64MB ATI All-in-Wonder 9000 Pro or 128MB ATI RADEON 9800 thru DELL

I need to make a choice among 3 cards. The All-in-Wonder 9000 Pro, the 128MB
DDR GeForce FX 5200 (I think I would rather have the 64MB AIW) or the
expensive 128MB DDR ATI RADEON 9800.. I am primarily getting this for
Half-Life 2 and need good DirectX-9 capabilities. The 9000 pro looks nice,
but I'm sure the 9800 will make HL2 run extremely well. Will the 9000 pro
cut it for new games? Also, I have never ordered from Dell (I decided to not
build this time), anybody have any problems with them?

MB,
I just bought a new Dell about 3 months ago with the Radeon 9800, not
the 9800 Pro (because of the cost difference) and I do not have any
complaints. If you are buying at least the Dell 8300 series I would get the
9800 card over any of them, it is well worth the few extra bucks. I have
been running Unreal Tournament, UT2003, Splinter Cell and the graphics are
great. In my understanding the 9800 is basically what the 9700 Pro was,
someone can correct me if I am wrong. My suggestion & opinion is to buy the
Dell and the Radeon 9800.


Chris



"MB" wrote in message
...
I need to make a choice among 3 cards. The All-in-Wonder 9000 Pro, the
128MB
DDR GeForce FX 5200 (I think I would rather have the 64MB AIW) or the
expensive 128MB DDR ATI RADEON 9800.. I am primarily getting this for
Half-Life 2 and need good DirectX-9 capabilities. The 9000 pro looks nice,
but I'm sure the 9800 will make HL2 run extremely well. Will the 9000 pro
cut it for new games? Also, I have never ordered from Dell (I decided to
not
build this time), anybody have any problems with them?

The 9800 (non-pro) is probably a relatively good deal, although still
expensive.

http://firingsquad.gamers.com/hardwa...00/default.asp

If your primary interest is gaming, it will be the best choice. (It looks to
be about as fast as a 9700Pro. I bought one of those last spring, when its
price dropped to $300 USD. It's an excellent performer, although its drivers
seem to be less robust than nVidia's. I sorta miss the daily beta driver
leaks that nVidia is famous for.)

The AIW 9000 is a DX8 card, regardless of its 9xxx designation. (It includes
a slew of video related functions, though, which explains why it's almost as
expensive as the 9800 non-pro.)

The FX5200 is nVidia's lowest-end DX9 product. It has everything except
performance.

http://firingsquad.gamers.com/hardwa...ew/default.asp

As regards Dell, I've used their desktops at work, and I prefer them to the
Compaq machines I've used. I wouldn't own either at home, as I like to
preserve the possibility of swapping the mainboard once or twice a year.
(I've been using the same PC since 1995 - although none of the hardware is
the same, and I've changed the OS a few times.) Also, I have a slight
fondness for overclocking - don't expect a Dell to co-operate in that.

If you're choosing between a Dimension or an Optiplex PC, I'd stay with the
Dimension. Optiplex is almost as proprietary as a stinkin' Compaq.

I can't claim to be unbiased; I have a close relative who works for Dell.

Have fun.

Bob Knowlden

Spam dodger may be in use. Replace nkbob with bobkn.

"MB" wrote in message
...
I need to make a choice among 3 cards. The All-in-Wonder 9000 Pro, the
128MB
DDR GeForce FX 5200 (I think I would rather have the 64MB AIW) or the
expensive 128MB DDR ATI RADEON 9800.. I am primarily getting this for
Half-Life 2 and need good DirectX-9 capabilities. The 9000 pro looks nice,
but I'm sure the 9800 will make HL2 run extremely well. Will the 9000 pro
cut it for new games? Also, I have never ordered from Dell (I decided to
not
build this time), anybody have any problems with them?