Right now I have a GeForce FX Go5600, I think 64MB. Is this good enough to play HL2 on at least 800x600 or is it worth the $200 to get an FX 5900?

if its only 64 mb i seriously doubt it, but i don't know for sure, im just making a guess

You might be able to squeak by with it, but the game is going to look like s*** if you manage to get it working.

Works great on my mobile Radeon 9200, 32 mb, at 1280x800, medium settings, no AA/AF. Might be okay on the mobile 5600.

I bought this laptop as a replacement to my desktop, not as a complement. So I have a 17" screen, 512MB of RAM, 2.66GHZ in a P4, and a GeForce FX Go5600 64MB card. My desktop that's sitting at home has 256MB of RAM, 2.0GHZ give or take (but less than the 2.66 I have now), and a GeForce 2 MX 400 card.
All the HL2 hype, unlike the Halo2 hype, is getting me interested. Should I go get a ~$200 GeForce FX 5900 card for my laptop or get around a GF4 or Radeon 9600/9800 for my desktop?

I'd get a new card for the desktop. Might need some more RAM too.

Next card is ATI for me. I'm not overly thrilled about the 5X00 series.

I was at a LAN party last Saturday and we were playing Call of Duty. I didn't notice any graphical and performance differences between my friend's machine and my machine He has a GF 5600 and I have my aging Ti4200.

The Wizard's recommendation: ATI

Might Wanna Rethink That Statement

yoshi enough of it he said 200 not 245.... your becoming a fanboy... we all know a 6800 pwns ok? its money and cost/effectiveness.... a 9800Pro can play Hl2 beautifully according to IGN's latest review since it was what the Game developers made them use. They are not going to let them use something that would play the game subpar as what would be the point in that???? Anyways how can you update a 'Go' video card, i thought updating a laptop video card was impossible (besides some crazy soldering and hacked drivers)

Hey idiot, that's the 6600GT, not 6800, and it just came out for AGP. I'm giving JEDIGANDALF another option. Talk about fanboys, mr "OMG GET THE 9800 PRO AND FLASH IT R SO KEWL"

i was referring to the arcitecture of the latest geforce series and you bashed ATI with your 'rethink the statement.' I'm just saying you made a thread about it we all know there is no need especially when it is not what the kid wants as its 23% more then what the buyer is willing to buy. And as far as flashing, not many people know about it and if you have the time/know-how its worth saving money to do it. But we all don't have 400 dollars like you to buy a 6800 so o well piss on the less fortunate i guess. (and your the idiot and your opinion is wrong)

Nope, you've been able to install new video cards for a while now.

really!? I have a 2 year old laptop with a mobile Radeon. Is that upgradable?? And where can i 'browse' mobile cards at? I searched the notebook section at newegg and found nothing.

Wow, where to start.

I didn't insult ATi, I gave an alternative around the same price as the 9800 pro which gives quite a bit better performance.

I'm talking to JediGandalf, whom I later talked to about the suggestion, and he later thanked me for keeping him "up to date" on video cards, as he doesn't usually stay on top of the market.

This is a 235 dollar card, not a 400 dollar card. I guess you can't even COUNT. Oh and the 6800 is 280 for your information, the 6800GT is the 400 dollar one (not even that from PNY).

Nice try on the retort, though.

it wasn't a retort.... /sigh

All I am saying is for the range of 200 and below ATI wins... any of the Nvidia FX series at the same price range suck horribly... I know the difference of all the 6800's thank you, I was just referring to the one you bought. I browse Newegg I am sure just as much as you and I read Anandtech which does a good job on GPU benchmarking; so calling me an idiot is not something anyone likes, especially when I said nothing Idiot like. Your the one calling people idiot's and what not when you still fail to address the issue of 200 dollars. Maybe next time you will post "for 200 the 9800pro is the best but for a quarter more of your money you can join me and the 1337 with the new geforce 6 series cuz it pwnz ati..."

Laugh. Out. ****ing. Loud.

Agreed. If that guy is '1337' I fear for the future of Massassi.

And 200 dollars. JediGandalf said nothing about 200 dollars. Nice try though. It has nothing to do with this statement.

You really need to research what you're talking about more--hell you can't even get the posts on this THREAD straight, much less anything else.

Jesus, all this crap from you just for posting an alternative for a friend. You must be such a popular guy outside of Massassi.

when i said "1337" i was referring to your highatus with your 400 dollar video card; not myself as I have a lowly 9800pro... wtf does massassi have to do with anything and being popular... and seriously man your an *** because you called me an idiot first thus causing this dispute as it were. I do believe Vash said 200 dollars in the first post as he made the thread and 245 dollar video card has no place here

thank you come again

This topic was about whether I should go with a card for my laptop or my desktop, not about Radeon vs GeForce. If I go with the laptop card, I'll get one for <= $200, $245 is out of my range. I looked online and the GeForce 5900 was around $170 so that's fine. If I went with the desktop I'd probably get a 9800, but I dont know how much that costs. For right now I'll probably just get HL2 and see how well it runs on my laptop as is. If yall want to argue about who said what or whose card is better, please find another thread.

Yeah, give it a shot before buying a new card. Like I said, it runs great on my mobile Radeon 9200, it shouldn't be so bad on your nVidia 5600. Just start off with low details and turn them up one by one until you find the right settings for your computer.

Vash where can i find mobile video cards?????

[On second thought, I would rather not further derail Vash's thread. There was nothing relavent here.]

it didnt previously pique your interest when he made a thread about it???

First, it's hiatus

Second, I haven't once mentioned my card, you have many times though. Envious much?

Third, I was talking to JG in the first place, thus the quotation, but aparrently throughout the many posts when I said I was talking to JG, you weren't paying attention.

Fourth, I called you an idiot because you had your facts mixed up, and treated me like an ***.

Fifth, Vash, go for the 5900 if you can. It's a good deal.

Guys, let's stick to the topic. The original poster asked if it was worth upgrading to the next GForce card. Therefore, the ATI vs NVidia argument doesn't apply here: the original poster has already chosen NVidia, end of story. I will not have this thread derailing into an ATI vs NVidia flame war.

I wasn't trying to make it into one, I was trying to show JG that maybe an ATi 9800 Pro wouldn't have been the best deal. I was--bah.

!goysuxbad.

Party pooper

The trouble with the 6600Gt is this. " 1000MHz 128MB 128-bit GDDR3" Radeon 9800 pro has 256 bit RAM bus. Makes a big diffrence. The 6600 might pull out ahead anyway, but you can't be sure. Check the bench marks.

It does. By far. Check the benches (they're on [H]ard)

my airconditioner is making weird noises...

and my computer takes mobile cards, and I didnt know that until I bought a 6800 and had to take it back because the case wouldnt close.

I like how you all hijacked this guy's thread so you can have another one of your pointless videocard fanboy wars. Feel free to start another thread, Vash, if your question didn't get answered.