VisionTek GeForce 256 for $121

[vinnyracer]

I found this card for $121.




http://www.compuplus.com/ets/showpa...ct&selectValue=389&productkey=389

 

[koeizen]

If thats just the SDR version why not just wait for a GeForce2 MX for $119 with 32mb of SDR which is faster.

 

[a2]

when does that come out???? how much are those going to run?
What do you suggest I get?

btw, koizen, does your name come from "The Iron Chef"??? If so I love that show!!!

 

[Bobartig]

I find the $119 pricetag anandtech reported to be somewhat dubious, considering noone else was of the opinion that the 2MX had a fixed pricepoint, and there are currently no announced retail boards with the 2MX chipset. nVidia spokespeople would only say, "significantly under $200." Still, with the dual head capabilities, I'd have to say its still worth waiting for.

a2, for info on the GeForce2 MX, look anywhere, literally! But for more in-depth reviews, either www.tomshardware.com or anandtech.com have lots of information. I'm assuming you've heard of the latter.

[edit] a quick jaunt to visiontek.com shows that their GeForce 256 card model#72711 (the one advertised) is 32MB SDRAM VGA+FPD, 4x/2x agp, 120/166 MHz. Those SDR cards are so memory bandwidth choked, its almost painful to think what faster ram could do... [/edit]

 

[Gosseyn]

The one price I've seen quoted for a GeForce 2MX-based display adapter is from Guillemot.

They've announced that they'll be releasing their first GF2MX card (appropriately called the 3D Prophet 2MX, I think) in the single-headed configuration on July 10th for $149 list, and the dual-headed model "later next month" for $179.

Because of that, and because I'm no great fan of Guillemot, I chose to purchase the VisionTek GeForce 256 SDR card myself. At $121, it's a steal.

BTW, Compuplus has a couple of other good deals going -- I also ordered a Maxtor DiamondMax VL30 30.7GB 5400rpm UDMA66 HDD for $124. Even if it's only got a 512k buffer (I think it's a full 2mb), it's still a pretty warm deal.

Oh, they've also got the ELSA Erazor X -- a GeForce 256 SDR card -- in retail box for $139.

Last comment -- their shipping/handling costs have dropped drastically since I'd last dealt with them -- shipping on one item via Airborne Express/Fedex is a not-too-unreasonable $11, and shipping on both of the items in my order was $18.95.

[edit] Sure, the GeForce256 SDR is performance-constrained by its limited memory bandwidth. However, considering that I've got a plain old Viper V770 (not an Ultra) in my Athlon-700 based system, even a GeForce256 SDR is a HUGE improvement over my current plight.
(Besides, I just bought the wifey a Compaq notebook PC, extra SODIMM memory for it, *and* a Mavica digital camera. I can't afford to spend much on myself...heh.) [/edit]

 

[fr]

Hmm...Erazor X seems tempting. Also, there's a combo where you get the Erazor X and a pair of wireless revelators for $146. I was set on getting a GF2 MX, but now I'm not so sure.

 

[Gosseyn]

Revelator wireless 3D glasses? The ones that use LCD shutters to generate the 3D effect?

You'd better have a display adaptor AND a monitor capable of vertical scan rates of 120Hz or better, otherwise you'll be getting a helluva headache VERY quickly from those. At 100Hz vscan, flicker is noticeable to some people (when using the Revelator glasses), and anything below that will be visible to virtually anyone.

The quality of the 3D effect isn't particularly good, in any event. I wouldn't take the availability of 3D "glasses" into consideration when purchasing a good display adaptor.

[edit]
Got my Compuplus shipment today... drive's a Diamondmax VL30 OEM, no speed demon, but at $124 for 30.7GB, I'm not complaining. It's fine as a secondary HDD.

The VisionTek GF256SDR isn't half bad -- it has 5.5ns Hyundai SDRAM and active cooling on the GeForce processor itself -- it looks like they used thermal tape to mount the GPU to the heatsink. It's running fine now, but I'll find out shortly if this bad boy can be overclocked at all, heh heh... not a bad deal for $121, in any event.
[/edit]

 

[Creig]

Yes, you do need a good monitor to use the glasses, but they ARE a lot of fun. If you thought those headjumpers in Half-Life were spooky WITHOUT the glasses.... WHEW!

 

[Howard]

I think they're called headcrabs .

 

[vinayag]

At $130, why not go for one of the Matrox G400s. They are a tad slower than the Geforce, but then they make up in the quality and dual head features.

 

[manly]

the Erasor X isn't DDR?

 

[fr]

manly, the Erazor X is SDR. The Erazor X2 is DDR.