GeForce FX 5200 Graphics Cards from ASUS in Details

by Anton Shilov
03/16/2003 | 07:23 PM

ASUSTeK Computer appeared to be the first company to release precise details about its GeForce FX 5200-based graphics cards. Presently the company showcases these new products at CeBIT in Hannover and it looks like that the GeForce FX 5200 powered solutions will hit the stores pretty soon, as the GPUs are made using mature 0.15 micron technology and. based on what we are hearing from graphics cards manufacturers, there are no serious problems with PCBs for the GeForce FX 5200 graphics cards, as NVIDIA has done great efforts in order to make the GeForce FX 5200 very cheap in all terms, including PCB design.

ASUSTeK will offer three different graphics cards based on the GeForce FX 5200 technology:

• V9520 Video Suite – 250/400MHz for chip/memory; 128MB DDR SDRAM; Dual DVI-I; TV-Out;
• V9520/TD - 250/400MHz for chip/memory; 128/256MB DDR SDRAM; D-Sub; DVI-I; TV-Out;
• V9520Magic/T - 250/333MHz for chip/memory; 64/128MB DDR SDRAM; D-Sub; TV-Out

The GeForce FX 5200 graphics processor is here to substitute the GeForce4 MX 440 and NVIDIA wants graphics cards makers to sell the GeForce FX 5200 solutions for very low prices; for instance, NVIDIA’s recommended price for a GeForce 5200 graphics card is just $79. That is why I can hardly understand why ASUS even declares a product with 256MB of memory, firstly because NVIDIA officially says that the GPU supports maximum of 128MB DDR SDRAM, secondly because there is no need in 256MB of onboard memory now especially for lower-end graphics cards, while additional memory means additional costs what makes the graphics card less competitive. Generally speaking, the GeForce FX 5200 is a perfect substitute for the GeForce 4 MX both in terms of price and performance, however the product with 256MB of memory definitely will not be able to boast with great price or great performance correlative to the price…

ASUS will bundle the products with its proprietary software as well as a number of popular 3D games, such as Morrowind/Ghost Recon, Worms Blast, Black Thorn, and demos of Battle realms and IL2. No information was issued about the prices of these graphics cards.