Laptop Video Cards: Mobility Radeon 9000 vs. Geforce FX 5200

[Enforcer]

So, my laptop came with an nVidia 64mb GeForce FX Go5200, but the card had to be replaced. The Dell at-home tech guy apparently put in an ATi Mobility Radeon 9000. Did I get ripped off? Is there a good article or website comparing the two that someone can point out to me? I tried cnet.com, but any search for either card just brings up laptops that come with it, not the specs of just the card...

Thank you for any help!

Edit: the Radeon is also 64mb.

 

[tburdett]

It will be hard to find a site that directly compares the two because the Radeon 9000 is an older DirectX 8 part and the FX Go5200 is a newer DirectX 9 part.

 

[Krieg]

FWIW the Radeon 9000 is definitely a step back. ATI's current competitor with the FX5200 is the Mobility Radeon 9600.

If you are looking to play games on your laptop this is a definite step back. Not only is the 9000 going to run current games somewhat slower than the 5200 but it will also be unable to take advantage of all the features of games that utilize DX9 in the future (FWIW there aren't any DX9 games currently on the market, Doom III & Half Life 2 will be the first major DX9 releases).

Your best bet is to go to sites like Tom's Hardware Guide or Hard OCP and run searches on Mobility Radeon 9000, 9200 & 9600 as well as the GeForce FX Go 5200 & 5600. You probably aren't going to find a direct 9000 to 5600 comparison because they were released about a year apart, but it will definitely get you going in the right direction.

 

[Enforcer]

Bastards! Sigh, just what I wanted, another call to Dell...

 

[LightPhoenix]

Bastards! Sigh, just what I wanted, another call to Dell...

I'd call and try and have them refund some of your initial repair cost. After all, they did in effect rip you off by providing you with inferior parts.

 

[Enforcer]

I'd call and try and have them refund some of your initial repair cost. After all, they did in effect rip you off by providing you with inferior parts.

Well, I have a year of at-home service, so the repair didn't cost me anything I didn't already pay for. I just wish this was over with!

Thank you for your help, everyone, even if the answer to my question wasn't the one I wanted.