Author Topic: PCI Slot only (Read 345 times)

Yarbles · « **on:** September 17, 2007, 09:32:57 AM »

Anyone know what the best performing Graphics card you can expect to get with PCI only.

Spatula · « **Reply #1 on:** September 17, 2007, 05:44:01 PM »

Dunno if this is *the* best for PCI, but should be ok:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814103031

Or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129062

IMO, you're throwing good money after bad. PCI buses are extremely slow/narrow compared to AGP or PCI-E, and you will never get the throughput no matter how much you spend on a 'good' PCI card.

Better bang for bucks buying a PC with PCI-E slot - but then you'll have to buy new everything and reinstall everything as well. You'll get a much much better PC with more scope for the future.

Spatula · « **Reply #2 on:** September 17, 2007, 05:47:42 PM »

Oh, and IIRC you said you had 512 Meg system RAM. Get more, that will help too!

Yarbles · « **Reply #3 on:** September 19, 2007, 05:39:18 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Spatula
Dunno if this is *the* best for PCI, but should be ok:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814103031

Or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129062

IMO, you're throwing good money after bad. PCI buses are extremely slow/narrow compared to AGP or PCI-E, and you will never get the throughput no matter how much you spend on a 'good' PCI card.

Better bang for bucks buying a PC with PCI-E slot - but then you'll have to buy new everything and reinstall everything as well. You'll get a much much better PC with more scope for the future.

In the ideal world I agree but problem is my Pc is involved with my business and I cant change it because of the time in re installing other sortware etc for the next 6 months or so. What Iam lookking for is one of the above suggestions you suggested. Could you tell me which you think best of the 2 and where to get it as I have been unable to get either on UK sites and the US ones I have looked at sites that stock them but do not seem to be able to order them for delivery to the UK.

Please help if you can

Spatula · « **Reply #4 on:** September 19, 2007, 05:33:27 PM »

You could try http://www.provantage.com - i know they ship internationally, as i have bought hardware from them before. So you shouldnt have any probs from them.

Also from what i can tell the X1550 is the better card, but its just an overclocked X1300 with the core shrunk to 80nm vs. 90nm.

Heres the cheapest X1550 at provantage in PCI:
http://www.provantage.com/data-x1550pro256psb~7BESD04M.htm

before you order it call them or email them and double-check it is a PCI not PCI-E

Note this is TWICE as expensive as the PCI-E model, and the PCI-E model would run rings around it too.

Also note, that your power supply may not be up to running the X series radeon cards. Check your power supply wattage rating meets or exceeds the required amount for the card you're interested in. If not, you'll have to upgrade that too - more money.

So by the time you paid for a new card, new ram, new power supply, you've probably already spend $200+ odd USD - money which would be better spent on modern hardware which is cheaper, faster, and gives you more scope in the future.

You could always buy a 2nd hand machine for gaming only with a PCI-E slot. Then the sky is the limit with video cards. You can keep your business machine as is, and have a gaming machine which can grow as and when you need it to.

Oh, and what OS are you running? XP, 2000?

Yarbles · « **Reply #5 on:** September 21, 2007, 03:05:39 AM »

Thanks for that, while Iam diggesting it I will tell you iam running
XP:) Only have 180 power supply and 250w is reccomended so I guess no more upgrades (phew) just maximise what I have and go for a PCI-E set up in the future.

Thanks for the E mailed suggestions I will try those out on at a time and save the old settings as last time I started removing features lost the lot.