Video card moron needs help..

[boles]

Just got a new machine, but it doesn?t have decent video. So for the past couple days i have been trying to narrow it down to a few. To be honest i am at a loss for what low/middle end card i should get. I play games about once every 1-2 weeks. Since i am not a hard core gamer i figured i could get a card for around 100-150. The more i look at cards the more i get unsure of what to get.

I know everyone has their own favorites but for the $125 area what are the good choices?
ALL advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[acidpad]

Geforce FX 5600 or a Radeon 9500/9600. its a pretty tough choice, but i would probably go with a radeon 9500, and im an nvidia guy, but like i said, its a pretty tough choice.

 

[Pete]

I suggest a Radeon 9600 Pro, which you can find for around $150-160. It's a fast little card, and the best in its price class. You could save ~$30 by going with a regular 9600 or 5600, but I think it'd be wiser to spend a little more for a faster card, and one that you won't have to replace that soon.

The recommendation really depends on what games you play, though. Can you list a few? You may not be a hard core gamer, but you might play very graphics-intensive games, and they would necessitate a fast card. A 9600P should cover all your bases, though.

 

[modedepe]

9600 pro for $150 or ti4200 for $100. I'd stay away from the fx5600's.

 

[Tab]

9600 Pro hands down.

 

[Schadenfroh]

4200 for 100

 

[boles]

Past few games have been flight sims, Counter Strike, wolfenstien, and doom...

 

[lenjack]

There's nothing moronic about your question?

 

[ponyo]

Ti4200 for around $100 or 9100 for around $65-70.

 

[boles]

Ok looking to get a 9600 Pro. But what is the difference between these two (besides price):

ATI RADEON 9600 PRO 128MB 8XAGP DDR W/TV & DVI OUT (OEM - POWERED BY ATI) Detail Specs $147.00
ATI RADEON 9600 PRO 128MB AGP(8X) W/DVI & TV-OUT (Retail) Detail Specs $164.25


More specifically whats the diff in the "Retail" version and the "OEM POWERED BY ATI" ??

 

[bunker]

Retail comes with all the fancy software and box.

OEM generally comes with nothing and in a plain white box. You might get a driver CD, if not, there's no problems downloading them from ATI's site.

There may also be a difference in the warranty, but you'd have to read the fine print.

 

[GullyFoyle]

Can't tell from just that short description, but possibly the retail card is a built-by-ATI card, which come with a 3 year warranty.
"OEM- powered by ATI" is definately some other brand such as Sapphire or Powercolor.

 

[Corporate Thug]

get the retail, the warrenty alone is worth the difference

 

[Challenger]

Originally posted by: shady06
get the retail, the warrenty alone is worth the difference

Agreed