~~~video Card And Case~~~

[tesco]

hi, im working on building a computer for my sister out of my old computer parts:


so far:

Asus Motherboard (unknown model number) with agp slot
p3 550mhz
256mb sdram
8gb hard drive
cdrom drive

First of all there is no onboard video so i was thinking of buying a cheap 32 or 16mb video card to put in, but then i saw a geforce fx5200 128mb card for 109.99(CANADIAN) at my local computer store and am thinking of replacing my geforce 4mx440 128mb with it, then giving the old card to my sister.

Will this card make a big improvement to game performance or is the gpu close to the geforce 4?

I have decided on a sound card for the computer and am now looking for a case and power supply to buy.

Does anyone know where I can get a good case with a window on the side and lotes of fans and lights on it (i love eye candy) for a relatively low price? I like this case http://www.xpcases.com/shop/item.asp?CatID=14&Sku=438 and its got a pretty good price the only problem is that i live in Canada and this is an American website. Can anybody tell me where to get this case in Canada?

Thanks for the help im sure you will give me.

[bigdawgfoxx]

The 5200 is better then the MMX 440. I believe...

[abu_has_the_power]

yes, the gfx 5200 is better. but i would sell ur current one, and get urself a radeon 9500 or 9600. then look on some cheap site or ebay for a cheap 32 mb card for like $2-10 bucks. u get the good one, and ur sister gets one that's bad, but u were gonna go with a 16 mb, so this is actually better.

[bigdawgfoxx]

ABU has a very good plan.

[3RA1N1AC]

the gf fx 5200 is a little better than the gf4 ti 4200 in some applications, and a little worse in others.

it's a lot better than the mx 440 though-- the mx's aren't even true gf4's, they're high-end gf2's.

i sort of agree with abu, but not completely. go with a gf4 ti or an fx 5600 (the 5200s just aren't worth it...), or a radeon 9000 (or higher). but don't bother selling the mx 440-- it's not worth more than about $20 or $30 used, anyway. let your sister have that card.

[abu_has_the_power]

Originally posted by bigdawgfoxx@14 November 2003 - 23:40
ABU has a very good plan.
damn straight. finally, some support in the hardware world

[bigdawgfoxx]

Haha yeah abu uve had it rough sometimes...course...so have i..but i think thats a very good plan lol

[tesco]

ok thaknks guys i think ill try abus plan except that might take a bit of extra saving up :(

So what about the case?

[Livy]

Originally posted by ROSSCO_2003@15 November 2003 - 00:51
So what about the case?
if the case is for your sister, just get a standard atx case, nothing fancy, as the computer isnt fancy either.

but if its for you, and shes gettign your old, then its all down to personal preference, just have a look around local computer shops see what they have

[abu_has_the_power]

i believe u can get a regular atx case for around $10-20

and try tigerdirect.ca

[Keikan]

p4 550mhz? You mean p3 550mhz?

[Virtualbody1234]

Originally posted by abu_has_the_power+14 November 2003 - 18:41--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (abu_has_the_power @ 14 November 2003 - 18:41)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-bigdawgfoxx@14 November 2003 - 23:40
ABU has a very good plan.
damn straight. finally, some support in the hardware world [/b][/quote]
Well sorry to say this but that graphics card will go quite unused in his system. abu, he has a 550 MHz CPU. How is his PC gonna keep up with that Radeon 9500 or 9600 ?

[abu_has_the_power]

Originally posted by Virtualbody1234+15 November 2003 - 02:25--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Virtualbody1234 &#064; 15 November 2003 - 02:25)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
Originally posted by abu_has_the_power@14 November 2003 - 18:41
<!--QuoteBegin-bigdawgfoxx@14 November 2003 - 23:40
ABU has a very good plan.
damn straight. finally, some support in the hardware world
Well sorry to say this but that graphics card will go quite unused in his system. abu, he has a 550 MHz CPU. How is his PC gonna keep up with that Radeon 9500 or 9600 ? [/b][/quote]
oh, now i c it. i saw p4, so i thought it was high. well, my plan is still ingenious, lol. with just throwing in a smaller amount, u can buy a good card. ok, maybe the card he has won&#39;t sell for that much, so he can at least buy like a 5200 ultra, or regular 9500. but i thought u can oc ur regular 5200 to meet the specs of ultra. w/e.

[tesco]

no no, my computer is an athlon xp 2200+ the one im building is for my sister and has a pentium 3 550mhz, not a p4 sorry bout that, and that radeon card would go into my own system.

And the new case is for me, old one goes for my sister.

[tHe LiNk]

Originally posted by 3RA1N1AC@14 November 2003 - 23:40
the gf fx 5200 is a little better than the gf4 ti 4200 in some applications, and a little worse in others.

it&#39;s a lot better than the mx 440 though-- the mx&#39;s aren&#39;t even true gf4&#39;s, they&#39;re high-end gf2&#39;s.

i sort of agree with abu, but not completely. go with a gf4 ti or an fx 5600 (the 5200s just aren&#39;t worth it...), or a radeon 9000 (or higher). but don&#39;t bother selling the mx 440-- it&#39;s not worth more than about &#036;20 or &#036;30 used, anyway. let your sister have that card.
Even though the geforce 4 mx 440 does have many aspects that are the same of a geforce 2 mx, they are quite different in results - it is suitable to the low budget end of the "4" family. But if you had to choose, theres no doubt you should go straight for a 5200, in a way thats the budget card of the next generation.

[_John_Lennon_]

Originally posted by ROSSCO_2003@14 November 2003 - 22:56
no no, my computer is an athlon xp 2200+ the one im building is for my sister and has a pentium 3 550mhz, not a p4 sorry bout that, and that radeon card would go into my own system.

And the new case is for me, old one goes for my sister.
Sounds like you should do what abu suggested then.

As for the case, its pretty cheap, seeing as how your getting a windows case, with LED fan, and excellent finish. Plus, drive covers&#33; I wish I had that 3.25 drive cover, my ugly floppy drive sticks out.

EDIT:, I just looked at the case again, and it does come with a 350W PSU, which is plenty for you. And its actually comes with 2 LED fans&#33;, one as a blow hole in the top, nice&#33; With those cool Fan grills as well, not just generic ones.

Looks like you got a great case.

Oh, but I found it 16 dollars cheaper though.

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?...-144-010&depa=1 (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-144-010&depa=1)

[3RA1N1AC]

Originally posted by tHe LiNk@14 November 2003 - 20:08
Even though the geforce 4 mx 440 does have many aspects that are the same of a geforce 2 mx, they are quite different in results - it is suitable to the low budget end of the "4" family.
i wasn&#39;t talking about it being technically a pumped up gf2mx, even though that&#39;s what it is. i meant in terms of performance, it is STILL a gf2. at its best, a gf4mx will just barely rub elbows with a lower end gf3.

the 4200 ti is the low end of the gf4 series. the mx&#39;s aren&#39;t even in the same ballpark. the mx is two generations behind the ti, both technically and in terms of real world performance. if it waddles like a gf2 and quacks like a gf2, it is a gf2.

[tHe LiNk]

I agree that its nothing compared to a ti, not even close. It is however, pretty decent competition for the old geforce 3&#39;s. This is the only benchmark i could find which compares the mx&#39;s.

http://www.amdmb.com/images/evgamx440/Benchmarks/maxpayne.gif

http://www.amdmb.com/images/evgamx440/Benchmarks/quakehigh.gif

[tesco]

thanks for finding the cheaper case john, as i said xpcases.com wont ship to canada but im sure newegg wil right?

[_John_Lennon_]

Originally posted by ROSSCO_2003@15 November 2003 - 18:14
thanks for finding the cheaper case john, as i said xpcases.com wont ship to canada but im sure newegg wil right?
Oh your in canada?

<_< Nvm. You will have to check, I cant remember if they do or not, I dont think they do, but its always worth a shot.

[Virtualbody1234]

In Canada: TigerDirect.ca

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/Cat...lc.asp?CatId=32 (http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/Category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=32)