Bargain-BASEMENT video card

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PartEleven

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I've been trying to shop around for a totally cheap, bargain-basement PCI-E card for my new system to hold me over until the better cards drop into my budget range. It's hard to go through all of the old, outdated tech pages to try to compare these old cards. The one I'm looking at right is the Freetech 6200, which I heard you can flash to a 6600 and overclock. Does anyone have any suggestions? Remember I'm looking for the cheapest, bottom of the barrel card (that isn't total garbage at least).

link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814122205

Also, does anyone know how my old card, a 9600PRO 128mb AGP card stack against the older generation cards? I would hate to end up buying a cheap card that is actually slower than my old one :lol:
 
zenmaster

zenmaster

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See -

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/05/01/the_best_gaming_video_cards_for_the_money/page7.html#what_about_this_other_cards

This shows that a 6200 is roughly on par with your 9600pro.

I guess it looks like a pretty decent card for the price considering it is only a hold over.

Personally, I dont think you are going to see rapid drops in the prices of video cards.

The 7600GT can be found well under $100 and the 7900GS for about $130.
Both of these would be very good cards for the money.

Run these for a year or so and then upgrade.
I just don't think you are going to see the massive price drops that would bring high end cards into budget if they are way out of budget now.
 
zenmaster

zenmaster

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See -

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/05/01/the_best_gaming_video_cards_for_the_money/page7.html#what_about_this_other_cards

This shows that a 6200 is roughly on par with your 9600pro.

I guess it looks like a pretty decent card for the price considering it is only a hold over.

Personally, I dont think you are going to see rapid drops in the prices of video cards.

The 7600GT can be found well under $100 and the 7900GS for about $130.
Both of these would be very good cards for the money.

Run these for a year or so and then upgrade.
I just don't think you are going to see the massive price drops that would bring high end cards into budget if they are way out of budget now.
 
lordaardvark2

lordaardvark2

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it depends heavily on the games that you want to play while being held over... i assume you use your GPU for gaming, anyway :wink: .

but, yeah. if i were you, i'd get the cheapest card you possibly could to play the games you enjoy and just hold out till you can get a nice card... i personally think that skipping this first dx10 gen from both companies could be quite pleasant for you and i.

anyway, the 6200 sounds VERY attractive, especially if you can tweak it as much as you said :) but, as zenmaster added, there are nice cards that can be had for more money. i however would recommend not making a compromise like that... either go all the way cheap or get an uber expensive card now because if you go in the middle then you won't get the perks of the other two options, as mid cards are not the cheapest and not the best performers.
 
jay2tall

jay2tall

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If you are looking to "hold you over" until the "better cards" come into your range I am making a good guess you use your rig for at least moderate gaming. I would highly recommend getting a 7600gt or x1900gt. Actually i just edited this post and first suggest the x1650xt but then realized the x1900gt is priced the same and completely outperforms it. So if you are looking to get a good bang for the buck and at a lost cost get the 7600gt. But for a little more you will get a better card with the x1900gt.

7600GT (EVGA):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130062

x1900gt (Sapphire):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102022
 
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PartEleven

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If you are looking to "hold you over" until the "better cards" come into your range I am making a good guess you use your rig for at least moderate gaming. I would highly recommend getting a 7600gt or x1900gt. Actually i just edited this post and first suggest the x1650xt but then realized the x1900gt is priced the same and completely outperforms it. So if you are looking to get a good bang for the buck and at a lost cost get the 7600gt. But for a little more you will get a better card with the x1900gt.
Click to expand...

Here's the problem I have with that suggestion. I was considering getting a mid-range card like those, but then I thought about my total costs. Let's say I do get a x1950PRO for $130 after rebate. Then let's say I get a 8800GTS 320MB card later for ~$200 when it drops in price. I'll have spent roughly $330 on video cards after all that. For $330 I might as well just buy a 8800GTS now and enjoy it. True I could pawn the X1950 off on ebay, but that's a lot of additional work on my part. And I'd have to wait for the rebate.
 
lordaardvark2

lordaardvark2

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thats what i was thinking, too. either go for something uber cheap like that 6200 and oc it, or go for something that performs uber well. otherwise, you're "settling," and i don't really think that that is the best idea under monetary constraints.

^ thats what i like to do. i never have money, so its either save up for something nice or stay with cheapness. heh :lol:
 
tb28w3

tb28w3

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I just upgraded last week to the EVGA 7600GT from a 6200.

Let me tell you....

The 6200 SUCKED BIG TIME!!!!

It wouldn't even play DOOM 3 on 640*480 or 800*600 with low quality enabled.

It is just a vid card that will play screensavers a little better than integrated video.....

My 7600GT is running my 22" LCD on FEAR @ 1680*1050 resolution and I'm averaging 40FPS with high quality enabled.

If you want good performance without wasting $50 bucks, get the 7600GT!!
 
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PartEleven

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Well a quick search on 7600GT prices on newegg puts them at around $100. Not too bad, but still more than I would spend for an interim card. Like I said earlier, if I bought a $200 8800GTS down the road, I'll have spent $300. Might as well get the 8800GTS now. And it's not like I have to play graphics intensive games like Doom3 or FEAR. There's plenty of older games I haven't gotten aroudn to yet and being limited to a 6200 would be a great excuse for me to get around to them. But all of this is moot now, because I was able to get a X850XT off of ebay for $60 shipped. Not too bad I'd say :D
 
billdcat4

billdcat4

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Well a quick search on 7600GT prices on newegg puts them at around $100. Not too bad, but still more than I would spend for an interim card. Like I said earlier, if I bought a $200 8800GTS down the road, I'll have spent $300. Might as well get the 8800GTS now. And it's not like I have to play graphics intensive games like Doom3 or FEAR. There's plenty of older games I haven't gotten aroudn to yet and being limited to a 6200 would be a great excuse for me to get around to them. But all of this is moot now, because I was able to get a X850XT off of ebay for $60 shipped. Not too bad I'd say :D
Click to expand...

i just bought a 7600GT off of a friend with a Zalman VF700Cu installed.

It idles at 48C and loads at 63C. It plays FEAR at 39avg fps at 1600x1200 at medium settings. Thats with 0% below 25fps.

Just get a 7600GT, and when they come out with the 8900 series, buy a $300 version.

The 7900GS is also a very good card for a low price. Check out the deals in my sig. The cheapest 7900GS is $99 and the best overall deal is an XFX for $135.
 
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PartEleven

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Thanks, but good job on missing the point of this thread. Buy a $99 7900GS now and then get a $300 8900 later? That's $400 in total spending on graphics cards. That doesn't save me any money at all. Maybe I posted on the wrong forum for something like this...
 
ethel

ethel

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Thanks, but good job on missing the point of this thread. Buy a $99 7900GS now and then get a $300 8900 later? That's $400 in total spending on graphics cards. That doesn't save me any money at all. Maybe I posted on the wrong forum for something like this...
Click to expand...

Maybe you need to show a little civility to people who are trying to help you.
 
Ninjaz7

Ninjaz7

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I jus bought a 7100gs off fleabay for 15 clams($19.55 sent),enough to play cs and vista ready,I'm also waiting for the 8800gts or the Ultras answer to 2nd place card(hopefully not a power hog).Looks like being in the same boat is turning into a small fleet,but all in all I think its smart business....I can wait to save a couple hundred,gl :D .
 
jay2tall

jay2tall

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Get the dang 8800GTS 320MB and quit pussyfooting around. haha. JUST KIDDING...

You have a valid point. If you spend $100 now and guy another card 6 months from now it isn't worth it unless you can get one really cheap used or something. I vote to just get something you can use now and later and pay the money upfront. That's what credit cards are for.
 
zenmaster

zenmaster

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The "Trade-Up" program is not really that good of a deal.

The reason is you are credited with what you pay.
To get the new card you are charged "EVGA's" list price.

If you check the "list price" for their cards, it is often $100 or more than what you would pay for that same card on NewEgg.

You would likely be better off selling the old card on eBay and buying the new card from NewEgg.

Now, I do think you should buy EVGA because they make good stuff and honor warranties w/o a problem. I bought an EVGA for that reason.
 
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