So you only have PCI slots and want to game?

Took a while, but my mini ITX system is built, up and running.

I'll benchmark both it and the Sparkle 8500GT PCI tomorrow. I'll sign up for a blog to stick the results out for everyone to see and place a link here as well. In addition, I am waiting for the Albatron 8600GT PCI to become available, once it is out I am getting one for another mITX box and I will be able to benchmark it as well.

HookeduptoTV.jpg
 
One question what does everybody use to record games and play them back.

If I use Fraps I always get no or low sound quality.
 
I use fraps when recording gaming vids for editing, sound is great. Maybe its somewhat dependent on your sound card?
 
Sweetchicken said:
Nopers... I live in Denmark but I'm trying to get the 8500gt from the dollarshops.eu from a link that you told me about on Youtube I'm razy91 =)... The website dollarshops.eu says it will deliver the sparkle to Denmark but I still can't order it and get it shipped to denmark:(.

Why can't you order from them?

direwolf007

Nobody can see it lol. You know there is a easy way to do it, when you open up gpu-z, look in the upper right corner , you should see a little black box, click it and you can copy and paste the info quickly.
hmg.png


Like that.

electromagnetic said:
One question what does everybody use to record games and play them back.

If I use Fraps I always get no or low sound quality.

Fraps of course. But if you sound is low, just make sure your volume on your computer is high, or the game volume is high.
 
Tha General said:
Why can't you order from them?

direwolf007

Nobody can see it lol. You know there is a easy way to do it, when you open up gpu-z, look in the upper right corner , you should see a little black box, click it and you can copy and paste the info quickly.
hmg.png

I know that. I wasn't trying to show you anything from CPU-Z or GPU-Z, they were just open on the screen when I took the photo. All I wanted to show was just the box itself hooked up to the TV :rolleyes:
 
Tha General said:
Why can't you order from them?

When I try to order the card they tell me my Address is not valid for there shipping area. =( but They have told me that they will be able to ship to Denmark soon.
 
Not bad.

I took my Sparkle 8500GT PCI and overclocked it from 459 core / 400 mem to 719 core / 452 mem. The VIA C7-D 1.5Ghz together with the card score 1,038 in 3DMark06.

Full review later.
 
I read over here that "the GeForce 8600 GT default frequencies are equal to 540/1188/1600 MHz." This blows away the Sparkle 8500 GT in performance. Only problem is the Sparkle 8500 GT is actually obtainable, while the Albatron 8600 GT must be obtained by a vendor if we all ever want one.

Everyone click on my Newegg link in my previous posts and request the Albatron 8600 GT, so we can have the best possible PCI GPU.
 
I already sent my information to newegg, but its up to albatron now. I sent a email, but haven't heard anything from them. No telling when any of us will be able to get those new cards. I might have a good change of getting one in a few weeks or sometime next month, i will let everyone know about that very soon. But in the mean time, i am going to buy and test out the Diamond 2400 and Diamond X1550 to see which is a great upgrade from this great 6200 bfg card.

Btw, has hey Teklord and everyone else, is this what everyone was talking about before:

http://www.amfeltec.com/index.php?id=1&subid=5

Does this device allow you to use PCI-E on PCI slots systems?
 
Awesome find General, you could plug some awesome things into that. However, Albatron stated it can't guarantee all cards would work with it's ATOP and I am sure the same would apply to this. Worth a try nonetheless IMO.
 
Need help with comp parts

i can operate a comp like an normal joe off the street but when it comes to parts...well its safe to say its like a car,it doesnt take much to drive but to fix it its another story.I play WoW or World of warcraft and the game says i meet all the minimal requirements but the game play is pretty laggy unless i'm in an enclosed area like a cave or something.I figured i need a new graphics card and more RAM...after a few days of research and googling.I've up graded the RAM to 736MB from 256MB.Now its the graphics card i'm stumped on.I cant seem to figure out what cards are compatible with an M925 mother board from ECS.Using CPU-Z i've learned my graphic interface is AGP 2.0 with a max transfer rate at 4X.I figure i could upgrade the RAM to a Gigabyte but i need help with a new graphics card,if u know which ones are compitble help me plz or if u need more inof just tell me cuz i have all the info on it...it just doesnt make much sense to me
 
You can start with checking this link to Newegg. Most of the AGP cards listed are compatible with 4x and 8x. 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.
 
Solves Common SLI Problem

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 :confused:
 
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 :confused:

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.
 
Somewhat Common

Tha General how common is this anyway?
I

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.
 
kimsland said:
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
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.

Tha General, I was planning on the PowerColor one.

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 :)
 
clarfication

"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?
 
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.
 
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