Looking for a new decent video card around 100$.

Here are my specs.

Windows XP Pro

512 MB of Ram

250gb Western Digital HDD

AMD Sempron 2600

Geforce4 MX 4000 64mb


I want to update my video card as it is slow on low settings on GTA: San Andreas, slow on Enemy Territory and abrely runs Doom3. I would like a card that can run Half Life 2, Doom 3 with ease, perferebly at high too.

And my motherboard can only support AGP 4x/8x. But I found two cards which are great, but both have good qualities so I need help on deciding.


First, HIS Hightech HX70Q128-3TOAN Radeon X700 IceQ 128MB 128-bit GDDR3 AGP 4X/8X Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814161147

Great for overclocking, perfect fan, and it looks cool. Great price with a rebate so it comes out to around 116$, which is great. But it only has 128mb of ram and slower speeds, and I am not a fan of overclocking.




Second, ATI 100-437406 Radeon X700PRO 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 AGP 4X/8X Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Cust [...] 6814102605

No bad reviews, has 256mb of ram and good bus/clock speeds. Yet it has a loud fan and could overheat. Not to mention its more expensive. But still its more powerful.




So which one is the better card for me? Or is there a different card I should get. I'm leaning towards the first one for the price and fan, but which is better??




Thanks




P.S., is there a good card out there that could run games like Half Life 2 or Doom3 on average or low settings for 100 or less.

The X1600 PRO is faster, cheaper, and has more advanced technology:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102665

wow, thats perfect. im surprised i didnt see it before haha. i'll still wait for more opinions first but yeah. ill definitaly keep my eye on this one. thanks.

What more do you need?

Look at the specs, look at the reviews.

X1600Pro is a great choice for the money you are looking to spend.

X1600Pro has latest DX support, full AVIVO support including dual link DVI, performance equal to or better than the X700Pro in most things, and better than the GF6800 and even GF6800GS in some.

And since this is 'professional advice', I suspect Cleeve and I can expect a cheque by PM?

Just dont expect to play those games you mentioned on max settings, if so dream on

lol. You can always count on Bluntside to find a bad thing to say about a Radeon.

It'll probably run the majority of those games on Max settings. Maybe not Doom3, but you'd need a far more expensive 512mb card to do that.

HalfLife2, GTA, and Enemy Territory should be a cakewalk on max settings for an X1600...

You're right, he might get close to Max settings (if he runs @ 800x600, MAYBE @ 1024x768), otherwise no he will not if he wants to use a high resolution. And if he wants Max settings, he should seriously look into another 512MB of RAM at the least.

Doom3 on Ultra with an X700?

No , He Has A Radeon X1900XT , I Think He Is An ATI Boy

its out of stock! any other opinions on a different card then?