Hpt. Lisse Posted March 1, 2004 Share Posted March 1, 2004 What OS are you using? Does the manual list the brand/type of motherboard? Have you had the cover off of the machine yet? The number will be physically printed on the motherboard somewhere. (i.e., this computer I'm using has a Gigabyte GA-7VM400M motherboard). Yes, you are looking for a AGP video card - PCI vid card is a last resort for those without an AGP slot. Man, pricewatch shows the FX5900 down to $185... I'll give you the extra $35. To settle for a FX5700 (128-bit bus)when a 256-bit vid card (the 5900) is so close... That's like buying a Porsche 911 and not getting the turbo model because you couldn't come up with another $35. The difference in performance is massive, and worth every extra penny. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel J Lee Posted March 3, 2004 Author Share Posted March 3, 2004 THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR INPUT. EXCELLENT AND GRACIOUS OF YOU ALL, ESPECIALLY YOU HERR SCHRULLENHAFT AND HPTMN LISSE. I have "melted down" after receiving convincing counsel from Hptmn. Lisse and purchased a eVGA Ge Force FX5900 XT from Newegg for $185. I figured, "this is it for awhile...may as well do it; CM is just too fun, gotta do it right". I'm pumped up. Can't wait to see the improvements. Hptmn. Lisse reviewed my motherboard specs and model # and guided me right through. Only installation is left and he said he'd be there to help. Thanks for everything guys: you are keeping the CM fans in the loop and increasing their enjoyment through your generous assistance efforts. Kudos to you all. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dressler Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 What are you guy's impressions of the GeForce FX5900 SE versus the FX5900 XT? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schrullenhaft Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 The 5900SE and the 5900XT appear to be the same model as far as I can tell. Both are often clocked at 390MHz for the GPU and 700MHz (DDR) for the memory (though some manufacturers have the 5900XT GPU clocked at 400MHz). The architectures are both 256-bit wide data paths to 128Mb of memory (though there is a possibility of a 256Mb model, but I haven't seen one yet). I don't think that there is a difference in terms of pipelines, rendering support or anything else to my knowledge. 5900XT is the NVidia 'standard' name for this series of cards, so the 'SE' designation seems to have been used by only a few manufacturers. Price differences appear to be based on brand (retail packaging) and possibly component quality (which can vary, even from the same manufacturer). 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Kulin Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 I have an MSI FX5900XT-VTD128 and it works w/o any problems with CMBB/CMAK. Pretty fast and not "too" expensive compared to a 5900/5950/Ultra or Radeon 9800/XT. ($280 CDN a few weeks ago vs. $600-$750 CDN range for top of the line cards with maybe 10-15% more speed (?)) It is also reported to be pretty good for overclocking (see review on PCStats.com) so you could squeeze out even more performance if needed for FPS type games. The 5900XT is the same thing as the 5900SE. As far as I know,only difference between the XT and the regular 5900 is in the clock speeds on the card. All in all I'd say this card is a good choice and it won't break the bank account. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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