PCI Graphics card

[Andikins]

Would a GeForce2 MX400 64MB DDR PCI be able to run the latest games (e.g. Max Payne 2, Deus Ex Invisible War)?

Woud this be true of all PCI graphics cards?

thanks

[Andikins]

My System specs are AMD 1.2GHz, 256 MB RAM, running Microsoft XP if that's any help.

[amp_man]

It really all depends on the minimum requirements of the game, and the settings you use. You can probably play just about any game out there, but you will probably find yourself lowering detail settings to get decent framerates. Also, this is not true of all PCI graphics cards, I've got a couple ATI Rage PCI cards running around that barely runs anything

[qrazi]

nvidia and ati card on pci are more affected by the limits of the PCI bus then 3dfx cards.
and a geforce 2 mx will not run all games, let alone decent. but it will run more games then your current voodoo card...

[Andikins]

OK thanks for the advice.

What card would you recommend me buying?

I have a 2x AGP slot and a free PCI slot.

[Manuelson]

i don't think so..i have seen run pretty fast max payne 2 under a geforce2mx pci.. all the games runs, maybe with bad graphics, but it runs, i play max payne 2 with my voodoo4 pci with no problems.. there isn't all this difference between agp and pci..

[amp_man]

it all depends on what you're willing to spend. For your system, I would probably put in a Radeon 9600, Pro or XT if I could afford it. These will run you a little under $200, depending on the manufacturer.

[ArchAngelCD]

You didn't how much you have to spend on your video card but you can buy a Radeon 9600 Pro 128Mb AGP card made by Sapphire Tech for $157 USD from zipzoomfly.com. For a few dollars more ($163 USD) you can buy a Radeon 9600 XT 128 Mb AGP. Stay away from any of the Radeon SE cards because they are very poor performers unless your budget is very tight. You can buy a Radeon 9600 SE 128 Mb AGP card for only $88 USD and it will still outperform most of the low end nVidia cards and will do DX9 whereas the GeForce 2 MX card won't. (I don't know where you live since you don't have it posted by your name so I don't know what the prices will be where you live)

IMO the ATI cards are better right now then nVidia, especially in DX9 games.

[peonyu]

"Would a GeForce2 MX400 64MB DDR PCI be able to run the latest games (e.g. Max Payne 2, Deus Ex Invisible War)?

Woud this be true of all PCI graphics cards?"

No it wouldnt. In Deus ex 2's case it absoluely requires a card that can do hardware pixel shading ie- DirectX 8, and a GF2 cant do that, neither can a GF4 mx. If you dont have a DX8/9 card it just wont play. So your only option is to get a DX8/9 compliant card such as a Radeon 8500-and higher, or a Geforce 3 and up [not counting mx's, those wont play DX2].

[Andikins]

Cheers everyone for the advice.

I've updated my profile - I'm from the UK.

I was looking to spend between £50-£100 ideally (i.e. roughly $75-£150), but I guess I could go higher if really necessary.

So is the general consensus to go for a 8500 or higher Radeon card (will have to be PCI I guess)?

[amp_man]

Originally posted by Andikins
So is the general consensus to go for a 8500 or higher Radeon card (will have to be PCI I guess)?

I would reccommend higher, at least a 9xxx card, I'm quite satisfied with my 9500, although you might want to get something even faster than that. I'm not quite sure what the current exchange is between uk and american, so I really can't name a card/price, but a 9000/9200 is relatively cheap, 9500/9600 is a little more. As for PCI, why can't you use AGP? Most cards are backwards compatible, meaning they can run at lower speeds then their max, I've had my 9500 (8x) running at 1x.

[peonyu]

Since you have a Athlon 1.2 ghz then your mobo should have a AGP slot capable of 4x. So with that in mind im going to second amp_man and say go with a Radeon 9xxx card, best one for your price range would be a 9600 PRO since they are a steal for the price-performance that they give and it should be in your price range.
Plus if you search good enough you can get a 9600 pro with a Free half-life 2 coupon [when it ships].

But If your stuck with only PCI slots then i think it would be better to just upgrade your motherboard to one that has a AGP slot, then get a AGP card since they are better in most ways.

[amp_man]

Originally posted by Andikins
I have a 2x AGP slot and a free PCI slot.

[qrazi]

when buying a 9600 pro, beware to not get Lite/LE version. the 9600 pro should have a 400/600 core/mem clock frequency. but there are lots of  400/400 pros out there.

[Andikins]

woo - lots of advice

would this card be suitable?

<http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=55273>

thanks again everyone