Need help deciding a card of choice for the light gamer.

[jamesbond007]

Hey everyone! I have a friend who's in the market for a videocard to play games like Doom 3, Call of Duty, and maybe some GTA on the side. He's not a heavy gamer, but does enjoy a good game. Currently, his system specs are:

P4 S423 1.7GHz
Asus Mainboard
768MB RDRAM

He currently has a GeForce GTS-V 32MB AGP, which is very slow, but he does play CoD and RtCW currently. Basically, he'd like to dip his hands into the newer games. I was thinking of getting him a Ti4400/4600 128MB, but they're not DX9 compatible.

Now, he doesn't have a lot to throw at this, either. He's looking to do $80-$100, but I'm sure I could swing him for a max budget of $110.

Currently, I'm wondering if these are my two best bets:
Card 1
Card 2

If you have any other suggestions or have a card FS that is equivelant to these, LMK the price and info via PM.

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[nick1985]

9600pro

 

[jadbox1]

Originally posted by: nick1985
9600pro

 

[Concillian]

Used Radeon 9700 non-pro from eBay.
~$100 shipped. I've gotten two already.
too expensive?
get a 9500 Pro from FS/FT or eBay, they go for $10-20 cheaper than a 9700.

Both are faster than a new 9600pro.

 

[wampa]

Originally posted by: Concillian
Used Radeon 9700 non-pro from eBay.
~$100 shipped. I've gotten two already.
too expensive?
get a 9500 Pro from FS/FT or eBay, they go for $10-20 cheaper than a 9700.

Both are significantly faster than a new 9600pro.

Yes I would agree with the advice above and go for a used used 9700 non pro for $100.

 

[drpootums]

i dunno, i'd get the 9600 pro, but without the fan. I read reviews (maybe it was for a vinilla 9600) and the one with just the heatsink worked better than the one with the fan.

 

[Corporate Thug]

Originally posted by: nick1985
9600pro

 

[Marsumane]

Originally posted by: jadbox1

Originally posted by: nick1985
9600pro

 

[sfmedic]

Take a look at this link. It has a great number of cards under the $100 mark. And shipping is included on everyone. Newegg is also a great place to buy, and if your lucky you can get one of their free shipping deals.:thumbsup:

editops forgot the link under 100

edith and one more thing you may want to consider is to look for a 128bit memory interface.

 

[sfmedic]

I know i forgot the link. but I edited it in.

 

[jamesbond007]

Thank you everyone for your input and speedy responses!

I think I will go with the 9600Pro from NewEgg because it's a Saphire card, a very reputable ATi card maker so I know I won't get card from a bad company. (ie: PNY) Also, I <3 the Egg.

 

[Concillian]

Sapphire is reputable?

Sapphire has released two cards in the last year that were CLEARLY targeted at fooling consumers into thinking they were getting more than they were (the "9800 Pro" that used 128 bit memory and most recently the "9600 Pro Advantage" that had CONSIDERABLY slower memory than a real 9600 Pro.)

I personally have never bought a Sapphire, but at this point I have decided not to even consider them because of these shady business practices that, to me, were clearly pointed towards deceiving their customers.

 

[Kishan]

Any deals on the 5500 or the 5700. I remember seeing some good deals on those-I think best buy has a BFG 5500OC for like 129, so it could probably be had for $100.

 

[Cawchy87]

9700 np would tear a 5500 or 5700 apart. Get a 9500pro or if your lucky a 9500np with L shaped memory modded to 9700.

 

[Pete]

Originally posted by: Concillian
Used Radeon 9700 non-pro from eBay.
~$100 shipped. I've gotten two already.
too expensive?
get a 9500 Pro from FS/FT or eBay, they go for $10-20 cheaper than a 9700.

Both are faster than a new 9600pro.