VOGONS


First post, by Klw2

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I have two 2.8 MHZ P IV machines with Windows XP on them and I am looking for a reasonably good video card to build one for early/mid Win XP games. My problem is that I have one MB with 3 PCI slots and one with 3 PCI and 1 AGP slot. In searching the forum, I have found suggestions for Win XP video cards, but all I can find for sale are PCIe slot cards. Is there a reasonably good card available in PCI or AGP? So far the only one that I have found that might work is a GeForce FX 5900 XT similar to the one in my Win 98 machine, but I don't think it would be good enough.

Thanks,
Keith

Reply 3 of 10, by Errius

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There's the passive cooled Sparkle 8500 GT PCI, but it takes up two slots and the heat sink runs very hot. It also doesn't work in all PCI slots.

ETA: However it uses a standard HS/HSF mounting, so if the heat and size bother you, you can just remove the HS and install a generic HSF taken from another card.

Last edited by Errius on 2020-07-23, 09:50. Edited 1 time in total.

Is this too much voodoo?

Reply 4 of 10, by The Serpent Rider

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Pick your poison:
The Fastest Graphics Card on a PCI Bus
The Fastest Graphics Card on a PCI Bus REVISITED
MASSIVE 15 PCI Graphics Card Benchmark

Spoiler:

PCI isn't enough for XP era games.

Last edited by The Serpent Rider on 2020-07-23, 09:32. Edited 1 time in total.

I must be some kind of standard: the anonymous gangbanger of the 21st century.

Reply 5 of 10, by matze79

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A PCIe to PCI Adapter also would work, but some Cards won`t like the bridging or drivers misbehave,
same as PCI 8500GT.

Had good results with Radeon HD Cards, HD63450/HD6450 worked for me.

https://www.retrokits.de - blog, retro projects, hdd clicker, diy soundcards etc
https://www.retroianer.de - german retro computer board

Reply 6 of 10, by Errius

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Those GeForce GT 520/610 PCI cards are rare/expensive. I was able to snag one for cheap because the seller thought it was faulty. (It just needed new thermal paste.) Otherwise, expect to pay big money.

They're not even very good. Sure they're fast for PCI but still far weaker than the equivalent PCIe cards.

Is this too much voodoo?

Reply 7 of 10, by The Serpent Rider

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They are kinda redundant. Best PCI cards are still too slow for late XP games (or anything with shaders, really), but already lost full compatibility with older games. For example, DX10+ hardware lost 16-bit dithering, so you're stuck with nasty banding. While DX8-DX9 PCI cards can't really do much in games like Far Cry or Unreal Tournament 2004.

Best of both worlds probably would be GeForce 6200 PCI, but that's a huge stretch.

I must be some kind of standard: the anonymous gangbanger of the 21st century.

Reply 8 of 10, by candle_86

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For pci don't count on it being useful for gaming, for your ago card look for say an x1950gt they are usually reasonable

Reply 10 of 10, by Errius

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OT, but does anyone know why the Sparkle 8500 GT PCI won't work in my GA-X58A-UD5 board?

I started a thread about it (and another problem) here: PCI video card compatibility

Is this too much voodoo?