Best XP Graphics cards for Retro PC

[Shrek]

Got it, it's the DG41RQ
View attachment 220264
It has very good compatibility and will accept pretty much any Core 2 CPU. Supports the Q9650 and even a range of Xeons.
Intel support page

So DDR2

 

[lexluthermiester]

The ATI Radeon Cape Verde HD7700 1GB is available on line for £28 plus postage from CEX but you never know what version you are going to get from them.

Here is another set of numbers for you to consider..

Radeon HD 7770 vs GeForce GTX 460 v2 vs GeForce GTX 560 [videocardbenchmark.net] by PassMark Software

 

[eidairaman1]

Here is another set of numbers for you to consider..

Radeon HD 7770 vs GeForce GTX 460 v2 vs GeForce GTX 560 [videocardbenchmark.net] by PassMark Software

Yup the 7770 sips power

7790 beats the 560 ti

 

[The red spirit]

P4-630's are the best

You know, they still sell P4 630s for s775 new in Lithuania. Only 10 Euros and tray model of P4 630 is yours. Local shipping is 3 Euros. Here's the link:

Procesorius Intel 4 630 Intel Pentium 4 630 3.00Ghz 2MB Tray, 3.00GHz, LGA 775, 2MB - 1a.lt

1A.LT yra viena didžiausių internetinių parduotuvių Lietuvoje, turinti daugiametę patirtį. Kokybiškas aptarnavimas ir geriausi prekių pasiūlymai.

www.1a.lt

 

[lexluthermiester]

Yup the 7770 sips power

7790 beats the 560 ti

My point was not about power usage as that is not a serious concern for the OP. I was pointing out that those three cards are within spitting distance performance wise and the costs are in the ballpark of each other.

PALIT GEFORCE GTX 560 Ti 1280MB GDDR5 PCI-E GRAPHICS CARD | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for PALIT GEFORCE GTX 560 Ti 1280MB GDDR5 PCI-E GRAPHICS CARD at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

GTX560TI

Msi Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 2gb graphics card gpu | eBay

This MSI Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 2GB graphics card GPU is an exceptional piece of technology that will enhance your computer's graphics capabilities.

www.ebay.co.uk

HD7770

But then there is the 6870 which is an entirely better card for 40quid;

XFX AMD Radeon HD 6870 1GB 1024MB GDDR5 PCIe Graphics Card Dual DVI HDMI Mini DP | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for XFX AMD Radeon HD 6870 1GB 1024MB GDDR5 PCIe Graphics Card Dual DVI HDMI Mini DP at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

Just something to think about..

 

[siryoink]

Iirc 6770 came in 2GB flavor

Since he's doing an XP build, it could be to his advantage to stick to a 1GB card. 32-bit XP only recognizes 4GB TOTAL, RAM and video card combined. So if he has a 2GB card, it will only see 2GB of system memory.

 

[agent_x007]

Since he's doing an XP build, it could be to his advantage to stick to a 1GB card. 32-bit XP only recognizes 4GB TOTAL, RAM and video card combined. So if he has a 2GB card, it will only see 2GB of system memory.

Thank you for your words of wisdom :

Next time, please check facts before spreading second hand knowledge.

 

[siryoink]

Thank you for your words of wisdom :
View attachment 220343
Next time, please check facts before spreading second hand knowledge.

Congrats on turning on the PAE switch. I'm sure no one has ever done that before. Now post some benchmarks showing how much of your 12GB is actually being utilized.

 

[Greenslade]

This. However...

If it's running an E7500, it will be able to run a Q9450, Q9550 or Q9650 as the microcode for the E7500 is in the same code set as the Q9xxx series as indicated here;

https://www.intel.com/content/dam/support/us/en/documents/boardsandkits/desktop-boards/DG41RQ.pdf

That board will run anything in the Core 2/Xeon Socket 775 range EXCEPT the Extreme model CPUs.

My point was not about power usage as that is not a serious concern for the OP. I was pointing out that those three cards are within spitting distance performance wise and the costs are in the ballpark of each other.

PALIT GEFORCE GTX 560 Ti 1280MB GDDR5 PCI-E GRAPHICS CARD | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for PALIT GEFORCE GTX 560 Ti 1280MB GDDR5 PCI-E GRAPHICS CARD at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

GTX560TI

Msi Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 2gb graphics card gpu | eBay

This MSI Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 2GB graphics card GPU is an exceptional piece of technology that will enhance your computer's graphics capabilities.

www.ebay.co.uk

HD7770

But then there is the 6870 which is an entirely better card for 40quid;

XFX AMD Radeon HD 6870 1GB 1024MB GDDR5 PCIe Graphics Card Dual DVI HDMI Mini DP | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for XFX AMD Radeon HD 6870 1GB 1024MB GDDR5 PCIe Graphics Card Dual DVI HDMI Mini DP at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

Just something to think about..

My point was not about power usage as that is not a serious concern for the OP. I was pointing out that those three cards are within spitting distance performance wise and the costs are in the ballpark of each other.

PALIT GEFORCE GTX 560 Ti 1280MB GDDR5 PCI-E GRAPHICS CARD | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for PALIT GEFORCE GTX 560 Ti 1280MB GDDR5 PCI-E GRAPHICS CARD at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

GTX560TI

Msi Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 2gb graphics card gpu | eBay

This MSI Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 2GB graphics card GPU is an exceptional piece of technology that will enhance your computer's graphics capabilities.

www.ebay.co.uk

HD7770

But then there is the 6870 which is an entirely better card for 40quid;

XFX AMD Radeon HD 6870 1GB 1024MB GDDR5 PCIe Graphics Card Dual DVI HDMI Mini DP | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for XFX AMD Radeon HD 6870 1GB 1024MB GDDR5 PCIe Graphics Card Dual DVI HDMI Mini DP at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

Just something to think about..

The 7770

This board is most definitely DDR2, I'd guess it's D946GZIS - have one like it myself (looks about right).
Graphics card? Just use HD7850, driver 14.4 (pack_2) with 2GB and easy on your PSU.

I think you are right about it only being DDR2.I think it is this motherboard .Does that mean i can only go for CPU,S code name *_Wolfdale* it does say some Xeon cpu,s are *Wolfdale*the Quad ones are not *Wolfdale*have i got that right i can only use ones that say *Wolfdale*?Why do they have so many CPU,S with the same socket number when you can only use a handful of cpi,s?Why didn,t they change the number of the socket?

This. However...

If it's running an E7500, it will be able to run a Q9450, Q9550 or Q9650 as the microcode for the E7500 is in the same code set as the Q9xxx series as indicated here;

https://www.intel.com/content/dam/support/us/en/documents/boardsandkits/desktop-boards/DG41RQ.pdf

That board will run anything in the Core 2/Xeon Socket 775 range EXCEPT the Extreme model CPUs.

It says it is *Wolfdale*i take it i can only use the *Wolfdale*ones?
https://www.cpu-list.com › cpu-list-lga775-lga771

 

[agent_x007]

Congrats on turning on the PAE switch. I'm sure no one has ever done that before. Now post some benchmarks showing how much of your 12GB is actually being utilized.

I wouldn't have only 3GB available with moded PAE (to enable 4GB+ adress support you think of, this is what Win XP SP3 has build-in [no mods/tweaks needed]).
Which still means your 2GB VRAM = RAM - 2GB under XP 32-bit is wrong.

I don't have higher VRAM utilisation of Titan X screenshots, BUT have a video of GTX 780 Ti as substitute (3GB - 3GB = 0GB) :

 

[Greenslade]

My point was not about power usage as that is not a serious concern for the OP. I was pointing out that those three cards are within spitting distance performance wise and the costs are in the ballpark of each other.

PALIT GEFORCE GTX 560 Ti 1280MB GDDR5 PCI-E GRAPHICS CARD | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for PALIT GEFORCE GTX 560 Ti 1280MB GDDR5 PCI-E GRAPHICS CARD at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

GTX560TI

Msi Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 2gb graphics card gpu | eBay

This MSI Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 2GB graphics card GPU is an exceptional piece of technology that will enhance your computer's graphics capabilities.

www.ebay.co.uk

HD7770

But then there is the 6870 which is an entirely better card for 40quid;

XFX AMD Radeon HD 6870 1GB 1024MB GDDR5 PCIe Graphics Card Dual DVI HDMI Mini DP | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for XFX AMD Radeon HD 6870 1GB 1024MB GDDR5 PCIe Graphics Card Dual DVI HDMI Mini DP at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

Just something to think about..

The 560ti £25 plus postage.The hd7770 that one for 35 has been sold, cheapest one now is £50.The 6870 is also £25 plus postage at CEX.
HW Bench
GTX 560 Ti
The GeForce GTX 560 Ti is the better performing card based on the game benchmark suite used (5 combinations of games and resolutions).Once again thinks for your input to my post Lex.

So DDR2

It seems so.

Id go with the 6770 for memory capacity

But Lex said the 5770 is better.

 

[80-watt Hamster]

I think you are right about it only being DDR2.I think it is this motherboard .Does that mean i can only go for CPU,S code name *_Wolfdale* it does say some Xeon cpu,s are *Wolfdale*the Quad ones are not *Wolfdale*have i got that right i can only use ones that say *Wolfdale*?Why do they have so many CPU,S with the same socket number when you can only use a handful of cpi,s?Why didn,t they change the number of the socket?

It says it is *Wolfdale*i take it i can only use the *Wolfdale*ones?

Short answer: You can use any Conroe, Kentsfield, Wolfdale or Yorkfield processor.

Edit: ...for LGA775; that is, Core 2 Duo and Quad. Despite your mention of them, I forgot about Wolfdale Xeons.

Long answer:

Spoiler

Wolfdale was simply an internal Intel project/product code name for the 45nm successors to the Conroe dual-core chips. The Conroe family consists of:

Conroe (65nm), Wolfdale (45nm) - Dual Core
Kentsfield (65nm), Yorkfield (45nm) - Quad Core

All are pin- and instruction-set-identical; varying in frequency, FSB, cache size and process node. Many, if not most, boards released prior to Wolfdale/Yorkfield could run them with a simple BIOS update.

A processor codename is shorthand for a specific configuration of the silicon die, so Wolfdale is a Core 2-based dual-core manufactured on 45nm. But it's not always that straightforward; quad-core 45nm Xeon chips were Harpertown rather than Yorkfield.

 

[Greenslade]

Short answer: You can use any Conroe, Kentsfield, Wolfdale or Yorkfield processor.

Long answer:

Spoiler

Wolfdale was simply an internal Intel project/product code name for the 45nm successors to the Conroe dual-core chips. The Conroe family consists of:

Conroe (65nm), Wolfdale (45nm) - Dual Core
Kentsfield (65nm), Yorkfield (45nm) - Quad Core

All are pin- and instruction-set-identical; varying in frequency, FSB, cache size and process node. Many, if not most, boards released prior to Wolfdale/Yorkfield could run them with a simple BIOS update.

Thanks for that valued information.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Since he's doing an XP build, it could be to his advantage to stick to a 1GB card. 32-bit XP only recognizes 4GB TOTAL, RAM and video card combined. So if he has a 2GB card, it will only see 2GB of system memory.

This is wrong. Ignore it.

The 6870 is also £25 plus postage at CEX.

I'd go for that. Seems like a good price.

But Lex said the 5770 is better.

Performance wise, yes. This is because the model number name game of the time shifted around performance tiers. The 5770 was the best 57xx card. But in the 67xx models the 6790 was the best so the 6770 was a lower tier. So even though the 5770 & 6770 had similar number names, they were not in the same performance class.

Honestly, the 6850 kicks the 57xx and 67xx in the nadds. Go with that. It will be an excellent GPU for XP and with a quad core CPU would complete that build.

It says it is *Wolfdale*i take it i can only use the *Wolfdale*ones?

No. The reason I mentioned the microcode and linked you the Intel CPU list PDF is so that you can see all your options. This way you can make a choice that will best fit what you need/want. Honestly, Wolfdale isn't the best you can do for that system.

 

[pavle]

Radeon HD 5770 = HD 6770 = 800/5 shaders and 40 texture units;
Radeon HD 6850 = 960/5 shaders and 48 texture units. Ooooo so much faster. Not. A tad, with a better tessellation unit, still only 1 triangle per clock.
If you have Wolfdale now, I don't know how though since it's 65nm but still, you can easily try some 45nm CPUs (E8xxx or Q8xxx and Q9xxx) in that board.

 

[Thunder162]

Thanks for that valued information.

Could you show me the mainboard tab of cpu-z ?

So, 6850/70 are a good choice for this build , at right price,care for PSU and cables..

 

[Shou Miko]

I am rocking what will properly be a overkill Windows XP Gaming ITX RIG but I am happy and it's really silent, fast and just works.

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 (If my memory surf me correct)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i
Mobo: Asus P9D-I (Intel C222 chipset)
RAM: 2x2GB ECC Memory
GFX: MSI N750 Ti TF 2GD5/OC
SSD: KingFast 256GB SSD
PSU: SeaSonic SFG 300W Industrial SFX PSU
Case: Fractal Design Core 500
OS: Windows XP Pro 32bit

Only thing I am thinking about changing is the CMOS battery it's dead but they cost too much because it's not a standard battery and I been thinking about a GTX 950 or something with a DisplayPort because I use this on my Asus ROG Strix XG27UQ 4K monitor.

 

[Greenslade]

Radeon HD 5770 = HD 6770 = 800/5 shaders and 40 texture units;
Radeon HD 6850 = 960/5 shaders and 48 texture units. Ooooo so much faster. Not. A tad, with a better tessellation unit, still only 1 triangle per clock.
If you have Wolfdale now, I don't know how though since it's 65nm but still, you can easily try some 45nm CPUs (E8xxx or Q8xxx and Q9xxx) in that board.

It looks like this one an Intel DG-41RQ MicroATX it does not say if it is DDR2 or 3.Is this a better or worse board than than the Wolfdale modal?
I should have asked these questions before i bought it.I did not know at the. time how many different 775 boards they are.After the seller being so vague when i asked what GPU card was in there and just saying it is a 512mb, what kind of answer is that?.Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
I am thinking of going for either the Q6600 the cheapest price for that is £8 shipped.Q9400 £12 shipped.Thanks for your help, hope your day is going well.

432W on the 12V line; not bad.

It,s not going to be good if there are no cabals for the graphics card.What cabal would i have to buy 1x 6 pin can you give me a link thanks.

 

[Thunder162]

Okay , if this is DG41RQ , i have read pdf datasheet. its a ddr2 667/800 memory support.
For CPUs the support are generic core 2 quad , BUT only 95W . So if u want Q6600 , MUST BE 95W tdp version, stepping G0 of course ,recognize it of code on cpu physically "QXVD or SLACR".
Btw , from Q8200 to Q9650 are most 95W tdp.

 

[lexluthermiester]

It looks like this one an Intel DG-41RQ MicroATX it does not say if it is DDR2

That board takes DDR2 as found listed in the below product guide page.

https://www.intel.com/content/dam/support/us/en/documents/boardsandkits/desktop-boards/G41/DG41RQ/DG41RQ_ProductGuide01.pdf

 

[siryoink]

This is wrong. Ignore it.

Sure, lots of people ignore good advice. Just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you should. I can drop a V8 in a Dodge Omni. Doesn't mean it's a great idea.

He's building a retro PC for retro gaming. I'm sure he can enable PAE, install something like the Dibya kernel hack, etc.. but if he's really looking for a retro gaming build, I doubt his goal is to install some third party hacks to run modern hardware on a XP system.

Still not sure why people even bother doing that. Most XP apps are unable to address more than 2GB individually anyways, so you won't be running modern games on it.

And even the hacks that allow this, the games and apps are slower than they would be running under 7 or 10 due to having to pass thru XP's memory allocation space. WDDM? DirectX12?

12GB video card in XP? Sure, it's poorly optimized, won't run most of the thing's you'd want to run on it, and it's gaming slower than if it was on a modern OS, but hey! It technically works.

 

[Shrek]

Since he's doing an XP build, it could be to his advantage to stick to a 1GB card. 32-bit XP only recognizes 4GB TOTAL, RAM and video card combined. So if he has a 2GB card, it will only see 2GB of system memory.

So why not use the 64 bit XP?

 

[Greenslade]

I am rocking what will properly be a overkill Windows XP Gaming ITX RIG but I am happy and it's really silent, fast and just works.

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 (If my memory surf me correct)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i
Mobo: Asus P9D-I (Intel C222 chipset)
RAM: 2x2GB ECC Memory
GFX: MSI N750 Ti TF 2GD5/OC
SSD: KingFast 256GB SSD
PSU: SeaSonic SFG 300W Industrial SFX PSU
Case: Fractal Design Core 500
OS: Windows XP Pro 32bit

Only thing I am thinking about changing is the CMOS battery it's dead but they cost too much because it's not a standard battery and I been thinking about a GTX 950 or something with a DisplayPort because I use this on my Asus ROG Strix XG27UQ 4K monitor.

432W on the 12V line; not bad.

I see i can get a

15pin SATA Power to 6pin PCI-E Express Adapter Cable​

for as little as £1.50?I did not realize they were so cheap. Whether or not the power supply will have any spare cables ,or be capable of running one let alone one with two 6pin ones is another thing.

 

[Shrek]

A SATA connector does not carry much current; 4.5A for each voltage, so 54W at 12V

 

[agent_x007]

And even the hacks that allow this, the games and apps are slower than they would be running under 7 or 10 due to having to pass thru XP's memory allocation space. WDDM? DirectX12?

12GB video card in XP? Sure, it's poorly optimized, won't run most of the thing's you'd want to run on it, and it's gaming slower than if it was on a modern OS, but hey! It technically works.

^Win XP wins, who would have thought ?

Here's older 3DMark 2000 (works fine) :


And here's Crysis :

Card works fine.

Again : I DID NOT changed/modified/tweaked Windows in ANY way to make it work.
The only thing needed was .inf file edit that added it's Hardware ID to NV installer.
Also, NV does NOT require you to install any 3-rd party patches/tweaks or mods to make older titans (like Titan "OG" or Titan Black) work on Windows XP. Both are officially supported on WinXP (just check Supported products tab here) : https://www.nvidia.com/Download/driverResults.aspx/105040/en-us
^You will also notice there is no "VRAM warning : Do not use 6GB cards on Windows XP 32-bit" in drivers notes.

Still, my reason of posting my screenshot was to provide evidence about your wrong assumption, and NOT to encourage OP to buy this card to use (which is too expensive either way).