ATI 9200 vs Nvidia FX5200?

[Bill Crocker]

I picked up a new Sony Vaio VGC-RA710G(UC) liquid cooled system. The video
card is a low end NVIDIA GeForce FX5200, which is a little weak for games.
I want to upgrade, but I'm concerned about heat build-up in the case, as
there are no fans. How does an ATI 9200 compare to the FX5200? Would it be
a step up, or about the same?

Thanks,
Bill Crocker

 

[Augustus]

I picked up a new Sony Vaio VGC-RA710G(UC) liquid cooled system. The video
card is a low end NVIDIA GeForce FX5200, which is a little weak for games.
I want to upgrade, but I'm concerned about heat build-up in the case, as
there are no fans. How does an ATI 9200 compare to the FX5200? Would it be
a step up, or about the same?

They're roughly equivalent.....same bandwidth. The 9200SE (which is clearly
labeled as such) and the 64bit version of the FX5200 (which aren't clearly
labeled as such) are particularly wretched. Everest Home edition (free) will
tell you what type of FX5200 you have. For 3D gaming, 5700 Ultra or 9600XT
should be the minimum you're looking at.