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What's the best graphics card for my machine?

Forum Graphic & Displays : Graphics Cards - What's the best graphics card for my machine?

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JohnFa   08-10-2009 at 06:11:09 AM

So, right now my machine is the following:

Pentium 4, 2.6Ghz
1GB RAM
AGP GeForce 6200


I want to upgrade my graphics card. What's a pretty cheap card which will upgrade my graphics performance in games the most? I need an AGP card.

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edeawillrule   08-10-2009 at 06:12:39 AM
- 0 +

Save your money for a new pc. Or look for a used card on ebay such as a Geforce 6800 series.

------------------------------ Core 2 Quad Q9400 (2.66Ghz, 6mb L2, 1333MT/S) | 6Gb DDR2-800 SDRAM | 512mb HIS IceQ Radeon HD 4670 Turbo | 640Gb 7200 Rpm HDD | 350w psu | Dell 0M0171G G43/G45
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Bronze Graphics badge jaguarskx   08-10-2009 at 06:33:16 AM
- 0 +

The HD 4670 1GB AGP is the most powerful video card you can upgrade to; $115.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814131161

However, your CPU will surely cap it's performance. Thus, in the end you will be wasting money.

I would have to guess that the best "new" card in your situation would be an HD 3650 for about $63 after rebate.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814121260

I think that would give you the best performance for the money.


Realistically speaking, if you want to play games released since 2007 you should really buy a new PC.

------------------------------ Q9450 |Corsair XMS 4GB DDR 800 | ABit IP35 Pro | HD 5850 | Audigy 2 | Seasonic S12 550 | Cooler Master Centurion 532 | NEC LCD2690WUXi and Planar PX2611w | WinXP

Peace on Earth by means of the destruction of all life on Earth.
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volks1470   08-10-2009 at 06:33:27 AM
- 0 +

I would also reccommend saving for a new pc but if you choose to take the route of a gpu only upgrade heres a choice.

Powercolor Radeon 4670 1GB

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814131161

Reply to volks1470
mactronix   08-10-2009 at 10:25:10 AM
- 0 +

The best option in my opinion would be the 4650 that gkay09 linked to. It would be the best match for your CPU and has GDDR3 memory on the card. Buying a card with GDDR2 really isnt a good idea as the GDDR3 cards are so much better.
The other thing i would say is if budget allows it upping the Ram on your machine to 2gb will help a lot with newer games also. There is always the option of overclocking your P4 if you fancy ?
Mactronix

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szymek   08-10-2009 at 11:12:50 AM
- 0 +

I'd look for a used x1950pro agp, it was a powerfull card and will match your expectations. But saving for a new pc would far better option.

Reply to szymek
dandy   08-10-2009 at 11:24:11 AM
- 0 +

whats games u mostly play?

------------------------------ Intel Core2 Quad Q9400 3.6GHZ,CoolerMaster Hyper N520 Cooler,Asus P5Q-Pro,2GB Corsair Dominator 1066,2xHD4850 ,Seagate 320GB SataII,LG-DVDRam,Huntkey Titan 650w,Similodon(EXT Black)Case.
 Reply to dandy
shubham1401   08-10-2009 at 07:41:55 PM
- 0 +

This would be the best for you.

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 3850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 AGP 4X/8X
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 1681410273

Other good option is the 4670 and 4650.

Reply to shubham1401
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