Tha General how common is this anyway?
I see this thread is huge, with lots of good links and info for PCI users only.
But wouldn't it be much easier just to say, "Go buy a computer with a PCI-E slot" ?
I know that's what I normally say.

If a gamer wanted to play good graphics games, and only had PCI slots, isn't the best advice is to upgrade?

I've never understood this thread

Well just to point out somethings:

#1 I actually like and enjoy using PCI cards, reason being i am not obsessed with graphics, so i get like 20 or more fps in a game, thats fine with me.

Note: With PCI cards, you can get more then 20fps in games of course, i was just using it as a example

#2 I am buying myself a secondary computer sometime early next year, maybe sooner. That computer will be for new new newer games and newer hardware/software only.

#3 You can game with pci cards, very good. And this computer which i am using as been working since 2000, its my main computer with 4 pci slots and i will continue using it. To play games that i can play on it.

#4 So i will have one computer for the old , slightly new games and another one for the more demanding new games.

Last: I don't tell folks to go out and buy a new computer with more advanced slots, etc, because i could care less with what someone is using. I tell people all the time, if i can play my games using PCI, well thats it. I am happy with what i am using.

The SLI vs. Multiple monitors is a problem I've encountered before, and it has solutions, unfortunately what is suggested in that post isn't as easy as it sounds, since the moment you enable SLI, any other nVidia GPUs in the system are disabled.

The workaround in WinXP is to use an ATI video card, which will not be disabled (And I did this on my main rig), while the solution is Vista is trickier, since an ATI card will not work, but an additional nVidia one, along with tricking the driver, works. I have used both solutions on my main gaming rig.

kimsland, I use PCI video cards for mini-ITX systems which I build for fun, and this is why this thread is of interest to me. I quite agree that a system upgrade is more in order for those stuck with only PCI, but many people enjoy milking older systems for every ounce of performance. If you can understand extreme overclockers, the mindset is quite similar, but the gear is far cheaper.

I am currently planning on picking up all three Albatron cards when I find them and the HD2400Pro for the PCI as well. When that plan gets executed, I'll be able to do a head-to-head comparison between them all. During the upcoming weekend, I'll finish testing the C7 mini-ITX system in my sig and will post the promised results on my (new) blog. Compared to the low three digit 3DMark06 scores even more powerful CPUs get with the GF6200, the weak VIA C7 getting just over 1K in 3DMark06 with an overclocked 8500GT was quite amazing to me.

hEY direwolf007, please buy the diamond version of the 2400 card. I am buying it in a few weeks for testing. I have the visiontek version and its flawed.

Tha General, I was planning on the PowerColor one.

Not everyone has bank accounts the size of the Mariana Trench. That's the main motivation behind the thread. Most of the people who want to or currently do game using PCI cards are people who don't want to or can't pay for an upgrade, so this thread is quite to the point in that respect. If everyone started upgrading like that, don't you think PCI video cards would be all but obsolete?

ya i am happy using PCI cards, they get the job done in gaming, if your computer CPU can handle it, also if you use the right drivers. i do plan on buying a secondary computer for the newer games that i can't play on this computer, but its no rush to get it lol.

Yea its cheaper, but people even with powerful computers still can't good fps or play crysis or call of duty 4. or bioshock. But shocking with my 6200 card, i can play it better then the Visiontek one, which seems to be the same as the powercolor one. mY Advice when you buy it, do alot of testing and if it doesn't perform well, take it back I made my mistake with the visiontek version, i kept the card too long, days ran out, i put the box in the trash and the receipt. So i wasted 137 dollars. There are no stable or supported driver for the card, there is also no hardware open gl acceleration on the card, the card is a mess.

The Diamond Version, higher in price i am pretty sure that its better. Diamond Products there drivers are always stable and they actually have a supported driver for their card.

http://www.diamondmm.com/2400PCI256.php

They have their information listed correctly, also on a more interesting note, it says the Diamond Version has 22.6GB bandwidth for the pci version, thats 3x larger then the visontek or powercolor one. I have the visiontek one its only 6.3, weaker then the 6200 card.

Anyways, good luck with it and let me know how it is. I will let you know how the diamond is once i get it

"You don't have to buy from there if you don't want but the list will give you a start.

Be aware that more powerful graphics cards might require a better power supply than you currently have so you might have to get a new one"

ok thanks alot for the huge help.Ive decied to pick the first one on the link u sent me all i want to know is all i have to do is take out my old card and replace it with the new one?also u warned me to be carull of the power supply how do i know which ones need a big supply power and how do i tell how big is mine?

Anyone knows where the PCI8600GT can be found for sale online ? I need to grab one, or two.

The cards doesn't look like its on sale right now, albatron is taking their sweet time even adding the last card, the 8400gs. I don't know when the cards will be release, i sent a email to them, but they have been ignoring me for weeks lol.

My next project is gonna be based around the dual core Atom 330 rumored to come out sometime not in the very far future (Or if all else fails, the Atom 230 will do), but I need to secure a PCI8600GT first. If you find one, please post it here.

Thanks.

Well actually in a few weeks i might have a chance to grab one of the new 8 series cards. I have to fly out to a state to talk to some folks, so i will be printing out the cards and show them, and at their warehouse/center, they might have it. I might have to get someone to order the card for me, only thing, i do not believe albarton has release the cards yet.

So in a few weeks if i get it, i will let everyone know.

Btw direwolf007 , can you play Crysis with the 8500GT?

Considering its hooked up to a VIA C7-D, I haven't even thought of trying that. I am trying CoD4 as the latest game in my benchmark series, which should be uploaded later today.

Nice, how many fps do you get in COD4?
You should be able to play crysis at least at 1024x768 everything on low to medium with no AA. I posted Crysis shots on another forum, with my PIII/600MHZ and i got 19fps at one part, but other parts didn't peform good, getting 1-5-13fps. And i had the settings at 1280x1024, everything to medium to high, plus advanced bump mapping on, and other things in the ATI tray tools at high.

I was just testing, but i think i could play Crysis better on this computer if i had one of those 8 series cards and kept the video settings at maybe 800x600 everything on medium.

I find it extremely hard to believe you can run 1280x1024 at medium-high on the Pentium III, considering a rig consisting of an Intel E2160 at 3.15Ghz and a HD3850 256Mb video card can barely reach playable FPS on high at the same resolution and my Dell XPS M1530 laptop, with a T7500 C2D CPU at 2.2Ghz and a GeForce 8600M GT 256Mb (DDR3), can reach playable FPS at 1280x800 on medium, but also not crossing the mark by far. Both systems are miles beyond your Pentium III and with more powerful video cards, in both cases on a PCIe x16 interface.

See the shots for yourself:
http://www.overclock.net/4219780-post5748.html

I always get picked on , that forum lol, but hey i was just testing the game out..... Read what settings i had it running on.

Alrighty. The review is done. Judge by yourselves and remember that the CPU is a serious bottleneck.

http://direwolf007.blogspot.com/

Very awesome... And I think you are right, that it is probably the only pci review in the last 5 years haha... So I think I'm going to pick up the Sparkle if I can get The Eurostore to send it to me.

Direwolf007 - click on my Newegg link in my previous posts and request the 8600 GT from Albatron. There is no vendor for the card in America and Albatron won't sell you one directly according to what they tell me. Sparkle 8500 GT was a great PCI card, but 8600 GT is supposed to be even better, so get the word out.

Hey direwolf007 whats the minimum power supply you need to run the Sparkle 8500gt cause I havent been able to find that info anywhere?