Slow graphics performance.

Hi all, this one has me baffled and I hope some-one can help.

A while ago I switched motherboards, going from a Gigabyte with Intel 865 chipset to an ASrock with VIA PT880 Ultra chipset. This was so that I could upgrade the CPU and RAM at a later date, whilst keeping my existing AGP card, Pentium 4 3.2ghz CPU and DDR ram.

First thing I noticed with the new mobo is that the graphics were way slower. The card is an Nvidia FX5200. On benchmarks it was running maybe 30% slower. This was on an 800 mhz FSB. I have tried fiddling with the settings that were available in the bios, but could not find the missing speed.

I have now upgraded the CPU to a Core duo running on a 1066mhz FBS, and DDR2 RAM running at 1:1. I have got back some of the lost graphics speed, but it is still short of what it was.

I know the FX5200 is no speed monster and it's dated but as I'm not much of a games player it's good enough for me (or it would be, if I could get it to run right).

The improved performance on a faster FSB and CPU suggests to me that the bottleneck is not the 8xAGP slot, or the card itself. so I am thinking maybe it is the VIA chipset that is holding it back. Is the VIA 880 Ultra chipset worse than the Intel 865?

TIA for any advice,
Tom

 

i wouldnt think that the via vs intel chipset thing would effect a gfx card 30%, that sounds absurd, you definately took a nose dive in quality going from the gigabyte to the asrock MB. I also cant conceive of any reason to try to hold onto an AGP card, when that card is a FX5200. If you feel you have installed all the gfx drivers and MB chipset drivers properly and are still experiencing this slow down then i would have to say its either your card or MB or both just not playing well together.

 

BTW a Core Duo is for Laptops I think you mean Core2Duo, or what?

 

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1693

just an example, you bought an office pc MB so the fall off in performance shouldnt be that much of a mystery

 

I pretty soon realised after buying the mobo that it was not a good choice.

The board supports both PCI-E and AGP cards, the plan was to do a gradual upgrade. I partly chose it because it also has DDR and DDR2 slots.

Yep you're right it is a Core 2 duo 6700

The mobo is a 4coredual-VSTA, not the one you linked to.

 

oh wow yeah you really should get a mb that supports that cpu, i would get a intel mb or one with an intel chipset, by asus, epox, biostar, etc., my son bought an Asus mb with an Nforce chipset for his C2D E6300 and he likes it, but I would go intel as long as youre not an overclocker.
I know the tempataion of buying these swiss army knife MB, they can do anything, but they dont seem to do anything well, and theyre always by a cheapy brand, ie ECS, PcChips, Asrock etc.

 

same Via chipset though, right?

 

Thanks for the advice. I will get a better mb eventually, but I better get some use out of this one first Otherwise I will have SWMBO to answer to.

As it is, apart from the graphics it is running fast and solid. It compares favourably, on benchmarks anyway, to most of the Skt.775 mobos I have seen reviewed. Maybe I will get a PCI-E graphics card as my next upgrade and then later switch the whole lot over to a better mobo.

 

sounds like a plan