Graphics cards based on the lower-end GeForce FX 5200 graphics processors yesterday appeared for sale in Japan. The first companies to offer such products were Sparkle and Prolink, both mostly known for their cost-effective solutions. Despite of expectations about low prices on such graphics cards, the products are rather expensive in Japan, according to Akiba PC Hotline.

The GeForce FX 5200 GPU (aka NV34) is the successor of the GeForce4 MX family and is targeted at mainstream and low-end market segments. The GeForce FX 5200 series of GPUs are manufactured using 0.15 micron process and cannot boast with the same set of features compared to more advanced brothers, such as the GeForce FX 5600 and the GeForce FX 5800; for instance, GeForce FX 5200-series lacks Intellisample 2.0 FSAA. The GeForce FX 5200 implements 4 TMUs, supports up to 128MB of 128-bit DDR SDRAM memory, integrates dual 350MHz RAMDACs, TMDS transmitter and TV-Out controller. The GeForce FX 5200 Ultra version runs at 325/325MHz for core and memory, while speeds for non-Ultra versions are decided by graphics cards makers.

Japanese stores offer Sparkle and Prolink graphics cards that feature D-Sub, DVI-I, TV-Out and 128MB of DDR SDRAM memory. The cards run at 250MHz for the chip and 400MHz for the memory. The products cost about $125 now, what is $45 more than NVIDIA’s MSRP of $79 for the GeForce FX 5200.

Considering that the GeForce FX brand-name is still something sacred for most of you, I can easily understand the reason why Japanese retailers sell the graphics cards for more than $120 even despite of the fact that these solutions should be slower than even a RADEON 9100 in most of the current 3D-games.

Hopefully, the GeForce FX 5200 and 5200 Ultra will soon appear for sale in Europe and the USA for prices that are closer to recommended by NVIDIA.