New AGP card for DVI

mis3

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Just bought a new Dell 1905FP. So far so good but I am using a VGA cable since my old Asus V8200 (GeForce-3) does not have a DVI output.

I am looking for a new AGP video card with DVI output. Need advices because a high-end card will be wasteful in my system. I do mostly office applications and net surfing. I am looking good text and pictures.

My PC: P4-2.2 GHz, 1 GB RDRAM.
 
If the card is working good and you are satisfied with the results, then there isn't a really good reason to upgrade your vid card. We can give recommendations, but for your usage I think it would be a waste of money...

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mis3

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I did some research. Are the following cards considered overkill for my system? I am running screen resolution of 1280 x 1024.

Sapphire Radeon 9600SE 128MB DDR $65 CAD
Sapphire Radeon 9600Pro Advantage 256MB DDR $107 CAD
Asus A9600GE/TD Radeon 9600 128MB DDR $96 CAD

Will any of these cards perform better than my old Asus V8200 (GeForce-3)?

One more question: Consider my applications, will DVI improve the text/picture/video image significantly over VGA?
 
Your applications are 2D performance, so the 8200 will be as good as the other cards you listed. I just don't think the cards listed are going to significantly improve your video quality.

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Crashman

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Those are all great cards compared to what you have, here's the difference:

The 9600 Pro is the standard model with moderately high clocks and a 128-bit bus.

The 9600 is the substandard model, clocked downward but using the same hardware otherwise

The 9600SE is super chopped down model, it's underclocked plus has the memory bus cut in half to 64-bits.

Also consider the 9550 with 128-bit memory bus. It's an underclocked 9600 and a reasonable value. The 9550 with 64-bit bus is an underclocked version of the already crappy 9600SE.

The standard 9600 would be a great choice, but the small price difference puts added value on the 9600 Pro. But you might be able to find a 9550 for 2/3 the price.

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mis3

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Since my PC is 4 years old, will the other components (like CPU, memory) too slow for the 9600pro?

In other words, will I be wasting money to go for the 9600pro ?
 

Crashman

Polypheme
Former Staff
Nope, your system is just fine for the 9600 Pro. Don't expect any large gains in 2D performance however, new cards get their advantages in 3D.

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alladinsane

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I've found that when switching from a crappy card (MX4200) toa decent card (95oopro) there was a ctually a substantial difference in 2d video. Much Crisper picture, no "lag", etc. I would buy the better card if I were you.
 
G

Guest

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Thats card is pretty solid. I dont know about the advantage part...But the XT has higher clocks than the 9600 pro thus performing better!

Asus P4P800DX, P4C 2.6ghz@3.25ghz, 2X512 OCZ PC4000 3-4-4-8, MSI 6800Ultra stock, 2X30gig Raid0
 
It's easy to say for a few dollars more until you are around $200. The 9600 Pro is more than enough for his usage. Remember - he is only interested in 2D performance...

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Crashman

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Really...I've never seen 2D lag!

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Crashman

Polypheme
Former Staff
The jump up from SE to non-pro is large, the jump from non-pro to Pro is moderate, and the jump from Pro to XT is small. I'd go with the Pro.

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alladinsane

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man, it sucks. My 9500 pro fried, so i have a mx4200 and the thing kinda gets stuck for a second when watching videos every minute or 2. Maybe you haven't had the pleasure of having a budget card in your system :0 What a pleasure it is too!!!
 

Crashman

Polypheme
Former Staff
Nah, videos are just different. First you need a decent CPU for most formats, and then, for MPEG formats many videa cards have hardware assistance.

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mis3

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I think I will go for one for the following cards:

Sapphire Radeon 9600Pro Advantage 256MB DDR ($107 CAD)
Sapphire Radeon 9600XT 256MB DDR AGP (CAD $117)

Do they need a separate power plug?
 

Crashman

Polypheme
Former Staff
They don't need added power, the 9600 chip uses a small die/die process at a fairly low voltage.

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mis3

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One more question:

My motherboard only supports AGP card running 1.5 volts. Can I still use the 9600pro and 9600xt?
 

danizaken

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Is the 9600 8x or 4x? Does your motherboard suuport 8x?
4x agp cards can run at either 1.5v or 0.8v and 8x agp cards run at 0.8v.
In most cases you can run a 8x card on a 4x motherboard.
 

Crashman

Polypheme
Former Staff
Completely backwards, read the next post!

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Crashman

Polypheme
Former Staff
Yes, the 9600 Pro and XT are 4x/8x cards and can run with either 1.5v or 0.8v signals, which they detect automatically.

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Crashman

Polypheme
Former Staff
BTW, there are ZERO 8x cards on the market that don't also support 4x and 1.5v signals.

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