cheap gaming video card?

I'd go with a Radeon 9600 Pro or XT if you can.

"A delayed game will eventually come out, a bad game is bad forever."
-Shigeru Miyamoto

I'm currently using the 9600 xt and it does pretty well, you'd be very happy with the pro or the xt

Such a recommendation might lead him to a 128-bit 9800 Pro, which would offer similar performance to a 9600XT.


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<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

The latest 9800 Pros from major companies such as Saphire and Powercolor are all 128-bit RAM versions. Few discount venders sell the 256-bit RAM versions because of the price war. So of course you have to warn them about 128-bit versions!

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

Exactly. If anything, the 9800 Pro 128-bit is, by ATI's naming convention, a 9500XT, based on the 9500 Pro card, clocked higher, newer core.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>