Best PCI Video Card?

C

CUDREW

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Jun 28, 2004
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I have a friend who is looking to upgrade his system a little bit in the coming month. He currently has a celeron 2.6ghz with 512mb on a i845GL motherboard. The motherboard only has PCI slots, not even AGP. He is using integrated video right now. He obviously isn't a hardcore gamer or anything, but he likes to play games on occasion and wants something better- i.e. discreet video solutions.

I am wondering what the best PCI video card out there today would be? Options I am considering for him are:

1. Geforce FX 5500 with 128mb ram
2. Radeon 9250 with 128mb ram
3. Geforce 6200 with 128mb ram (3dFuzion has one listed as being PCI, but I've only seen them as PCI-E. I am wondering if this is a typo? More here: http://www.3dfuzion.com/cards_6200_pci_128.asp)

If I'm missing any cards in my list that would be better, let me know. Otherwise, any suggestion from those three would be greatly appreciated. Currently I am leaning towards the 6200 if it really does exist in PCI form.

Also, upgrading the motherboard for AGP or PCI-E to combo with a newer video card isn't an option. I don't live close to him so I can't help him do a small system overhaul. He doesn't have the experience to do much other than plugging in new components on the motherboard.

Thanks. ;)
 
I think 1 or 2 is really your only option in the PCI variant, I would just get whichever is cheaper as either is going to get by with simliar performance, and both are relatively cheap.

I would not dump any more money into that system besides one of these cards, and they should be able to hold their own in most mainstream games.
 
Yes the 6200 DOES come in normal old PCI format... That would be his best bet.
 
you should forget about the video card for now and replace the processor, celeron cpus are the worse cpus on this planet.
 
I don't think it's worth upgrading anything in that computer... save the money and get a cheap [emachines?] with pci-e. I was in the exact same situation with a celeron around a year ago. From personal experience, a pci card isnt worth it for gaming, really poor performance to the point where the frames stop so it's not worth playing even at 640x480, much less spend money on a new processor. Save the money and get a new computer with pci-e next Black Friday or something or else you will just be wasting your money...
 
If your friend is absolutely not in the position to upgrade his current rig, then I would agree with going the 6200 route. It should be a decent upgrade coming from intel integrated video, but the performance is certainly not going to be earth shattering.
 
There needs to be a sticky for this question.

It's asked like every week. And the answer is always the same: 6200

:D
 
Yes there should be.. also you should include where to get this. I've been looking all over and not found it anywhere..
 
Bump...

Anyone...? Know where to get this 6200 card as a PCI? I tried all the major stores like Best Buy... any specialist retailers or whatever... does anyone know?

Thanks.
Cody
 
mluke245 said:
If your friend is absolutely not in the position to upgrade his current rig, then I would agree with going the 6200 route. It should be a decent upgrade coming from intel integrated video, but the performance is certainly not going to be earth shattering.
Click to expand...

the performance may not be earth shattering but the difference between his integrated video and a 6200 PCI will be close to earth shattering
 
I wouldnt do anything with that rig but re-do the os and sell it to person that has no interest in computers other than home business applications or internet. Take what he gets and build a totally new machine. Heck for 500.00 dollars you can build a nice computer or get a 299.00 emachine. Upgradeing that old dog is like pouring a cup of water in a bucket with a hole at the bottom of it the size of the cup your pouring into it.
 
yea, I didn't bother to read anything past the title but I'm sure the best option for him is to get two 7800gtx in SLI mode.

:rolleyes:
 
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