]

How much would that be in American money?

[Lawnboy360]

if I add another 128 MB of Ram to my system (from 384 to 512), it will make a significant difference

No.

Someone else told me that with no AGP slot I'm probably doing the best that I can do with my current system as the PCI slot wouldn't handle a better card anyway.

Yes.

What about upgrading the CPU? Is that something I could do myself, or would the PCI slot hold me back anyway.

Depends on your motherboard, which may or may not support recent Athlons, and your memory may not support the higher FSB frequencies as well.

Also I have no clue about the motherboard. I don't even know how to find out about that

Open up your PC and look around, the motherboard model should be printed somewhere.

[Roquefort]

sorry thought i'd already replied [idiot]

$266

what model and make is u'r pc?

[mgeorge]

It's an HP 7935, and I really wish I hadn't bought it, but at the time it seemed like a good idea. You learn a lot in a year and a half, and if I had known then what I know now, I would have gone with something better. I'm gonna check the motherboard now, but its probably something cheap like everything else in this comp. Thanks

[Roquefort]

hmm. can't find 2 much info. however, u'r running slow 133 ram which is a bottleneck, u'r athlon is very old with tiny cache and u've not got AGP. there're a lot of bottleneck's here. I'd recommend waiting for the DX demo, it really depends how well designed it's scalability is as to what performance u can get out of it.
I just wrote my christmas list and here's what it looks like -

• MSI K7N2 Delta SKT A 8xAGP DDR400 Nforce2 USB 2.0 Motherboard £59.92
• AMD ATHLON XP2500+ 333MHz FSB Barton 512k L2 Cache - £70
• 2x DDR-DIMM PC3200 256MB DDR CL2.5 Memory 184-P (for DDR-PC400MHz) £58.68

total = $300
i'm also upgrading my fx to a radeon 9600xt
i can keep my tower case as it's compatible and of course hd cd dvd burner power supply and all pci cards i have.
you may need to check whether u'r tower's got standard fittings cos it's a HP one.

i'm doing this cos it's so bloody cheap right now and its in prep for HL2 and DXIW

[mgeorge]

The only thing I can find on the motherboard is A7V-VM. Does that tell you anything? Also, could I do this stuff myself or would it take someone with a lot of comp savy to do something like this Thanks.

[Roquefort]

hey i'm looking at blueprints of u'r board and it shows an AGP slot???

My advice to you would be to upgrade when you can - u'r mobo won't take a faster processor but u could probably use u'r old processor on a new mobo if u can't afford to buy it all at once. u'r RAM won't work on the new mobo either but everything else should be fine.

Like my system, everything's slow and u have to work out what u can afford to replace when. for example if I bought a radeon 9800 now my 4x agp would bottleneck it as would my *****ty ram and slow old p4.

i'm probably going whole hog cos i've got an overdraft staring at me.

jon

[KeoC4]

Originally posted by mgeorge
It's an HP 7935, and I really wish I hadn't bought it, but at the time it seemed like a good idea. You learn a lot in a year and a half, and if I had known then what I know now, I would have gone with something better. I'm gonna check the motherboard now, but its probably something cheap like everything else in this comp. Thanks

I think that system runs off the S3 Savage4 graphics card. It's an integrated 32MB one and to be honest, wont be able to run any new games well.

EDIT: I put the bit abouve in because I got this thread mixed up with another one. The geforce card will run anything for now.

If you get a new system, what I do it drop all my hardware and rebuild. The problem is, if you get a new motherboard, you old components such as your hard drive and ram will likely run below its higher capabilities.

I recommend finding a small local pl shop that builds custom machines. Tell them what you have, and what you want and how much you want to spend. From here you will get your options. Obviously keep the geforce.

Don't buy from big companies as they design computers for muppets. People who buy it because the high price tag MUST mean its good.

In the mean time I'll find more out about your pc and see what you can upgrade it too.

[Roquefort]

oh and in answer to u'r question it's pretty easy to DIY u'r pc. if not easy then fun. just get a good guide book or get say u'r laptop and set that up alongside it and just use a futuremark hardware forum for step by step advice.

and yeah it is the savage keo and best i can tell there's nothing that'll upgrade on that mobo but could the old processor be used in a new mobo - at least until a new processor can be afforded?

[lyra]

lol okay max payne2 at that resoluion with smooth frames is impossible, even the 5600 ultra has some problems with it. hell if the 5200 was that good it woulda been a sellout. i mean why spend $300 on th 9600 pro when u can buy a 5200 for $100. mkaes no sense
bottom line the card sucks, and u get what u pay for.

[KeoC4]

Right the motherboards fsb is 200, and so I think it has the fastest processor it will support (1.3 Athlon). Also as the ram is PC100 (it doesn't get much slower), you really do need a new PC, the upgrade possibilities for this system are not good.

I can't figure out if you have an atx or mini-atx motherboard, but to be honest your better off dropping the whole system.

Sorry, I couldn’t provide you with a load of upgrade possibilities, but your better off if you stop wasting money on this system and start saving for the next.

Sorry.

I think the system as it is should be able to handle DX2 though.

[mgeorge]

Thanks folks. I think I will up the ram to 512 for now, and then start saving for the new system. It's amazing how fast these things get outdated. When I bought this one less than 2 years ago, it was about as fast as you could get at least as far as processor speed goes, and DDR Ram was new! This is the 2nd graphics card I've put in, so I'm just gonna wait and build a new one a bit at a time, rather than sink more cash into a system that can't really be updated to something acceptable by todays standards. I'm just hoping DX IW will at least run, even if I do have to set everything low. Again, thanks all.

[Lawnboy360]

I think I will up the ram to 512 for now, and then start saving for the new system.

I don't see the point. In a 1.3ghz, 384mb, GFFX 5200 system, the bottleneck isn't the memory.

[KeoC4]

Originally posted by Lawnboy360
I don't see the point. In a 1.3ghz, 384mb, GFFX 5200 system, the bottleneck isn't the memory.

Yeah. Seriously it wont make that much of a system like yours. Also you say you have ddr, I didn;t think that motherboard could support ddr. Maybe I had the wrong one, but everything else is accurate.

[mgeorge]

No no, I don't have DDR, I was just saying that at the time when I first bought it, DDR was a fairly new thing for comps. You were absolutely right. Well, I guess I won't bother adding more ram and just keep things the way they are until I can afford some new components and hope for the best.

[dirigimaster]

Originally posted by wilka91
The GeForceFX 5200 is the worst card one could ever buy, it's as bad as the GeForce4 MX 420, which was not even better than a GeForce 2.

You can't play Half-Life 2, DX2 and all recent games with it, it's just too slow (unless you set all the details to minimum).

For the same price you should have gotten a GF4 Ti4200 or Radeon 9600 Pro, which are 2 times better than the FX5200.

simply stated, Geforce cards aren't as good as ATI cards at the moment. Likely not to be true in the following year, because of Nvidias being more technically advanced than ATI. Nvidia cards are more future proof than ATIs, BUT ONLY FOR NVIDIA CORP. They developed the FX cards TOO advanced for DX9, as such they suck at DX9, But aren't likely to suck at later revisions of Direct X.

[lyra]

HAHAHAHAHHA....WHAT!! the cards are too advanced for Dx9.0.
okay dude that makes like no sense. if that was the case and if people thought on the same lines as you then i think ATI would be in hot water right now. but theyre not. just go to google and type in radeon 9600 pro benchmarks, or type in 9800 pro benchmarks. and i betcha 90% of the results will be in favour of ATI

[Lawnboy360]

That makes no sense. Both nVidia an ATi knew this product cycle would be about DirectX9, and their goal was to develop the best DX9 card.

[wilka91]

Originally posted by Roquefort
i wholeheartedly agree with you but ut2k3 runs beautifully on my getup and dx2 is based on that (i no it's much upgraded, lighting etc.) as does max payne 2. it's a lot to do with programing, just look at halo pc. it pushes 5fps unless i knock it down into 1.4 pixel shader mode.

1-Max Payne 2 doesn't use the Unreal-engine

2-Deus Ex won't run as fast as UT2003, not even like Unreal 2, and even slower than Splinter Cell and Devastation (all U-Engine based games).

[wilka91]

Originally posted by dirigimaster
simply stated, Geforce cards aren't as good as ATI cards at the moment. Likely not to be true in the following year, because of Nvidias being more technically advanced than ATI. Nvidia cards are more future proof than ATIs, BUT ONLY FOR NVIDIA CORP. They developed the FX cards TOO advanced for DX9, as such they suck at DX9, But aren't likely to suck at later revisions of Direct X.

Absolutely. It's all because of the pixel shaders 2.0, something that's going to be fixed for GeForce FX when DX9.1 comes out.

[Lawnboy360]

We'll see when DX9.1 comes out.

[lyra]

i heard that deus ex2, max payne2, and half-life2 are all based on teh same engine. therefore all three games will run slow on nvidia cards unless adn untill nvidia realeases new drivers and DX9.1 comes out.
BTW just curious how is DX9.1 gonna help Nvidia cards? i mean surely they cant have advanced built in technology for DX9.1


BTW just watched the Traielrs and intro-movie...this game is definately worth an upgrade....cant wait to december....

"an invisible weapon for an invisible war"

[Lawnboy360]

i heard that deus ex2, max payne2, and half-life2 are all based on teh same engine.

Well, that's wrong.

Deus Ex 2 uses a highly updated Unreal engine.

Max Payne 2 uses a highly updated Max-FX engine.

Half-Life 2 uses Valve's proprietary "Source" engine.

[lyra]

u serious? oh well gotta get in touch with my friend about that. u sure about that?

[Random]

Your friend was likely referring to the physics engine. All those games are using Havok 2.0.

[Lawnboy360]

The "physics engine" being a part of the whole engine that takes care of realistic simulation of object movement after a collision (for example, rag-doll style deaths).

[Sylvester Ink]

Originally posted by Lawnboy360
Half-Life 2 uses Valve's proprietary "Source" engine.

You mean "Stolen Source" engine. ;)

[mgeorge]

Now wait a sec here guys. Are some of you saying that my wonderful fx 5200 could get better when the new version of direct x comes out? Also what would be a good demo to download just to see exactly what this card can do? Could it run the Halo demo? thanks.

[Hwarang]

Well I havent been able to download the Splinter Cell demo to test it yet as the thing is just too big and I need the internet for study at the moment. Though I did buy a recent gaming magazine and tried the Chrome demo. And I run it fairly smoothly at 1024x768 resolution with everything maxed out except that I use Bilinear filtering and "blob" shadows.

It may not be constant 60fps (anything over that is rediculous as the human eye can only see at 60fps) but it is playable.

But it's doing a lot better than most people in here are saying that the FX5200 cards are good for.

Hwarang.

[Lawnboy360]

Now wait a sec here guys. Are some of you saying that my wonderful fx 5200 could get better when the new version of direct x comes out? Also what would be a good demo to download just to see exactly what this card can do? Could it run the Halo demo? thanks.

1- DirectX : I highly doubt it.

2- Demos : Halo and Splinter Cell are very demanding, so I suggest you try them out to test your card.

[KeoC4]

The fx5200 is a good card and as the drivers get better, so will the benchmarks. However until we get some proper DX9 games there is no way to compare it with ATI's cards.

In life people just need to learn to wait.

[Lawnboy360]

However until we get some proper DX9 games there is no way to compare it with ATI's cards.

What do you mean? Half-Life 2 is the game with the most DX9 features so far, and Radeon beat the hell out of the GFFX cards in its benchmark. It was somewhat better when the GFFX ran at a mixed mode (DX8 when DX9 feature is too slow on GFFX). And this isn't about the ATi/Valve deal; Microsoft, which of course is responsible for DirectX, "confirmed" HL2 is a perfectly viable benchmark for DX9.

In life people just need to learn to wait.

I guess that doesn't apply to hardware. Who wants to wait months before their card performs well?

[KeoC4]

What do you mean? Half-Life 2 is the game with the most DX9 features so far, and Radeon beat the hell out of the GFFX cards in its benchmark. It was somewhat better when the GFFX ran at a mixed mode (DX8 when DX9 feature is too slow on GFFX). And this isn't about the ATi/Valve deal; Microsoft, which of course is responsible for DirectX, "confirmed" HL2 is a perfectly viable benchmark for DX9.

A 'good' card it one that does it's job. Also I never said ATI wouldn't beat nvidia, keep in mind that the fx5200 is a budget card.

I see the fx5200 as a gf4 Equivilant. I never said it was anything more. It simply has DX9 support.

I did not say that the fx was a competitor to a high end ATI card... did I?

I guess that doesn't apply to hardware. Who wants to wait months before their card performs well?

Unfortunately we don't have a choice. Every card gets better with each new driver set. Providing you setup your cards correctly, they improve with most driver releases.

However, I did not say that cards did not perform well when they are first released... I simply stated that they get better.


Does everyone think that ATI and NVIDIA topic must be battles between the two? I was not comparing which company was better nor which of the newest cards are better and to be honest I couln't care less.

EDIT: I just looked at a few fx5200 benchmarks. On some systems it gets beaten by a gf3!!! :eek: When Nvidia say budget, they're not joking! :p

On average though it's still not a bad card for its price, though I wouldn't buy one.

[mgeorge]

Ah, now this briings up an interesting question for me. First off, let me say that I do appreciate all the help I've gotten on this post. Now let me ask this. Just how do I set up the card for best results? When I downloaded the latest drivers for the FX 5200, and I checked the Antailiasing and Anistropic settings, it says it is application controlled (which apprarently is something new with this driver version), and image is set for quality. Should I just keep the settings as they are or screw around with them and if I do screw around how should I set the card up? I mean someone mentioned Splinter Cell which I do have. I run the game at 800X600 with detail set to medium and still get some slowdowns in certain places, but not to bad and the game looks much better with this new card, but could it look better? And do you have to change the settings on the card with every game you play? These may sound stupid to some of you guys, but I really don't know and appreciate the help.

[Hwarang]

it pushes 5fps unless i knock it down into 1.4 pixel shader mode.

How do you do that?

[Jin_Kazama]

mgeorge, i know completely what you're going through right now. I also started a similar thread on this forum about computer problems. I don't have an AGP slot either and was also looking at the 5200. After doing some research, i confirmed what you said about how the 5200 is the best you can do with a PCI slot. I was kinda discouraged after reading all the negative things about the card, but again: it's the best we non-AGP people can do.
There are a few other things i was thinking about:

1) Wish really, really, really hard for a company to release one of the newer cards(radeons) as PCI models. I don't know if it's mechanically possible but you can still wish right?:D

2) I don't know much about it, but i was thinking of getting a new motherboard and then getting a good AGP card. I don't how i would do it, or how much it costs, or how to install the motherboard, or where to get one, but it can't be that hard can it?;)

[oherror]

Originally posted by KeoC4

EDIT: I just looked at a few fx5200 benchmarks. On some systems it gets beaten by a gf3!!! :eek: When Nvidia say budget, they're not joking! :p


i have to agree on that point i own 1 gf3 titanium 500, 2 GF FX 5200 "got them for free:p", and a GF 5900 ultra. i benchmarked them on my system and my gf3 beat out the FX 5200 by well over 300 points in 3dmark 03. the only way i was able to get the FX 5200 to out preform the GF3 was to add after market modifications and to flash the onboard bios to make it think it was a FX 5600. all of which is unnessary when you could just buy a FX 5600 for around the same amount when counting all the mods.

personally i would by a gf4 4600 or a FX 5600. If you have the cash i would buy a radeon 9700 pro. it a good card that is stable, but is around 200 us dollars. still it a good card.

[Lawnboy360]

Just how do I set up the card for best results? When I downloaded the latest drivers for the FX 5200, and I checked the Antailiasing and Anistropic settings, it says it is application controlled (which apprarently is something new with this driver version), and image is set for quality.

Games will run faster if you desactivate AA and AF, and lower the image quality. I.Q./performance trade-off.

[lyra]

sorry to break this to ya but PCI cards a real bottle neck. they have a very low bandwidth and to make matters worse they share that bandwidth with other hardware. therefore getting a better PCI card wont help you. instead of spending lets say $200 on a PCI card id advise you to save that $200 add another $200 to that (im talking canadian money here) and buy a new mobo and a new card.

[Jin_Kazama]

Originally posted by lyra
sorry to break this to ya but PCI cards a real bottle neck. they have a very low bandwidth and to make matters worse they share that bandwidth with other hardware. therefore getting a better PCI card wont help you. instead of spending lets say $200 on a PCI card id advise you to save that $200 add another $200 to that (im talking canadian money here) and buy a new mobo and a new card.

Actually, i was wondering if that was possible. I mean instead of building a whole new computer, could i just buy a new motherboard and use it to replace the one that i have now, and then get a good AGP card?

[Lawnboy360]

Actually, i was wondering if that was possible. I mean instead of building a whole new computer, could i just buy a new motherboard and use it to replace the one that i have now, and then get a good AGP card?

Depends if your CPU is compatible with current motherboards. Also, AGP-less motherboards are often found in non-standard format cases, and in that case, you won't be able to upgrade it using the same case.

[KeoC4]

...also check if your ram can be transferred, and if your currently using an onboard sound card, does the new mobo have it also.

[lyra]

hey u know what i got a good idea. i came across this site and it might be just exactly what you need;

www.hardwareanalysis.com

check that out and post your problem on the forum. oh and also ask them where u can download a program called AIDA. the program will tell you what kind of system you have and what u need to improve with regards to system memory.

good luck.

[crimson_stallion]

Originally posted by Lawnboy360
Easy choice, get a 9600. I don't know exactly how much difference there is between the non-pro and the ProLV though.


Thanks :) sorry for my late reply, my internet was down a week (dang telstra cable !).

[Beagle Boy]

Originally posted by XIII
Let me laugh... what is your frame rate in max payne 2?
If playable, you can't be at max detail... moreover you play at 1280 x 1024. If you tell the truth, you must have serious slowdowns while playing.

Yes it is the Max detail but without AA and no i am not getting 60 fps, but i get 20 fps even in out door levels like the second level with rain and it is very playable. Besides mirrors work on the 5200.

[lyra]

WHAT!!!!wow man ur card special . beats the hell outa the fx 5600...60 FPS.?????? nvidia sure put something special in ur card

[Beagle Boy]

Originally posted by lyra
WHAT!!!!wow man ur card special . beats the hell outa the fx 5600...60 FPS.?????? nvidia sure put something special in ur card

If your reply is for me. :rolleyes: mind reading my reply again, i did not edit it :p

:) :)

[lyra]

OMG im so sorry man. holy.......i apologize buddy.
i guess i read to fast or something,. im really sorry man. i dunno...sorry for being such a jerk

[Beagle Boy]

My previous system was P3 450 with 512mb SDRam and GeForce2 Mx 200, I upgraded only my graphics card to GeForce FX 5200 and got the same fps i got with the GeForce 2 Mx 200 in games like Nolf 2, GTA3 VC ect.

The forum members in tech support open boards said that it could be because of my P3 450 or that my motherboard ram is
SDRam and the 3D Card ram is DDR Ram, and i would get no change even if i upgraded to the fastest card in the market.

I upgraded my system to Intel 845 motherboard, PIV 2.4Ghz, 512mb DDR Ram and i could play all new games with playable framerates.

[Arioch]

I'm glad I just upgraded to a Radeon 9600 pro for $150 from my old geforce 2 mx (stop laughing).
My cpu is only a 1.2 ghz but I'd imagine that since I can handle max payne 2 on the highest possible settings including 8x anti-aliasing and anti-insotropic filtering I should probably be able to manage deus ex 2. ;)

Silly people buying cards from NVIDIA and expecting performance. :)

Anyway, I suggest the 9600 pro to anyone looking for a new card. Anything faster is just overkill for the current games and anything slower isn't worth the relatively minor price difference. The 9700 pro is a good deal too if you want the extra bit of speed I guess, but it doesn't quite seem necessary to me. And if you buy the 9800 xt you just have too much money for your own good.

[MaxxQ]

Hey, Arioch...you wouldn't happen to be the same Arioch that runs the Homeworld Shipyards, and got his own little Easter Egg in HW2, would you?

[Arioch]

Sorry, but I'm not. Actually I haven't played more of homeworld 1 or 2 than the demo of each. Nice to know that I can be mistaken for important people though. :)

[MaxxQ]

Okay....just wondering. Seemed a funny coincidence, that's all...

[crimson_stallion]

Originally posted by Arioch
I'm glad I just upgraded to a Radeon 9600 pro for $150 from my old geforce 2 mx (stop laughing).
My cpu is only a 1.2 ghz but I'd imagine that since I can handle max payne 2 on the highest possible settings including 8x anti-aliasing and anti-insotropic filtering I should probably be able to manage deus ex 2. ;)

Silly people buying cards from NVIDIA and expecting performance. :)

Anyway, I suggest the 9600 pro to anyone looking for a new card. Anything faster is just overkill for the current games and anything slower isn't worth the relatively minor price difference. The 9700 pro is a good deal too if you want the extra bit of speed I guess, but it doesn't quite seem necessary to me. And if you buy the 9800 xt you just have too much money for your own good.

Stop laughing? I'm crying ! I still have one !!!

[Arioch]

Well my geforce 2 mx served me well for quite a long time. But for deus ex 2 you might want to be gathering together some money and looking into an improvement. It's a bit old for new 3d fps games.
Just don't spend your money on anything with "geforce fx" in the name unless you really feel its a good idea. I haven't seen one firsthand but I don't think the benchmarks are worth the money.

Oh...and my price was in american dollars.

[lyra]

get a 9600 pro or xt (free HL2)and u'll be happy for year. but dont upgrade until deus comes out