best graphics card under $200?

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What's the best graphics card I can get for about $150-$200? There are
so many products I can't tell which one is better. e.g.: ATI has
several products in the $200 (Cdn) range, but I don't know the
differences:

$179 ATI Radeon 9600 XT 128MB DDR AGP8X w/S-Video & DVI-I OEM
$215 ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR AGP8X w/S-Video & DVI-I Sapphire
$139 ATI Radeon X600 Pro 128MB DDR PCI-Express w/S-Video & DVI-I
Sapphire
$169 ATI Radeon X600 Pro 256MB DDR PCI-Express w/S-Video & DVI-I
Sapphire
$215 ATI All-in-Wonder Radeon 9600 128MB DDR AGP8X w/S-Video Box

Or is there something else entirely I should be looking at for this
price range? Any gotchas to be aware of, products I should be
avoiding?

Joe

 

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"Joe62" <NOSPAMjmcginn@shaw.ca> wrote in message
news:9sm441hcaiti3pgtlp3ei93l8kr0v529m2@4ax.com...
> What's the best graphics card I can get for about $150-$200? There are
> so many products I can't tell which one is better. e.g.: ATI has
> several products in the $200 (Cdn) range, but I don't know the
> differences:
>
> $179 ATI Radeon 9600 XT 128MB DDR AGP8X w/S-Video & DVI-I OEM
> $215 ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR AGP8X w/S-Video & DVI-I Sapphire
> $139 ATI Radeon X600 Pro 128MB DDR PCI-Express w/S-Video & DVI-I
> Sapphire
> $169 ATI Radeon X600 Pro 256MB DDR PCI-Express w/S-Video & DVI-I
> Sapphire
> $215 ATI All-in-Wonder Radeon 9600 128MB DDR AGP8X w/S-Video Box
>
> Or is there something else entirely I should be looking at for this
> price range? Any gotchas to be aware of, products I should be
> avoiding?
>
> Joe

You're right about so many cards out there.

First what cpu/mb do you have? Cause if you have an AGP mb that means you
can't jump to the new PCIe video cards (unless you plan on getting a new mb
too?).

If you have an AGP mb, then you should be able to get the ATI 9800 Pro
128meg card or for around $200 (USD). It's better than the ATI 9600
versions. By the way, a similar card to the ATI 9800 Pro is Nvidia's 5900
video card. Stay away from the ATI 9800 SE version.

You listed some ATI cards that have the 'All-in-Wonder' feature. With this
feature you can caputre and edit video. Is that a must for you? If not,
then you don't need an All-in-Wonder type card.

If you have a PCIe mb, than recommend that you look at the Nvidia 6600GT.

Finally, you need to check out the benchmarks if possible for any video card
that you are thinking of buying. You can search the web or use some of
these sites to get a feel for what you're $ is getting.


http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2281&p=5

http://www.sharkeyextreme.com/hardware/videocards/article.php/3211_3411451__7

http://www.guru3d.com/article/Videocards/169/17/ (have you thought about
the Nvidia 6600GT AGP card?)

http://www.guru3d.com/article/Videocards/148/15/ (X600 reveiw)

http://graphics.tomshardware.com/graphic/20041004/index.html

http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=mrpcie&page=11

http://www.thetechlounge.com/review.php?directory=ati_radeon_x800_xt_pcie&page=7

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/bfg_geforce_6600_gt/

hope this helps

 

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> If you have a PCIe mb, than recommend that you look at the Nvidia 6600GT.

Many manufacturers make AGP versions of the 6600 GT. I should know, I've
been watching the prices for the last couple of months. ~$190+shipping at
NewEgg, take your pick of companies.

HTH,

- f_f

 

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Thusly Joe62 <NOSPAMjmcginn@shaw.ca> Spake Unto All:

>What's the best graphics card I can get for about $150-$200?

IMO BBFTB: Geforce 6600GT or ATI Radeon 9800 pro. The 6600GT is
somewhat faster and somewhat more expensive.

What graphics interface does your motherboard have? Unless it's new
it's probably got AGP, and then you can't use PCI-Express cards; if
it's new it might have PCI-E, and then you can't use AGP.

Do you need/want video in/out? If so, check that the card has that.

You do not need to obsess what brand the card is - all Geforce 6600GT
are about the same performance-wise, and only ATI makes 9800 pro
cards.

 

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Mean_Chlorine <mike_noren2002@NOSPAMyahoo.co.uk> wrote in
news:nla54190d2opk1nf78u3hnblqhj431rqcu@4ax.com:

> Thusly Joe62 <NOSPAMjmcginn@shaw.ca> Spake Unto All:
>
>>What's the best graphics card I can get for about $150-$200?
>
> IMO BBFTB: Geforce 6600GT or ATI Radeon 9800 pro. The 6600GT is
> somewhat faster and somewhat more expensive.
>
> What graphics interface does your motherboard have? Unless it's new
> it's probably got AGP, and then you can't use PCI-Express cards; if
> it's new it might have PCI-E, and then you can't use AGP.
>
> Do you need/want video in/out? If so, check that the card has that.
>
> You do not need to obsess what brand the card is - all Geforce 6600GT
> are about the same performance-wise, and only ATI makes 9800 pro
> cards.

A bunch of makers make Radeon 9800 pro cards.

Unless these different 'brands' are all just being build by ATI and sold
under different names, because you can definitely find other makers.

--

Knight37 - http://knightgames.blogspot.com
Once a Gamer, Always a Gamer.

 

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Thusly knight37 <knight37m@gmail.com> Spake Unto All:

>A bunch of makers make Radeon 9800 pro cards.

Oops, you're quite correct. My brainfart. Apologies.

 

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On Thu, 24 Mar 2005 07:04:50 GMT, "OldDog" <OldDog@city.pound> wrote:

>First what cpu/mb do you have? Cause if you have an AGP mb that means you
>can't jump to the new PCIe video cards (unless you plan on getting a new mb
>too?).

Haven't decided yet. Finally dumping my ancient PC and gettng a new
one. I'm on a budget though ... I want a *decent* games machine (not
state of the art) that doesn't break the bank. So I'm thinking maybe
an AMD Athlon processor. Any reccomendations here (CPU/mobo)?

>You listed some ATI cards that have the 'All-in-Wonder' feature. With this
>feature you can caputre and edit video. Is that a must for you? If not,
>then you don't need an All-in-Wonder type card.

No I don't need that, thx that's helpful info.

>If you have a PCIe mb, than recommend that you look at the Nvidia 6600GT.

So .... weren't old Pentium 1 computers PCI? Then we advanced to AGP?
Now we're advancing again ... to PCI? My brain hurts. ;-)
>
>Finally, you need to check out the benchmarks if possible for any video card
>that you are thinking of buying. You can search the web or use some of
>these sites to get a feel for what you're $ is getting.

Thx for the links!

 

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"Joe62" <jmcginnNOSPAM@radicalREALLYNOSPAM.ca> wrote in message
news:hvs541d9bk34har6n2lfr4ojhpkljl360p@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 24 Mar 2005 07:04:50 GMT, "OldDog" <OldDog@city.pound> wrote:
>
>>First what cpu/mb do you have? Cause if you have an AGP mb that means you
>>can't jump to the new PCIe video cards (unless you plan on getting a new
>>mb
>>too?).
>
> Haven't decided yet. Finally dumping my ancient PC and gettng a new
> one. I'm on a budget though ... I want a *decent* games machine (not
> state of the art) that doesn't break the bank. So I'm thinking maybe
> an AMD Athlon processor. Any reccomendations here (CPU/mobo)?
>
>>You listed some ATI cards that have the 'All-in-Wonder' feature. With
>>this
>>feature you can caputre and edit video. Is that a must for you? If not,
>>then you don't need an All-in-Wonder type card.
>
> No I don't need that, thx that's helpful info.
>
>>If you have a PCIe mb, than recommend that you look at the Nvidia 6600GT.
>
> So .... weren't old Pentium 1 computers PCI? Then we advanced to AGP?
> Now we're advancing again ... to PCI? My brain hurts. ;-)
>>
>>Finally, you need to check out the benchmarks if possible for any video
>>card
>>that you are thinking of buying. You can search the web or use some of
>>these sites to get a feel for what you're $ is getting.
>
> Thx for the links!

Try this if you want a whole new system: www.cyberpowerinc.com Best rpices
I was able to find and I got a damned nice gaming system with Athlon 64
3500+, 1 gig of RAM, a GeForce 6800 and lots of other bells and whistles for
$1500.

turk
--
"As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely,
the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great
and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire
at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron." - H. L.
Mencken, in the Baltimore Sun, July 26, 1920.

 

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"Joe62" <jmcginnNOSPAM@radicalREALLYNOSPAM.ca> wrote in message
news:hvs541d9bk34har6n2lfr4ojhpkljl360p@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 24 Mar 2005 07:04:50 GMT, "OldDog" <OldDog@city.pound> wrote:
>
> >First what cpu/mb do you have? Cause if you have an AGP mb that means
you
> >can't jump to the new PCIe video cards (unless you plan on getting a new
mb
> >too?).
>
> Haven't decided yet. Finally dumping my ancient PC and gettng a new
> one. I'm on a budget though ... I want a *decent* games machine (not
> state of the art) that doesn't break the bank. So I'm thinking maybe
> an AMD Athlon processor. Any reccomendations here (CPU/mobo)?
>
> >You listed some ATI cards that have the 'All-in-Wonder' feature. With
this
> >feature you can caputre and edit video. Is that a must for you? If
not,
> >then you don't need an All-in-Wonder type card.
>
> No I don't need that, thx that's helpful info.
>
> >If you have a PCIe mb, than recommend that you look at the Nvidia 6600GT.
>
> So .... weren't old Pentium 1 computers PCI? Then we advanced to AGP?
> Now we're advancing again ... to PCI? My brain hurts. ;-)
> >
> >Finally, you need to check out the benchmarks if possible for any video
card
> >that you are thinking of buying. You can search the web or use some of
> >these sites to get a feel for what you're $ is getting.
>
> Thx for the links!

Well,what's your budget? An Athlon 64 2800 and good mobo can be had for as
little as $160. Add 512 RAM and a Nvidea 6600GT would be less than $450.

 

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Joe62 wrote:

> So .... weren't old Pentium 1 computers PCI? Then we advanced to AGP?
> Now we're advancing again ... to PCI? My brain hurts. ;-)

It's PCI Express. AGP was for graphics cards only.

Dennis

 

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"Joe62" <jmcginnNOSPAM@radicalREALLYNOSPAM.ca> wrote in message
news:hvs541d9bk34har6n2lfr4ojhpkljl360p@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 24 Mar 2005 07:04:50 GMT, "OldDog" <OldDog@city.pound> wrote:
>
> >First what cpu/mb do you have? Cause if you have an AGP mb that means
you
> >can't jump to the new PCIe video cards (unless you plan on getting a new
mb
> >too?).
>
> Haven't decided yet. Finally dumping my ancient PC and gettng a new
> one. I'm on a budget though ... I want a *decent* games machine (not
> state of the art) that doesn't break the bank. So I'm thinking maybe
> an AMD Athlon processor. Any reccomendations here (CPU/mobo)?
>

Are you building the system yourself? If so, check out the HW guides out
there like Sharky web site has.

http://www.sharkyextreme.com/guides/MVGSBG/article.php/3491051
http://www.sharkyextreme.com/guides/MHGSBG/article.php/3465831

I've been looking at the AMD 3200 (939 chipset supports dual ch RAM) with a
PCIe video card. The 6600GT PCIe is a pretty good card for around $200
(USD). If you got the extra $, then consider the 6800 GT card.

If you plan to order one, then you need to try and find benchmarks on their
systems. Others can jump in, but IMO VelocityMicro makes a decent system
with impressive benchmarks; and while they're not the cheapest maker out
there, they certainly aren't as expensive as some of the other makers.

http://www.velocitymicro.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=83c47d96aa1da90d36cf2b47332099cf
http://www.anandtech.com/systems/

If you got to www.pricewatch.com or the above computer dealers websites,
check out the prices to go from CPU X ghz to Z ghz. You'll be able to get
a feel for what the best price - ghz ratio is for you. For example, I
thought the price jump for going from AMD 3200 to 3500 was a little too much
vs the performance I was getting. Course that was just me and my wallet.

> >You listed some ATI cards that have the 'All-in-Wonder' feature. With
this
> >feature you can caputre and edit video. Is that a must for you? If
not,
> >then you don't need an All-in-Wonder type card.
>
> No I don't need that, thx that's helpful info.
>
> >If you have a PCIe mb, than recommend that you look at the Nvidia 6600GT.
>
> So .... weren't old Pentium 1 computers PCI? Then we advanced to AGP?
> Now we're advancing again ... to PCI? My brain hurts. ;-)
> >

ISA - PCI - AGP - PCIe (PCI express). Join the "My Brain Hurts" club. A
lot of stuff to keep up with this year. PCIe, AMD64, dual cpu systems,
dual video cards, ....

http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware/Features/pciexpresstech/ (PCIe
overview)

> >Finally, you need to check out the benchmarks if possible for any video
card
> >that you are thinking of buying. You can search the web or use some of
> >these sites to get a feel for what you're $ is getting.
>
> Thx for the links!

 

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"OldDog" <OldDog@city.pound> wrote in message
news:mEt0e.28698$Ux.23999@tornado.texas.rr.com...
>
>
> You listed some ATI cards that have the 'All-in-Wonder' feature. With
> this
> feature you can caputre and edit video. Is that a must for you? If not,
> then you don't need an All-in-Wonder type card.

Yeah, but even with video, it's still cool to watch TV on your PC while
surfing or doing whatever.

 

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"dawg" <don't look@worldnet.att.net> wrote:

>Well,what's your budget? An Athlon 64 2800 and good mobo can be had for as
>little as $160. Add 512 RAM and a Nvidea 6600GT would be less than $450.

That's in the ballpark. I want to stay well under $1000 (Cdn). Also I
don't want to cannabalize the old system, it'll make a nice
hand-me-down for my stepson (I'll keep the monitor, speakers,
keyboard/mouse, etc.). So I need a case and all the little bits that
go in it - hard drive, cd r/w, DVD r/w, power supply, etc. So that'll
be probably another couple hundred, say $650 US, which I could live
with.

Thx for the tips!

Joe

 

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Mean_Chlorine <mike_noren2002@NOSPAMyahoo.co.uk> wrote:

>IMO BBFTB: Geforce 6600GT or ATI Radeon 9800 pro. The 6600GT is
>somewhat faster and somewhat more expensive.

So I'd be comparing these two then?

$215 (Cdn) ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR AGP8X w/S-Video & DVI-I
Sapphire
$295 (Cdn) Asus N6600GT/TD128 GeForce 6600GT 128MB AGP8x w/TV & DVI
Retail

So what's the real benefit of the 6600GT in running games, compared to
the 9800 Pro. Is it an image quality difference or just a bit of
performance?

Joe

 

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Thusly Joe62 <NOSPAMjmcginn@shaw.ca> Spake Unto All:

>So I'd be comparing these two then?
>
>$215 (Cdn) ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR AGP8X w/S-Video & DVI-I
>Sapphire
>$295 (Cdn) Asus N6600GT/TD128 GeForce 6600GT 128MB AGP8x w/TV & DVI
>Retail

Oh there should be cheaper offerings too, from Sparkle and other
almost-noname producers. Like I said, brand doesn't really matter,
they're all created pretty much the same* and you can and should use
the reference driver from the chipset manufacturer. Just watch for any
special features (TV in/out) that you want, because the feature set
might differ between brands and manufacturers.

* there are versions with faster memory, which will run slightly
faster and overclock slightly better, but those are typically much
more expensive than the standard version.

>So what's the real benefit of the 6600GT in running games, compared to
>the 9800 Pro. Is it an image quality difference or just a bit of
>performance?

Yes.
Both cards will run all present games and all games released in the
near future, and do it well.
As for performance: The 9800 pro will as a rule be somewhat slower
when anti-aliasing is disabled, but will equal or slightly outperform
the 6600GT at high resoltions (1600x1200 or higher) with full
anti-aliasing, but they will then both be very slow.
Image quality: ATI-based cards in general are considered to have
slightly better image quality than nVidia-based cards. The difference
is clearly quite small; I could not reliably tell which card had
produced which shot.
Stability and compatibility: The ATI crowd will beat up on me for
this, but IMO it's clear that the nVidia cards win this section hands
down. The ATI drivers simply aren't very good, especially not with
OpenGL.

Bottom line: they're capable cards, which will run well for you. Even
though they're not top performers, and the 9800 pro is a two year old
model, will continue to run any game you throw at them, and do it
well, for at least the next year, probably the next two years.

To make my biases clear: My personal preference is for nVidia cards. I
like the hardware, I like the unified driver system, and I especially
like the compatibility.

 

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Joe62 <NOSPAMjmcginn@shaw.ca> wrote in
news:6c3741tcj3rrmsdqk3993a98546thgtad5@4ax.com:

>>Well,what's your budget? An Athlon 64 2800 and good mobo can be had
>>for as little as $160. Add 512 RAM and a Nvidea 6600GT would be less
>>than $450.
>
> That's in the ballpark. I want to stay well under $1000 (Cdn). Also I
> don't want to cannabalize the old system, it'll make a nice
> hand-me-down for my stepson (I'll keep the monitor, speakers,
> keyboard/mouse, etc.). So I need a case and all the little bits that
> go in it - hard drive, cd r/w, DVD r/w, power supply, etc. So that'll
> be probably another couple hundred, say $650 US, which I could live
> with.
>
> Thx for the tips!

Here's a free tip:

If you do not know what PCI Express is, you do not have the knowledge it
takes to build a PC these days. Seriously. You need to either 1. spend a
couple of months reading hardware sites and catching up on all the new
technology, especially pay attention to effective ways to COOL your PC,
which is a very important thing these days, or option 2. buy a pre-built
PC from a reputable vendor.

For my current PC I chose option 2, I decided I had better things to do
with my time than learn all the ins and outs of the current hardware
scene. Yeah, I built my own PC's back in the 386, 486, and Pentium days,
but if you go more than 2 years without keeping up with the technology,
you basically are starting over from scratch. And I didn't feel like
learning it all over again. But at least do enough research to know what
parts to ask for in your box (like what video cards, so you're off to a
good start).

Another advantage to buying a pre-built from one vendor is you have one
source to go back to if you experience problems, rather than trying to
fix it yourself and deal with parts from different vendors or different
warranties.

One of my co-workers didn't do this. Now he's on his 3rd motherboard in 2
months because he thought he could just throw something together and he
ended up frying 2 boards on accident. He's KICKING himself for not
following my advice.

Nutshell: KNOW what you're doing, or don't do. There is no "try".

--

Knight37 - http://knightgames.blogspot.com
Once a Gamer, Always a Gamer.

 

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knight37 <knight37m@gmail.com> wrote:

>For my current PC I chose option 2, I decided I had better things to do
>with my time than learn all the ins and outs of the current hardware
>scene. Yeah, I built my own PC's back in the 386, 486, and Pentium days,
>but if you go more than 2 years without keeping up with the technology,
>you basically are starting over from scratch. And I didn't feel like
>learning it all over again. But at least do enough research to know what
>parts to ask for in your box (like what video cards, so you're off to a
>good start).

That's very sound advice, and much appreciated. I'll go pre-built for
the same reasons. Thx very much.

Joe

 

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Joe62 <NOSPAMjmcginn@shaw.ca> once tried to test me with:

> knight37 <knight37m@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>For my current PC I chose option 2, I decided I had better things to do
>>with my time than learn all the ins and outs of the current hardware
>>scene. Yeah, I built my own PC's back in the 386, 486, and Pentium days,
>>but if you go more than 2 years without keeping up with the technology,
>>you basically are starting over from scratch. And I didn't feel like
>>learning it all over again. But at least do enough research to know what
>>parts to ask for in your box (like what video cards, so you're off to a
>>good start).
>
> That's very sound advice, and much appreciated. I'll go pre-built for
> the same reasons. Thx very much.

A good site to play around with options as to what mobo/parts you might
want in your box is here:

http://www.ibuypower.com/mall/lobby.htm

I have never bought a product from them so I can not make recommendation
for or against. They have decent prices, especially when compared to gaming
rig vendors like Voodoo, Alienware, or Falcon Northwest. But I have no idea
if their products are in the same league or not.

I bought my PC from a local vendor, because I wanted local support. I know
if something goes wrong with my rig I can drive it down to their site and
let them fix it that very day. They're not a massive chain outlet like
CompUSA but they are fairly big and have a major contract with a local
school district that buys several thousand PC's from them every year. I
happen to know their contract with the district is for at least 2 more
years, so I felt like they'd definitely be in business at least that long.

But either way you go, don't buy a machine that you don't know what parts
are in it. Ask the vendor for the brand and model of the motherboard, video
card, sound (if not built-in to mobo), etc. Then look those parts up on the
net and make sure they're not "lemons" (ie have tons of bad reviews). My
mobo is made by Intel and while it's not their best motherboard it's at
least competent. Video card is ATI Radeon 9800 Pro. Almost everything else
is built in on the mobo. Western Digital hard drive. Pioneer DVD writer.

Many people will tell you AMD is a better deal for gamers than Intel and
that is probably true. The only reason I went with Intel this time around
is because I got a really sweet deal on it and I couldn't find a vendor
that would sell me an equivalent AMD for the same price. Prior to this PC
I've been an AMD customer since the 386 40mhz AMD. My next PC will most
likely be AMD, and most likely it'll be within a year that I upgrade again
so that my wife can have this PC and I can upgrade to 64-bit.

--

Knight37 - http://knightgames.blogspot.com

Once a Gamer, Always a Gamer.

 

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There is a 9800 pro on sale for $150 at this link. Great deal.If I didn't
have an FX5900 I'd get ir myself!!
http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=190405&AFFIL=TH&NR=1


"Mean_Chlorine" <mike_noren2002@NOSPAMyahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:smt741dsvkjjk4dvles38391djdimnemrs@4ax.com...
> Thusly Joe62 <NOSPAMjmcginn@shaw.ca> Spake Unto All:
>
> >So I'd be comparing these two then?
> >
> >$215 (Cdn) ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR AGP8X w/S-Video & DVI-I
> >Sapphire
> >$295 (Cdn) Asus N6600GT/TD128 GeForce 6600GT 128MB AGP8x w/TV & DVI
> >Retail
>
> Oh there should be cheaper offerings too, from Sparkle and other
> almost-noname producers. Like I said, brand doesn't really matter,
> they're all created pretty much the same* and you can and should use
> the reference driver from the chipset manufacturer. Just watch for any
> special features (TV in/out) that you want, because the feature set
> might differ between brands and manufacturers.
>
> * there are versions with faster memory, which will run slightly
> faster and overclock slightly better, but those are typically much
> more expensive than the standard version.
>
> >So what's the real benefit of the 6600GT in running games, compared to
> >the 9800 Pro. Is it an image quality difference or just a bit of
> >performance?
>
> Yes.
> Both cards will run all present games and all games released in the
> near future, and do it well.
> As for performance: The 9800 pro will as a rule be somewhat slower
> when anti-aliasing is disabled, but will equal or slightly outperform
> the 6600GT at high resoltions (1600x1200 or higher) with full
> anti-aliasing, but they will then both be very slow.
> Image quality: ATI-based cards in general are considered to have
> slightly better image quality than nVidia-based cards. The difference
> is clearly quite small; I could not reliably tell which card had
> produced which shot.
> Stability and compatibility: The ATI crowd will beat up on me for
> this, but IMO it's clear that the nVidia cards win this section hands
> down. The ATI drivers simply aren't very good, especially not with
> OpenGL.
>
> Bottom line: they're capable cards, which will run well for you. Even
> though they're not top performers, and the 9800 pro is a two year old
> model, will continue to run any game you throw at them, and do it
> well, for at least the next year, probably the next two years.
>
> To make my biases clear: My personal preference is for nVidia cards. I
> like the hardware, I like the unified driver system, and I especially
> like the compatibility.
>
>
>

 

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Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

Knight37 <knight37m@email.com> wrote:

>I bought my PC from a local vendor, because I wanted local support.

I'd like to do the same; I'm looking for a reputable vendor in
Vancouver. VERY hard to find. Most are one step from crooks. The video
card is a dead giveaway. Eight or nine hundred dollar systems with $50
video cards in them.

Joe

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

"Joe62" <NOSPAMjmcginn@shaw.ca> wrote in message
news:9sm441hcaiti3pgtlp3ei93l8kr0v529m2@4ax.com...
> What's the best graphics card I can get for about $150-$200? There are
> so many products I can't tell which one is better. e.g.: ATI has
> several products in the $200 (Cdn) range, but I don't know the
> differences:
>
> $179 ATI Radeon 9600 XT 128MB DDR AGP8X w/S-Video & DVI-I OEM
> $215 ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR AGP8X w/S-Video & DVI-I Sapphire
> $139 ATI Radeon X600 Pro 128MB DDR PCI-Express w/S-Video & DVI-I
> Sapphire
> $169 ATI Radeon X600 Pro 256MB DDR PCI-Express w/S-Video & DVI-I
> Sapphire
> $215 ATI All-in-Wonder Radeon 9600 128MB DDR AGP8X w/S-Video Box
>
> Or is there something else entirely I should be looking at for this
> price range? Any gotchas to be aware of, products I should be
> avoiding?

With the AIW cards you get less performance in FPS games. Where they rock is
that they have video in and out capabilities. I have one and I use that
computer as a DVR and to cap videos. It is also fast enough to play BF1942
and even play W40K DOW on a pentium 3-500. It isn't a card to play far cry
or HL2 on.

If you want to eventually branch out to recording tv programs digitally
instead of on video tape then go ahead and get an AIW. With a DVD RW drive I
can build a library of shows on DVD cheaper than I could on video tape. Just
in the last 4 months I have saved enough on video tape costs to pay for both
the AIW and the DVD RW. Not to mention that you can then edit the shows to
cut out the commercials easier than you can on a vcr.