Video Card Help

The_Mad_KniferThe_Mad_Knifer Join Date: 2003-01-18 Member: 12439Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Difference Between GFX Cards</div> Well, recently I decided that I should probably upgrade my 32 MB GFX card to either a Radeon 9700 PRO 128 MB, or a Radeon 9800 PRO 128 MB. Is there much of a performance difference between the two, or is the only real difference the price? Unfortanutely, due to my lack of knowlegdge, I bought the computer without an AGP slot. So, are there any PCI Radeon cards that would run as well as the above? Or will I have to buy a new computer with an AGP slot? I did a search, but I didn't find anything on this.
Help is much appreciated! Thanks!

Comments

  • TriPhaseTriPhase Join Date: 2002-11-03 Member: 6110Members, Constellation
    you wont have to buy a whole new computer... just a mother board with a agp slot in it.. there is pci cards out there... just gotta look around
    yes theres a difference between pci and agp.. just put it this way agp is better..

    If u just wanna get a card, get a pci radeon or pci nvidia fx

    If u want a radeon agp without a new computer, get a new mobo and the card..make sure the mobo has one

    Or you can get a whole new computer, but be careful.. even the newest computers dont even come with agp slots... like my cousins.. wierd, my 3 year old sony came with one <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
  • TriPhaseTriPhase Join Date: 2002-11-03 Member: 6110Members, Constellation
    oh yeh. one more thing.. if u get any type of good card, make sure your ram is DDR.. believe me it makes a difference... like a 80 fps difference... :o
  • FinaFina Join Date: 2002-11-01 Member: 3267Members
    I just upgraded from a GF4 Ti4400 (R.I.P.) to a 9800 Pro. I'm quite impressed, as I can run any game with full FSAA and AF and it still runs much faster than my old GF4 did with no FSAA/AF at all. I got it from Newegg for around $270.

    Be sure you have DDR ram though. It should make a huge difference in the system performance overall.
  • 2of12B0RG2of12B0RG Join Date: 2002-12-21 Member: 11285Members
    Your best bet would be to upgrade so you can get an AGP card. PCI cards are such crap. AGP= Advanced Graphics Port, PCI= This Slot Can't Handle Video Cards Worth A Shxt. AGP slots are made with only one purpose, video cards.

    And get the 9800 PRO. I'm not sure in the difference between the 9800 and 9700, but I always like to think that bigger is better and faster yadda yadda. Which is why I'm buying a 9800 XT and selling my 9800 Pro this weekend.

    If you're strapped for cash, I dunno what to tell you. But buying PCI cards is such a waste of money in my opinion.
  • MulletMullet Join Date: 2003-04-28 Member: 15910Members, Constellation
    <!--QuoteBegin--TriPhase+Jan 14 2004, 09:24 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (TriPhase @ Jan 14 2004, 09:24 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> oh yeh. one more thing.. if u get any type of good card, make sure your ram is DDR.. believe me it makes a difference... like a 80 fps difference... :o <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Only certain motherboards allow DDR video ram though.....Right? <!--emo&???--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'><!--endemo-->
  • GadzukoGadzuko Join Date: 2002-12-26 Member: 11556Members, Constellation
    <!--QuoteBegin--2of12[B0RG]+Jan 15 2004, 01:03 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (2of12[B0RG] @ Jan 15 2004, 01:03 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> And get the 9800 PRO. I'm not sure in the difference between the 9800 and 9700, but I always like to think that bigger is better and faster yadda yadda. Which is why I'm buying a 9800 XT and selling my 9800 Pro this weekend. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    DON'T

    DO

    THAT.

    Seriously. Waste of money.
  • DOOManiacDOOManiac Worst. Critic. Ever. Join Date: 2002-04-17 Member: 462Members, NS1 Playtester
    No no. go ahead and do it.

    I'll buy the 9800 Pro from ya real cheap ;)
  • GadzukoGadzuko Join Date: 2002-12-26 Member: 11556Members, Constellation
    Dark side points if you take DOOM's advice.
  • 2of12B0RG2of12B0RG Join Date: 2002-12-21 Member: 11285Members
    <!--QuoteBegin--Gadzuko+Jan 15 2004, 01:04 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Gadzuko @ Jan 15 2004, 01:04 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin--2of12[B0RG]+Jan 15 2004, 01:03 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (2of12[B0RG] @ Jan 15 2004, 01:03 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> And get the 9800 PRO. I'm not sure in the difference between the 9800 and 9700, but I always like to think that bigger is better and faster yadda yadda. Which is why I'm buying a 9800 XT and selling my 9800 Pro this weekend. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    DON'T

    DO

    THAT.

    Seriously. Waste of money. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Lol. I have plenty of money and feel like doing it.

    Money is not an issue in my life.
  • Cereal_KillRCereal_KillR Join Date: 2002-10-31 Member: 1837Members
    *looks at his GeForce3* <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'><!--endemo-->

    Well I'm also thinking that some people have even worse than what I have <!--emo&???--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'><!--endemo-->
  • meatballmeatball Join Date: 2003-05-10 Member: 16196Members
    <!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->QUOTE (Gadzuko @ Jan 15 2004, 01:04 AM)
    QUOTE (2of12[B0RG] @ Jan 15 2004, 01:03 AM)
    And get the 9800 PRO. I'm not sure in the difference between the 9800 and 9700, but I always like to think that bigger is better and faster yadda yadda. Which is why I'm buying a 9800 XT and selling my 9800 Pro this weekend. 

    DON'T

    DO

    THAT.

    Seriously. Waste of money. 

    Lol. I have plenty of money and feel like doing it.

    Money is not an issue in my life. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    why must money be an issue in my life ....?
  • JimmehJimmeh Join Date: 2003-08-24 Member: 20173Members, Constellation
    <!--QuoteBegin--The_Mad_Knifer+Jan 15 2004, 04:10 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (The_Mad_Knifer @ Jan 15 2004, 04:10 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Well, recently I decided that I should probably upgrade my 32 MB GFX card to either a Radeon 9700 PRO 128 MB, or a Radeon 9800 PRO 128 MB. Is there much of a performance difference between the two, or is the only real difference the price? Unfortanutely, due to my lack of knowlegdge, I bought the computer without an AGP slot. So, are there any PCI Radeon cards that would run as well as the above? Or will I have to buy a new computer with an AGP slot? I did a search, but I didn't find anything on this.
    Help is much appreciated! Thanks! <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Buy the 9700 PRO.

    Its not as good as a 9800 but overclocking it could improve performance a bit
  • GrillkohleGrillkohle Join Date: 2003-12-23 Member: 24695Members, Constellation
    edited January 2004
    Yeah, its just an obstacle =).

    If you plan to get a new video card, it doesnt matter if you get a RadeOn 9700 or a RadeOn 9800 Pro,

    DO
    NOT
    GET
    A
    PCI
    CARD,

    whatever you do, dont do that. If you have the money for a RadeOn 9800 Pro, take some 100 bucks off and get a new motherboard along with a RadeOn 9700 Pro. I have one, and I can play KotoR on 6x Sample AA without any problems whatsoever.

    <!--QuoteBegin--Mullet+--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Mullet)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->
    Only certain motherboards allow DDR video ram though.....Right?
    <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    I dont think so, but only certain motherboards support system DDR ram (mostly new mobo's though).
  • esunaesuna Rock Bottom Join Date: 2003-04-03 Member: 15175Members, Constellation
    Although, if you're getting a new motherboard (And your current one has no AGP), i'm presuming you'll probably have to get a new CPU too... and maybe RAM as well....
  • CommunistWithAGunCommunistWithAGun Local Propaganda Guy Join Date: 2003-04-30 Member: 15953Members
    <!--QuoteBegin--2of12[B0RG]+Jan 15 2004, 04:31 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (2of12[B0RG] @ Jan 15 2004, 04:31 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin--Gadzuko+Jan 15 2004, 01:04 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Gadzuko @ Jan 15 2004, 01:04 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin--2of12[B0RG]+Jan 15 2004, 01:03 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (2of12[B0RG] @ Jan 15 2004, 01:03 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> And get the 9800 PRO. I'm not sure in the difference between the 9800 and 9700, but I always like to think that bigger is better and faster yadda yadda. Which is why I'm buying a 9800 XT and selling my 9800 Pro this weekend. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    DON'T

    DO

    THAT.

    Seriously. Waste of money. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Lol. I have plenty of money and feel like doing it.

    Money is not an issue in my life. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Must be nice.


    Then again I love being poor. I probably wouldn't be a communist if I wasn't
  • ZelZel Join Date: 2003-01-27 Member: 12861Members
    my personal belief is to upgrade about a year behind the curve. prices are about half of the new stuff, and performance is about 80% of the new stuff, in general it's a much better deal. on the other hand, i'm poor.
  • NikonNikon Join Date: 2003-09-29 Member: 21313Members, Constellation
    <!--QuoteBegin--2of12[B0RG]+Jan 15 2004, 01:31 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (2of12[B0RG] @ Jan 15 2004, 01:31 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin--Gadzuko+Jan 15 2004, 01:04 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Gadzuko @ Jan 15 2004, 01:04 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin--2of12[B0RG]+Jan 15 2004, 01:03 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (2of12[B0RG] @ Jan 15 2004, 01:03 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> And get the 9800 PRO. I'm not sure in the difference between the 9800 and 9700, but I always like to think that bigger is better and faster yadda yadda. Which is why I'm buying a 9800 XT and selling my 9800 Pro this weekend. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    DON'T

    DO

    THAT.

    Seriously. Waste of money. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Lol. I have plenty of money and feel like doing it.

    Money is not an issue in my life. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    well then would you send me some, i definately dont have plenty.......
  • SpoogeSpooge Thunderbolt missile in your cheerios Join Date: 2002-01-25 Member: 67Members
    <!--QuoteBegin--Mullet+Jan 15 2004, 01:04 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Mullet @ Jan 15 2004, 01:04 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin--TriPhase+Jan 14 2004, 09:24 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (TriPhase @ Jan 14 2004, 09:24 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> oh yeh. one more thing.. if u get any type of good card, make sure your ram is DDR.. believe me it makes a difference... like a 80 fps difference... :o <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Only certain motherboards allow DDR video ram though.....Right? <!--emo&???--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Nope. You must be thinking system memory. Motherboards are very specific about what type of system memory they accept but not the video memory.
  • 2of12B0RG2of12B0RG Join Date: 2002-12-21 Member: 11285Members
    <!--QuoteBegin--[BFG]-|NiKoN|-+Jan 15 2004, 05:54 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> ([BFG]-|NiKoN|- @ Jan 15 2004, 05:54 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin--2of12[B0RG]+Jan 15 2004, 01:31 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (2of12[B0RG] @ Jan 15 2004, 01:31 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin--Gadzuko+Jan 15 2004, 01:04 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Gadzuko @ Jan 15 2004, 01:04 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin--2of12[B0RG]+Jan 15 2004, 01:03 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (2of12[B0RG] @ Jan 15 2004, 01:03 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> And get the 9800 PRO. I'm not sure in the difference between the 9800 and 9700, but I always like to think that bigger is better and faster yadda yadda. Which is why I'm buying a 9800 XT and selling my 9800 Pro this weekend. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    DON'T

    DO

    THAT.

    Seriously. Waste of money. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Lol. I have plenty of money and feel like doing it.

    Money is not an issue in my life. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    well then would you send me some, i definately dont have plenty....... <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    lol. Get a job.
  • The_Mad_KniferThe_Mad_Knifer Join Date: 2003-01-18 Member: 12439Members
    edited January 2004
    <a href='http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=246456' target='_blank'>Linkey</a>

    Thanks alot for all the answers guys!
    Somebody suggested that I get a new motherboard. So, thats what I think I will do.
    However, someone said that I may need a new CPU and RAM. Which is why I am here.
    Since I am a newb on motherboards, I was wondering, could you guys figure out if my specs
    will run on this motherboard? Thanks alot guys!

    My specs:
    2.5 GHz Pentium 4
    512 MB of PC2100 DDR SDRAM
    80 GB 7200 RPM HardDrive
    I don't know how fast my FSB is.

    Also, a couple people said that having DDR RAM would make a huge difference.
    Does that type of RAM that I have count as DDR, or does
    the SDRAM part make it different?
    I really don't know anything about computers.
    Once again, thank you all!

    Note: If you can't, for some reason, find all the specs of this motherboard at the link, there is a short review on the page there. Click read the full review, and I'm pretty sure that they list all the specs there.

    One last thing: What is an 8x AGP Slot?
    Jeez im a newb...
  • EpidemicEpidemic Dark Force Gorge Join Date: 2003-06-29 Member: 17781Members
    edited January 2004
    <!--QuoteBegin--2of12[B0RG]+Jan 16 2004, 07:52 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (2of12[B0RG] @ Jan 16 2004, 07:52 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin--[BFG]-|NiKoN|-+Jan 15 2004, 05:54 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> ([BFG]-|NiKoN|- @ Jan 15 2004, 05:54 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin--2of12[B0RG]+Jan 15 2004, 01:31 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (2of12[B0RG] @ Jan 15 2004, 01:31 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin--Gadzuko+Jan 15 2004, 01:04 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Gadzuko @ Jan 15 2004, 01:04 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin--2of12[B0RG]+Jan 15 2004, 01:03 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (2of12[B0RG] @ Jan 15 2004, 01:03 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> And get the 9800 PRO. I'm not sure in the difference between the 9800 and 9700, but I always like to think that bigger is better and faster yadda yadda. Which is why I'm buying a 9800 XT and selling my 9800 Pro this weekend. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    DON'T

    DO

    THAT.

    Seriously. Waste of money. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Lol. I have plenty of money and feel like doing it.

    Money is not an issue in my life. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    well then would you send me some, i definately dont have plenty....... <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    lol. Get a job. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    But how careless can you get? The difference between a XT and pro does NOT warrant spending any money despite how many money you have. Wait for a next generation graphic card. Please <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->

    The Mad killer, I think it means it can be used by both slots (both DDR and SDR slots) not sure though
  • SpoogeSpooge Thunderbolt missile in your cheerios Join Date: 2002-01-25 Member: 67Members
    Wow, that's a pretty impressive board.

    From what I can gather, your FSB is 400Mhz.
    Your RAM will work fine on that board.
    The 8x AGP slot is for the video card. You'll need a card that is either 8x or 4x capable.

    Do you plan on using a RAID configuration for your hard drives? You might be able to find a less expensive board if you don't plan on utilizing some of the features this board supports.
  • The_Mad_KniferThe_Mad_Knifer Join Date: 2003-01-18 Member: 12439Members
    No, I will not use a RAID configuration.
  • SpoogeSpooge Thunderbolt missile in your cheerios Join Date: 2002-01-25 Member: 67Members
    Well, you could find a board for maybe half that cost. Have you decided on the exact model video card you're going to use?
  • The_Mad_KniferThe_Mad_Knifer Join Date: 2003-01-18 Member: 12439Members
    Well, thats cool then. I have decided to use the Radeon 9800 PRO 128 MB version.
    Thanks for the help!
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