need help with buying a graphics card :)

[XtremeMaC]

Hi there,
I'm looking for a card under $250.
I've read most of the threads and the guides
now the guide states that these would be suitable
Radeon 9600 Pro/Radeon 9600XT
Radeon 9800 Pro (128 MB version)
but then that guide and many guides thesedays (that I found) don't include the nVidia based graphics card comparisons...

1st: for under $250 would ati be a better choice for price/performance or nvidia?

2nd: ati or nvidia, which brand should I get? bba, asus, msi, powercolor, etc. etc.??? (just examples..)

3rd: also i'm a little confused about the comparison of 128mb xt's to 256mb pro's, which is a better choice???

4th: if I end up buying an ati i'm planning on changing the bios to overclock it to xt.

5th: here we've brands like sparkle, anyone heard it? any good???

ow and my mb has agp 3.0 so not pci express card for me (well for under $250 its a dream but still )

6th: and I've athlon xp 2500+, will be overclocked after I get my graphics card, i've zalman working on the cpu, what kind of fan should I get for the graphics card if its going to be oc'ed 9800pro -> xt. I've an amd fan laying around but that drilling and digging holes is just too much trouble for me

and so I've 2 hdds 1 dvd writer, and 300watt psu. so when giving me advice on what to buy for graphics card, pls tell me if I need to change my psu as well

7th: is winfast leadtek nvidia cards any good? (the ones under $250)

8th: ow and I saw this BFG brand for nvidia cards, they've 5200, 5700, 5500, 5900 under $250 are they any good? do they last long or die soon bc they've oc'ed???

sorry for 8 questions I hope i get answers for all , and erm yes I'm confused (I miss the days that only nVidia ruled!, it was easy to decide!)
I now have winfast leadtek a170t 64mb geforce 4 440 mx (yes mx cheap! can't play pixel shader crap games! didn't know about this b4 (, though did its job till these days)

ow and I can play doom3 pretty good on medium quality, so as much as I would want ulta quality my parents don't think the same way , okay time to shut up.

Thanks
-XtremeMaC-

 

[priyajeet]

wait till x700 pros and Xts are released. sometime soon.

<i> <font color=blue>Futile is resistance,</font color=blue><font color=red> assimilate you we will.</font color=red> </i>
<b>Hard work has a future payoff. Laziness pays off now.</b>

 

[XtremeMaC]

sorry buy how am I supposed to benefit from those card's release???
I doubt they'll be around $300? and haven't done much search about them though I know they're going to support pci express but I won't be getting the same performance on agp 3.0 with that kind of card right?? (just got more confused about what to buy

anyways but I think u're right if its released in a month I should get it. though min price would be around 300 or more perhaps I dunno

 

[priyajeet]

theyll range from $199 to $250. u r in luck in there. not sure abt being available in AGP, but will have to see.

<i> <font color=blue>Futile is resistance,</font color=blue><font color=red> assimilate you we will.</font color=red> </i>
<b>Hard work has a future payoff. Laziness pays off now.</b><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by priyajeet on 09/09/04 06:47 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[priyajeet]

other threads
<A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=412500#412500" target="_new">http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=412500#412500</A>

and

<A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=412339#412339" target="_new">http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=412339#412339</A>


<b>1st: for under $250 would ati be a better choice for price/performance or nvidia?</b>

tough question, I have heard recommendations for a HIS 9800pro

<b>2nd: ati or nvidia, which brand should I get? bba, asus, msi, powercolor, etc. etc.??? (just examples..)</b>

ATI: HIS (overclocker) > BBA ~ visiontek (warranty) ~ others

Nvidia: BFG > evga ~ gainward ~ others

You can find a lot of OEM threads if you search or go thru the the first 3-4 pages.

<b>3rd: also i'm a little confused about the comparison of 128mb xt's to 256mb pro's, which is a better choice???</b>

XTs are clocked higher. Games like D3 prefer larger memory. Get a pro and overclock to XT.

<b>4th: if I end up buying an ati i'm planning on changing the bios to overclock it to xt. </b>

If you get a pro, do it.

<b>5th: here we've brands like sparkle, anyone heard it? any good??? </b>

Dunno. 90% crap.

<i> <font color=blue>Futile is resistance,</font color=blue><font color=red> assimilate you we will.</font color=red> </i>
<b>Hard work has a future payoff. Laziness pays off now.</b><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by priyajeet on 09/09/04 06:56 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[HardWareBoss]

Best vid card in your price range now, HIS 9800ProICEQ. $235 at NewEgg.

 

[XtremeMaC]

thanks for your responses this idea of x700 and 6600 just taken my all my worries away.
i'll be waiting for their releases i hope they will be around that price if don't hopefully the HIS's price will go down

Thanks!!! ow and thanks for the links i'm checking them out right now..