Member Avatar for f575gtc

Which is better for dvd playback and 3d gaming and which is a better buy?
the XFX GeForce4 MX440 128MB DDR AGP8X with TV-Out Video Card for $59.99
or the XFX GeForce FX 5200 128MB DDR AGP8X with TV-Out & DVI Video Card for $79.99

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Dani AI

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Thread summary and practical buying tips based on the replies from , and so far.

For DVD playback the two most important things are (1) the card/driver support for hardware decode in the player you use, and (2) the quality of the analog/digital outputs. If the plan is to watch on a TV, pay attention to S‑Video/component output quality and whether the card ships with a decent DVD player (PowerDVD/WinDVD). If the target is a digital monitor, DVI output and clean RGB scaling matter more. Older, low‑end cards may still need significant CPU time to decode full‑bitrate DVDs, so check that the card vendor lists DVD acceleration features for the OS/player you run.

For gaming, prioritize real workload performance over marketing. Entry level MX parts are budget designs and trade features for price; FX 5200 adds newer shader support but sits at the low end of that generation. A midrange Radeon (like the 9600 family mentioned) typically gives higher frame rates at 1280x1024 and better headroom for newer titles. Memory (128MB vs 64MB), fillrate, and driver maturity matter more than brand stickers. Also note that two cards using the same GPU core from different vendors can differ in clock, cooling, and warranty.

A short checklist before buying:

  • Confirm slot compatibility with your motherboard; if you do not have an AGP slot, only certain low‑end PCI variants exist and they will perform worse.
  • Check power and cooling requirements.
  • Verify driver support for your OS and the DVD/gaming software you plan to use.
  • Prefer a 128MB model for smoother gaming at higher resolutions.
  • For basic gaming audio, onboard sound is often fine; for EAX/positional audio and lower CPU overhead look at Creative Sound Blaster Live!/Audigy series if they fall in your price range.

If upgrading the board is an option, that often gives far better long‑term flexibility than squeezing a mid‑2000s GPU into a legacy system.

Recommended Answers

All 8 Replies

Member Avatar for Dani

I don't know anything about the GeForce FX other than that it's the latest Nvidia line. However, I am not a fan at all of the Geforce 4 MX's ... there's basically Geforce 2 technology rebranded.

Member Avatar for )BIG"B"Affleck

Geforce DO NOT GO with it now go with ATI stuff at the moment

Member Avatar for f575gtc

Connect3D Radeon 9200 128MB DDR AGP8X with TV-Out & DVI Video Card is this a good card or is it no good?

Member Avatar for f575gtc

ATI Radeon 9600 128MB DDR AGP8X TV-Out & DVI Video Card how bout this one. I heard this a an excellent card for game like halo and max payne 2 is that true?


what is the best sound card for gaming for 30-50 bucks? is the soundblaster live any good?

Member Avatar for )BIG"B"Affleck

Yes go with that one!!!

Member Avatar for f575gtc

which one the 9600 or 9200

Member Avatar for f575gtc

Great... I just found out my computer doesn't have AGP slots does the ATI Radeon 9600 have a PCI card version?

And I was looking at cards and saw that different companies have the same card like 3d connect has a Radeon 9600 128MB is the card gonna have the same performance even if it isnt ATI but some other company?

Member Avatar for feigned

Great... I just found out my computer doesn't have AGP slots does the ATI Radeon 9600 have a PCI card version?

And I was looking at cards and saw that different companies have the same card like 3d connect has a Radeon 9600 128MB is the card gonna have the same performance even if it isnt ATI but some other company?

No PCI 9600. The reason why is because the PCI bus is limited to 132MB of bandwidth, while an AGP slot can scale to multiple gigabytes because it's dedicated for such a thing.

Yes, same performance, just different company. It's like GM. The Cavalier and Sunfire are basically the same car, just different companies.

Buy a new motherboard.

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