I need some advice for video cards!

[Doomtroop]

Hey there, I'm a big fan of online games like counter-strike and I wanted to know what was the best video card to buy for my system.

I have :
-750MHz AMD Processor
-384 RAMs
-Geforce 2 MX 400
-SoundBlaster Live
-Windows XP
-Etc.

I wanted to replace my geforce 2 MX 400 which something that would provide me with more fps (frames per second). I wanted to replace my gf2 mx 400 with a new video card, maybe another gf2, who knows.

I need advice on what to buy (should I go with a gf4 or gf2 or ati or something else). Please help me out here! All I want is something to run my game (cs) better, any suggestions are open.

P.S. I'm willing to pay around 150$ US for a new video card.

Thanks a lot !

 

[LS20]

70$ for an ATI Radeon 8500LE

the other 80$ can be used towards a new mobo, then, eventually, a cpu

 

[AnAndAustin]

Yeah the 750mhz CPU is going to limit the potential of any gfx card so that should be high on your list. Given the prices of AthlonXP1800+ to XP2100+ it makes a lot of sense. Do check what your mobo can support, even a Duron 1.2ghz will give you a HUGE boost and are almost given away free!

You could get a GF4MX440 (non SE, -8X if you can) which is significantly faster than the GF2MX400 and better than any GF2 BUT it makes a lot more sense to get a DX8 gfx card. So you should really be looking for in order of preference (going up to most preferable):

GF3 or Rad9000PRO (note the PRO)
Rad8500 (inc the 8500LE and pref with 128MB)
GF4TI4200 (being the most desirable)

All these cards are close esp on slower CPUs, these should start from about $70 and top out around $110, with your current CPU wasting much of the gfx card power you'll want to enable full AF and on the GF cards some AA too. For $150 you could get a Rad9500 BUT there'll be no point at all unless you have much better core components. A GF4MX should cover your needs BUT I'd suggest at least a Rad9000PRO/8500LE and a better CPU.

 

[spanky]

hey just wanted to mention one thing for ya. it might be slightly off topic in regards to ur questions, but i felt it was somewhat significant. i used to run a radeon 8500 and now i run a ti4200. the image quality on the radeon realy blew away the ti4200. something to keep in mind if image quality is important to ya

 

[Doomtroop]

Thanks guys. Think i'll go with a radeon or gf4. I live in Canada so prices aren't exactly the same but your post really gave me an idea. Thanks again!

 

[IBdaMac]

I do'nt know dude.... For 150 bucks I would most likely go with the Radeon 9500. I've been a fan of ATI for years now
and I wouldn't trade my 9700 pro for the world. If the 9500 is anywhere near as good (and the benchmarks say it
is) then I would go with that.

 

[Doomtroop]

How about the Radeon 9000 64MB AGP DDR? It's a little cheaper but still quite good. What do you think? Is it better to spend more money on a better video card or just go with the Radeon 9000? I want a card that will perform at his maximum. I'm thinking of upgrading my AMD to 1800+ too. I want something that will last but won't cost me a fortune either.

Cs is my life =D. I really need a card that will run smooth in counter-strike.


Tnx.

 

[Slappy00]

Cs is my life =D. I really need a card that will run smooth in counter-strike.

not sure why but that scares me

 

[Doomtroop]

lol i'm joking....

But i want something who will run smooth on cs, cause it's the only game I really play on my computer...

 

[Slappy00]

hehe i was just pullin your leg...

offtopic:

I was once a CS addict too, infact my clan (FA_) was top 10 in OGL Central for quite some time (about a year ago) and we were about to start STA and CPL, but things fell apart (like they often do) and we went our seperate ways... Dont get me started on the comunity... Thats why i bought myself a 9700pro and am (im)patiently awaiting the release of Raven Shield

 

[Orbius]

Do yourself a favor and dont get a Gf4mx, if you want a budget card get a 8500 or if you want to spend more look at either the Ti4200 or the 9500 pro.

 

[gtd2000]

OK - STOP!

First of all = what is you fps_max setting?

72fps (standard) or 100fps (modified)

A GF2MX is already more than enough to play CS - especially overclocked!

My old Axle GF2MX would play CS at 100fps dipping down to 70+fps in extreme situations. This was at 1280x??? - whatever the max screen resolution is.

This gaming was powered with a Duron 700@933Mhz also.

 

[spanky]

well yes the limit for fps on CS is 100. but with a better video card, u can make it all pretty with AF and/or AA. it is generally accepted that the 8500 is a step better then the 9000. for $150... i would either at an ATI made 8500 or wait for the price to drop on the 9500 pro.

 

[gtd2000]

well yes the limit for fps on CS is 100. but with a better video card, u can make it all pretty with AF and/or AA.

But if you still have the fps_max = 72 setting, then putting in a Radeon 9700 will not get you past 72fps.

It needs to be established whether or not Doomtroop is aware of this first of all.

The GF2MX is a very respectable card for playing CS and is very hard to beat on a bang for the buck basis.

Right now if he is still on 72fps he will get a possible 28fps increase purely by changing a value in the console.

I really don't think you can justify the upgrade to any other card if you only play CS - especially if the console values and overclocking of the card have not yet been taken advantage of

 

[Doomtroop]

Hey, ok I've set my fps_max at 101 but I still get like 60 fps and 20-30 fps in situations where I meet someone. So it moves up and down a lot! Anything I can do to get better fps with my gf2 mx 400? I don't know tons about computers but I know how to overclock my video card.

Also, i have a 750MHz processor which i plan on upgrading to 1.3 pretty soon. Will this upgrade make a big or small difference between my old and new fps? I'm really counting on high fps to run cs, my priority is performance (quality is less important for me) and at the level that I play (been playing over 3 years now) it is crucial to have a smooth game!

Also, what is AA and AF?

I know I have tons of questions but I really appreciate all the time you guys spend at answering them!

Thanks a lot again!

 

[gtd2000]

You can only set the fps_max to less than or = 100 as far as I am aware.

There is something amiss if you are only getting those fps. The GF2MX is a very fast card for playing CS. In the day the little cheapo MX card was faster than a full-bore Radeon DDR 64 in playing CS.

Are you 100% sure you have a GF2MX and not a TNT2 M64 or suchlike?

Try changing the screen resolution and report your fps at say 640x 480, 800x600, 1024x768 etc .

 

[Quixfire]

If you are running a AMD Duron, then yes a t-bird at 1.3 or even better a XP 1600+ or 1700+ would make a difference in your frame rates. If you are running an old Slot A processor, then you better upgrade you board and CPU.

 

[gtd2000]

Also what setting is your monitor refresh rate? if it is at 60hz then that will be your max frame rate.

I ususally set my monitor to 100hz and leave it at that.

You can also look at the vsync settings (enable/disable) for your MX in the display properties to see if that helps your frame rates.

The card you have can also be overclocked depending on the RAM that you have - my old Axle (brand) had -5ns chips - which allowed for an overclock of 210/230. It was also the original MX - before the 200 and 400 variants came out.

 

[Doomtroop]

Yes I'M sure i have a gf2 mx 400 from ABIT. Also I am perfectly sure that my fps_max (or max_fps) is set at 101.

Vsync = off

Ram = no clue I lost manual

How can I know how much Ram i have and to exactly how much I can overclock my video card?

Thanks