Fan died on my GeF/2 TI--Still functional, but I know it is a matter of time. Had to go with a budget card, so I tried the 9200...thinking the Radeon name would make it at least equivalent to the 2/TI....Not even close. Typical FS2002/FS2004 scenario--aircraft with reflections, anisotropy and AA:20 fps with GeF 2/TI15 fps with Radeon--and the AA had little visible effect.Another sim I enjoy--NoLimits Coaster:25-35 fps with a coaster I created and the GeF 2/TI15-25 fps with the 9200, same coaster...The Radeon had a clear and sharp display, and supported water reflections in FS2004 with no fps penalty--and 128 megs of RAM vs. the TI's 64 megs. But that wasn't enough to make up for the poorer performance. And as I'd been told, the extra graphics RAM made no difference in texture clarity or sim performance. The Radeon was stable, but so is my TI.....I've heard the GeF/4600 TI spoken of highly in my price range, but I can't find it anywhere.... To tell you the truth, if I could find a new GeF 3/500, I'd be happy.Based on my experience with the 9200, I can't see myself trying another Radeon--even if the higher end ones are better. I wasn't expecting to be sucker punched in the performance area on a card which cost more than my current TI--but I probably fell victim to the same marketing ploy that the GeF MX was. Now I have to deal with the hassle of a return. I'm sorry to say there was little commentary in this forum on the 9200, and I felt time was of the essence--only the higher priced cards that are out of my league. It is very well possible that the 9200 will only shine on an AGP 4X or 8X MB. Mine is only a 2X--being several years old. For the time being, I'm back with my (fanless) GeF/2 TI.I am curious if anyone else has had any experience with the 9200 that would contradict my own, given the same upgrade path. I could always concede something went awry with the driver install, although I tried an install twice.

John,Sorry to hear your dissapointment. Part of your problem I think falls under choking the card. 4X AGP would probably really help that card pull on the Ti. Also, did you use a Det. Destroyer program before you installed the ATI card making sure you got rid of all the old Nvidia files?. Also make sure your running the latest chipset drivers and Bios for your MB. There is quite a technology difference between the two cards.If all else fails perhaps a "Spring" cleaning or a fresh install of your machine would help. For some reason it seems to really help w ATI/Nvidia upgrade issues.Bobby

Used Det. Destroyer... To verify removal, I used sysinfo to check the dll's and vxd's which were loaded. I'm a network admin, so I regularly spring clean and police my system--no issues there. After I removed the ATI and its drivers, performance with the GeF/2 was exactly where it was before.As for BIOS updates, there are none to be had for my MB--the last was at the end of '00.It may just be that the ATI is optimized around a newer system. My best bet, given my system's age and the performance of the MB, may be trying to find somewhere a GeF/3 TI. Also, since I have to run 98SE to support some legacy business apps, the O/S may be coming into play. I've heard people post issues before with ATI's 9X driver support.

The R9200 is one of the lower end Radeons ATI has out. expecting great performance from it will leave you thirsty for more. The higher end Radeons 9500/9700/9800 series is where all the performance is! These cards run really well but will also set you back a few more $$.The best thing to do is when your ready to make a new purchace, go out & research it first. Chech out several different sources that way you get a mix of responces & can start to gather a general opinion about a product before you buy. The more informed you are, the happier you'll end up being.Cheers.

I think that was my mistake--very little info to go on with the 9200, and being pressed for time. It's a shame it didn't perform as fast as I'd hoped--as an example, FS2004 with water reflections looked beautiful--beyond words.The results were at least consistent--performance was about a third less in OpenGL and DirectX applications. But it still came as a surprise.... I won't rule out an Nvidia card again....but I'll probably have to order one online. The 9500 and on are just too much for my budget--50, 60 bucks doesn't mean much to some, but considering my family, wife's birthday coming, etc....means a lot even if I can't have the best. I'll just settle for "as good" as what I have :)-John

Dude, the 9200 is a sooped up 8500, now, an 8500 is usually better then a GF 3, now, a GF 3 is usually better then a GF2 Ti.I think it's your AGP chipset drivers, you have to update them, and check AA+AF 'cause they only really work "well" with R300+ cards.

No way to update the AGP chipset drivers--the MB is four years old (rapidly going on 5), and there are no more driver updates for it. As for AA and AF, if giving up either is a prerequisite for good performance with the 9200, then it ain't worth it--my performance with both on the GEF/2 exceeds my performance with them off on the Radeon. I don't believe in flying MSFS without them.Since this card was designed with newer MB's in supply and with XP in common use, it's my guess it performs best under those circumstances. I doubt they went back and tested it or optimized it for an old BX MB. The early GeForce cards were a different animal--the BX board were much more common during their design. So in such a case--it's likely an older MB/CPU combo may work better in those circumstances. If work considerations and cost considerations did't require me to keep the MB and CPU I have, I'd consider replacing them all.It's a shame, as in all other areas, I considered the 9200's texture quality outstanding--a notch better than the Nvidia. And I found it's 2-d support better as well. And I've had great success with ATI's TV Tuner card..... They make good products--but I think the issue is they may be products which can't be scaled back to my system. And since last night, I'm finding more and more anecdotal info stating that the 9200's performance is a notch below even the GeF/MX cards. Since I don't care about DX 9 support, I may well opt for an old GeF 3 by Gainward that was equipped with 128 megs.... The GeF/3 has had good results with FS2004, and I can get it by the end of the week. That's all I care about really.... I could waste a week trying to troubleshoot the 9200, but as I said, workstation and network support is my bread and butter--my living. I haven't seen a suggestion yet I hadn't tried or considered before I posted here.

Nonono, I mean...1.)Right click My computer and choose properties2.)Click the (hardware tab in windows 2000/windows xp) device manager tab and then scroll to the bottom of the device list.3.)CLick system devices4.)Scroll through the list of system devices until you find a listing for the agp controller5.)The chipset manufacturer's name will appear as the device name.VIA technologies www.viaarena.comAcer Laboratories(ALI) www.ali.com.twSilicon Intergreated Sistems (sis) www.sis.comAdvanced Micro Devices (AMD) www.amd.comIntel technologies support.intel.com

I understand what you mean--as I said, there are no more updates available for the BX boards. I would have otherwise updated the chipset drivers long ago..... And considering what I do for a living, I appreciate the reminder regarding how to update the drivers, but I had better know how to do that :)

Ahh...Okay...Well, get a new mobo :)

"Well, get a new mobo :)"I'm leaning in that direction, which means I'll have to return the card and wait... A $99 upgrade turning into $99+$120+$250 (new cpu of course) means no vacation for my wife and daughter. I'll opt out of the upgrade for now, and wait 'til the 2/TI dies. But if I stumble on one of the Nvidia cards, I may try it out to compare--it may just be that my system prefers or works better with the Nvidia drivers, given its age.Want to know what's funny--running DXDIAG--you know the spinning cube? The ATI drivers make the cube spin like crazy--almost like a blurred prop. The Nvidia drivers spin the cube at a "normal" rate. Go figure.... :)

Indeed.Hey, what is your system setup?

"Hey, what is your system setup?"LOL :) Gotta think of a new siggy....BTW, noticed you have an Iwill MB. Great board! The 440 BX board I have is also an Iwill--I think it's worked great for me over the years--very stable. Win 98 runs very well--as stable as my Win 2000 servers in the office. I learned this the hard way--was late for the airport (and was flying FS2002 linked to the GPS) and ran out the door. Came home two weeks later, and FS2002 was still running--with my aircraft having reached it's destination and circling over it. CPU temp, in spite of having been on for two weeks, was 39 C.I've policed Win 98 closely over the years. I scan the loaded VXD's and DLL's after every software install, and inventory what I see. If something changes the system, I know about it. IMHO, it's the only good way to confirm a driver package has been uninstalled--a simple ctrl/alt/delete to the task manager doesn't tell everything in regards to a system.This afternoon I've seen more anecdotal reports regarding people having success with one card over the other--most of them with the oldest of MB's, like mine. If I do get in the funds for a new MB, I may very well opt for one of the high end Radeons.

Well my mobo sucks lol.I'm trying to get a new soltek Nforce2 one.. Trying to :(

John,I hear ya about the wife and kids w a budget. My son is 21/2 months old. Have an offer for ya. I have an ASUS 815 based board here doing nothing but taking up space. It's the 7IS2 board w 4xAGP. As far as I know it works and is in excellent shape. If you want all you need to do is pay the shipping on it and your more than welcome to give it a try and see if it makes a difference in the performance of your machine. It's an SDRAM board that ran my first machine w a 4200 pretty well.Let me know what you want to do. I have gotten to the point of needing to clean house so to speak and if I can help a fellow simmer out than great.Let me know :)Bobby