"wltdnfaded" <ivyliege DeleteThis @aol.com> wrote in message
news:1169135234.168099.232960@s34g2000cwa.googlegroups.com
> DRS wrote:
[...]
>> The 9200 is quite old. Your motherboard has a single PCIe x16 slot
>> so it will take any current PCIe video card. If you hunt around you
>> can find a Geforce 7600GT for around US$150. That would be a huge
>> improvement over the 9200.
> Thanks so much for your quick response. Yes, now that I actually
> LOOKED at the mb layout, I see that installing my 9200 would be
> impossible. What do you think of the GeForce 5500 series? I can get a
> card for $60. And its PCI.
PCIe (PCI Express) is not the same as PCI. PCI cards are about the slowest
still out there. AGP was brought out primarily because of PCI's
deficiencies as a bus for video cards. PCIe is different again, more
capable than AGP in certain respects, although you'll get arguments about
how useful they are in the real world. 99% of PCIe video cards are what's
known as PCIe x16. You have a single PCIe x16 slot.
Most people regard the entire FX range (5 series) as an embarrasment to
Nvidia, although some will argue the later FX 5900s weren't too bad. A 5500
would be a noticeable improvement over the S3 but it would still be a long
way behind where video cards are at today. I'm not saying you need to buy
an 8800GTX because you don't, but you need to be aware you'd be going from
absolutely awful to barely acceptable. If you are on a budget then if you
hunt around you can find a 7600GS PCIe for around the US$100 mark that would
be head and shoulders above any FX card.
Leadtek have a nice looking factory overclocked 7600GS for US$105:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Order=PRICE&SrchInDesc=7...gs&Page >> Stay informed about: How obsolete is the Radeon 9200 series?