(T) wrote in message . com...
I am long over due for video card up grade (running an ATI Xpert
2000). It seems the GeForce FX 5600 will do the trick too! However, I
wanted to ask you experts some questions before taking the plunge.

1. What is the difference between the different makers of the GeForce
cards? For example, I see on pricewatch the GeForce FX 5600 256MB DDR
is listed for about $160 but made by Prolink and Gainward. Are those
cards crap? I'd love to spend only $160- on the card but not if it's
junk...

2. Any idea of what kind of performace I can expect from this card
with my current system? I know this is kinda a vague questions but I
figure you guys could see if I'm incompatible/insufficient somewhere
in my system. Here's a basic list of specs:

PROCESSOR
1.4 GHz AMD Athlon 1600 XP

MOTHERBOARD
ECS K7S5A
SiS® 735 System Chipset
1 4x AGP port

RAM
256MB DDR

I'm choosing the 5600 because of its great performance and because
it's nVidia. No, I'm not a loyalist, but nVidia has a MUCH better
reputation when it comes to Linux. I'm a little concerned that my AGP
is only 4x while the card can do 8x. I've heard there isn't that much
of a difference, but what do you guys think? Any other things I
should be aware of before I buy this card?

TIA!!


Well I would suggest getting the card except I'm unable to get the
full 256MB to display in DirectX or "device manager". I've downloaded
every driver chipset driver "NVIDIA" 4.4.0.3 and the Evga display
driver. It always shows as 128MB of local video ram. Other than that
its fast. I noticed that you have a 4X AGP port. This card will work
on that but you won't be getting the full speed of the card because
its an 8X AGP card. Let me know what you decide.

The Bird