Graphics card for new pc

[rabidbunny]

Later on this summer, I will be building my first pc. I am mainly buying all of my components off of newegg and just noticed that they got rid of the 7600gt that I was going to get by eVga. Now, I need to consider a different card since they don't have it listed.
here's what I'm going to build:
Amd +4400 (maybe 4200)
Gigabyte pro-sli
2gb Corsair ram
Antec truepower II 2.0 550watt psu
and the other parts as well.

Now, I am willing to spend around $200 usd for a graphics card and maybe a little bit more, but since this is my first build, I won't need to have something awsome that costs around 300-400 dollars. I can always upgrade later.

I am considering either Nvidia or Ati and I want this card to be able to handle everything out there with decent framerates.

Any sugggestions?

 

[jimytheassassin]

you mean one of these EVGA 7600gt's at NewEgg?

 

[rabidbunny]

Actually, no. I think there was a 7600 evga card that had higher clock and memory speeds and was 256-bit.

I may be wrong, but the card was around $209 on newegg. I don't know if a 7600gt with a 128bit interface would suffice or not? since I want to have a card with a 256bit interface since it can then utilize all 256mb of memory at one time.

I will still check around to see what I may like to get. But suggestions are still appreciated. thanks!

 

[jimytheassassin]

Before I plead my case.. the 7600gt/co/ko is fast enough, a 7900gt will out perform 2 7600's in SLI.. so think about that 7900gt KO $240

128bit vs 256bit refers to how much data you can fit through the pipeline at one time. b=bit B=byte=8 bits I understand your confusion but a 256bit bus will not continuously use a 256MegaByte bank of memory, though it is more efficient than 128 if clock speeds and architecture are equal. Many things tell the tale of a good video card, but why fuss over the little stuff, check out toms vga charts instead.


yes.. the 7600gt 256BIT Indeed you are powerful..as the emporer has foreseen

HOWEVER..I believe it never existed.. These are the official specs of the evga 7600gt co..sold in CANADA as 256bit..but they must be mistaken
Performance
NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT
580 MHz GPU
12 Pixel Pipelines
400 MHz RAMDAC

Memory
256 MB, 128 bit DDR3
1500 MHz (effective)
24.0 GB/s Memory Bandwidth

Furthermore! Pine Technology OOPS on 256bit..wait no..128 bit? Idiots!..they say it's 256bit..and the specs say.. YUP.. 128 BIT.

By the by..don't trust anything you read on newegg as pure truth. Even they say not to, always check your vendor sources

 

[rabidbunny]

Alright. The 2nd link you posted, jimytheassassin, was the one I was looking at. Would it make a noticable difference in performance compared to a 256bit gpu? I would think it would only drop a few framerates in games. O well....

Ok. Now that that's straightened out, what card would work well for gaming and around $200 or less? would a 7600gt work fine? or should I go with an Ati card?

To me, I am not brand loyal for graphics cards. I have an x800 GTO in my 3year old dell 4550 that makes everything look shiny!! :idea:
Should I consider an ati card instead since I won't be overclocking and they seem to run games smoother than Nvidia cards?

Also, should I consider Sli at a later date? or even switch to a crossfire board to double up on ati cards??
I know that sli and crossfire are in their early stages and there is not a HUGE graphical performance between one awsome card and two other cards.

Lastly, what are the main things I should know about the clock speeds, -bit interface, and pipelines? What is normal and what is considered 'fast'?

Thanks.

 

[jimytheassassin]

I'm sure someone will have an opinion about ati. maybe the x1800gto? I can't answer what is better.

SLI-Crossfire is a waste IMHO. It's very tempting but two cards can be beaten by one card costing less than two lesser cards. got that. Crossfire is smarter in it's design. Waiting to buy an upgrade doesn't gaurantee it will be available when youre' ready. Buying now doesn't neccesarily give you the edge you'd hope over a more expensive alternative. SLI's primary advantage in my view of the battle field, is playing at high resolutions only. 1920 and up. If you still feel like it get an enabled board for either, but buy one card now.. you might get lucky later and need a secodn card because you purchased a 32inch LCD monitor. hypathetically speaking As for the details on video cards, surf google for the answers you seek. Nothing is normal or fast by specs alone. Architecture is a deep chamber i can not open the door to here. Seek and ye shall find answers in the charts