Best Bang For Your Buck?

[KeejuLuvsHer4Evr]

Hi there,

I am on a limited income and I was wondering if someone could please recommend me a AGP video card that is good for gaming as well everyday computer use.

I am looking for it to be in the $150 range but less would be better.

Also, I would prefer not to have to upgrade for newer games if possible due to my limited budget like I mention.

TIA

Curtis M.

 

[Jake75]

You can always check out the Ti series, especially the 4200 which I believe you
can get for <$150.
What is your processor speed?
If you have a P2-266 or similar don´t bother spending money on a Ti4200...

Note:
I´ve heard that there is some sort of company called ATI that also
is supposed to make graphicscards.
I don´t know about this though, you have to check it out for yourself.

Oh well :tongue:

<font color=blue><A HREF="http://www.generalsnus.com" target="_new">Put it under your lip</A></font color=blue>

 

[Ghostdog]

"Somekind of company called ATI"? I hope you were joking there Jake.

The GeForce 4 Titanium-series handles pretty much every game out there at a decent framerate/quality-ratio. But for future games (Doom III and beyond), you might find yourself beeing bothered by twitchy gameplay. Ofcourse the graphics card isn´t the only thing keeping games running, a 1.5 ghz ,and up, processor should keep you safe for awhile.

If you really want to be safe for the future, you should spend more then 150$. Sorry, but that´s just the way it is.

<font color=red>I´m starting to feel like a real computer consultant.</font color=red>

 

[KeejuLuvsHer4Evr]

Ghostdog,

I have another question regarding ATI's line of video cards.

I was reading this review on video cards at Extremetech.com

<A HREF="http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,739790,00.asp" target="_new">http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,739790,00.asp</A>

And I do not understand what this statement means, it is:

"Cash Poor: If you're strapped for cash, the Radeon 9000 Pro (check prices) at about $85 bucks is a very good deal. This part doesn't have the legs of some of more well-endowed GPUs we looked at, but if your current 3D card sucks wind, then the Radeon 9000 Pro will be a welcome breath of fresh air. However, its FSAA performance is awful, so we only recommend this card only if you're pinching every penny."

What I do not understand is what FSAA performance is and if this is a major concern if I am playing games such as
NHL 2003, etc.

I appreciate your cooperation in this matter.

Sincerely

Curtis M.

 

[Spitfire_x86]

Best Bang for video card list:

ATI Radeon 9500 Pro BBA $198
MSI GeForce4 Ti4200 128 MB ~$155
MSI GeForce4 Ti4200 64 MB ~$135
ATI Radeon 8500 (not LE) 64 MB BBA/Sapphire ~$92

Radeon 9500 Pro is the most future proff GPU among these four. If you can spend $198, then go for it. Otherwise buy a Radeon 8500 now and save money to upgrade it in future.

BTW, Radeon 8500 is much better than Radeon 9000 Pro.

Let us know <A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/community/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=25703#25703" target="_new"> What File compression format you use? </A>

 

[Ghostdog]

FSAA performance means how the card performs when full scen anti-aliasing is used. FSAA and anisotropic filtering (AF) are techniques that improve the image quality, but they degrade performance. The newer ATI cards (9500Pro and up) loose less performance than other models.

If you are a serious gamer I wouldn´t get a low end card, like the 9000, anymore. The 8500/9100 (a renamed and re-released 8500) is somewhat the minimum. The thing is, if you´re looking to keep your upgraded card for awhile, then don´t buy a low-end card. Rather save up until you can afford a mid-range/lower high-end graphics card.
This ofcourse depends on how badly you need the upgrade. I can play games like S.O.F. II at a playable framerate (about 20 fps) with my TNT2m64.

<font color=red>I´m starting to feel like a real computer consultant.</font color=red>

 

[phial]

a radeon 9000pro will run all new games at a playable framerate with enough eye candy

but, in 3-4 months it probably wont... your better off going with a TI 4200 or 4400 because theyre much faster and about the same price. i believe you can pick up a 4200 64meg for about 150 bucks...

 

[johnoh]

The 8500 is the best bang for the buck. You have to decide for yourself if it is enough bang.

<i>Reason the only absolute. Irrationality the only enemy. </i>

 

[KeejuLuvsHer4Evr]

Hi everyone,

I am still awaiting an answer regarding the comment on Extremetech.com.

Thanks so much.

Previous Message Below



I have another question regarding ATI's line of video cards.

I was reading this review on video cards at Extremetech.com

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,739790,00.asp

And I do not understand what this statement means, it is:

"Cash Poor: If you're strapped for cash, the Radeon 9000 Pro (check prices) at about $85 bucks is a very good deal. This part doesn't have the legs of some of more well-endowed GPUs we looked at, but if your current 3D card sucks wind, then the Radeon 9000 Pro will be a welcome breath of fresh air. However, its FSAA performance is awful, so we only recommend this card only if you're pinching every penny."

What I do not understand is what FSAA performance is and if this is a major concern if I am playing games such as
NHL 2003, etc.

I appreciate your cooperation in this matter.

Sincerely

Curtis M.

 

[KeejuLuvsHer4Evr]

Ghostdog,

Ooops, sorry I didn't see your post below. Also regarding this forum do you know if their is a way that I can sort the messages in order by date?

Regards

Curtis M.

 

[Ghostdog]

Only by ascending or descending date.

<font color=red>I´m starting to feel like a real computer consultant.</font color=red>