Which video card?

[Bert]

I'm upgrading from a Pentium MMX233 to a system that anticipate using for the next few years.

XP1700+
Thermaltake V6
Shuttle AK31 Rev 3.1
256MB Crucial DDR memory
OS Win XP
350W TCWO Mid Tower case W/2 Fans
SB Live 5.1
Hercules 3D 4500 KyroII
Creative Labs Modem
H.D. --- Need Advise
CDR -- Existing Smart& Friendly 8X


If any of this is incompatible or a poor choice please help. This is my first time at this and I want to cover all bases.
Will the Video card be ok, I don't game a lot but spend a lot of time surfing and may add a DVD later?

[evalroy]

Bert,

Welcome to the PC Guide. Regarding the video card, I have a Kyro II and my experience has been mixed. I use my computer for a wide range of tasks, e.g. surfing, gaming, home office, etc. The card is more than adequate for the price. However, I was irritated when I tried to setup a dual boot and use W2K in conjunction with Win98 (default system). The W2K drivers (from both the install disk and Hercules' web site) were useless and I could never move beyond 16 color 800 X 600 resolution. So, I scrapped that plan. This may never be a concern for you, but it may merit your consideration.

Good luck http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif


PS: I would recommend a 7200 RPM Maxtor Hard Drive. I've used them all and have had the best results from them.

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I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there.
- Richard Feynman

[This message has been edited by evalroy (edited 11-25-2001).]

[This message has been edited by evalroy (edited 11-25-2001).]

[Bert]

I found two things in this mornings sale ads.

1) WD 800BBRTL 80gb 7200 Caviar plus an I/O cdrw 24x10x40 for $179.00

2)VisionTek 5864 Video Card for $100.

What do you think?

[uncleel]

reviews ain't too bad on the Shuttle, but it's a "budget" board.
Shuttle AK31 (dated review)
Perhaps the kicker, however, is price. Currently selling at just over $100 on the retail market, the AK31 is a steal. However, beware that there are still a number of Revision 1.0 boards still in the channel, and vendors may be trying to dump these. Make absolutely sure to specify the Revision 2.0 board when ordering.

Reviews:
http://www.viahardware.com/ak31v2_1.shtm
http://www.tweaktown.com/document.php?dType=review&dId=82
http://www.legionhardware.com/Reviews/Shuttle/shuttle_ak31_1.php

I've always been an Asus fan w/ Abit a distant 2nd. Shuttle hasn't done anything since the days of the "Spacwalkers" line for Pentium P54c & P55c.
The new Soyo Dragon plus K7V board is all the buzz right now. Reviews have been excellent.

* two things in this mornings sale ads.
are those new/used?

[i] * VisionTek 5864 Video Card for $100
# 5864 is a GeForce2 Ti, meaning clocked a lil' faster.

My advice would be this. The motherboard is the platform for your entire system, so get the best one you can. Your budget for a vid-card appears to $100. nVidia, ATI or Kyro will all meet you needs depending on what you require. Speed, color, or a combination of both?

[iisbob]

Personally i prefer nvidia's boards; however ATi is making some serious inroads into the current market. However until they get their drivers support down right, you'll have a hard time beating a Geforce card.


If you're willing to dish out the cash right now, i'd suggest a Geforce3 Ti 500-it's the top of the line and it has what is the start of the programmable GPU's-meaning that in the future games are going to be programmed not for just any generic system, but for specific program sets contained in a graphics card chipset.

Not only does it make current games scream along in unimaginable quality/speed-but it's garauntedd to be viable at least for the next 2-3 years. ( impressive in today's fast paced hardware changing world ).

Another benefit is Nvidia's dedicated driver support-better than even Voodoo's used to be. If ATI can ever get on the boat, they'll be a force to be reckoned with.

As for the Kryo chip-it's based on the old PowerVR chipsset, which was one of the poorest designs i've ever seen. Supposedly hercules has totally revamped the design and much inproved it, but i'd be leary about it still.



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iisbob
"Bachelors should be heavily taxed. It's not fair that some men should be happier than others."
-- Oscar Wilde

[honourableprawn]

I'm running a gf3 at the mo, and the performance is unbeatable with any games I play and I consider myself a hardcore games player. However for the money and considering you state your not playing games all that often, try and find a geforce 2 ultra. They've recently dropped in price with the advent of the gf3 and if you hunt you may find a bargain. They're good performers for the price. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

[spitzaf]

i just built a system similar to yours, and my geforce2 mx400 is working great for me. i don't play many games either, so cost was a consideration, but this still looks great, and the benchmarks i ran came out well also. you may want to get the tv-out option on the card if you plan to use the computer's dvd player to display on the tv.
as for the hard drive, just make sure to get 7200 rpm. i just bought a new 7200 to replace a 5400 and the speed difference is easily noticeable.

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Athlon Thunderbird 1.4GHz @ 1466MHz; Thermaltake Volcano 5 HSF
Shuttle AK31 V3.1 (VIA KT266A); Integrated AC'97 Enhanced Sound
Micron 256 MB PC2100 DDR; INNO3D GeForce2 MX 400
Western Digital 40GB 7200rpm HDD; HP V50 15" Monitor
Digital Research 16x10x40 CD-RW; Windows ME
Average Temps: Case - 32°C; CPU - 53°C

[not_fred]

Bert;

It would help if you told 'em what you plan to do with the PC. If you don't plan to play many graphic-intensive games, then you might want to spend less on the video card, etc.

[the flatline]

> 2)VisionTek 5864 Video Card for $100.

I just bought this card in PCI form for less than 100 bucks, about 2 weeks ago. I have run all my games on it and it's just amazing (for the price).

The only problem has been, when unloading a game the screen adjustment is off, but easily corrected.

steve