Which vid card for my rig?

[mlk3454]

I am looking to get a video card that will be around $100 bucks for my current rig. I am going to build a new one in a couple months when the newer stuff comes out so I dont want to drop a ton of cash. I mostly play CS Source and with the card I have now I average 20fps and that is with its processor overclocked a bit. This is what I have and I am open to any suggestions. I do enjoy the nvidia cards but I am looking for something that wont be so choppy, be crisp on my lcd, and let me play smooth enough to keep up with everyone else. Thanks

Powmax AMD approved case with a 350 or 400 watt power supply
Front and rear Sunon 80MM fans
Shuttle AK32L KT266a motherboard
AMD 1600+ Atlon XP processor
XFX Geforce4 440 video card with DVI/Svideo out (the board supports 4x agp)
Kingston 256MB PC2100 DDR
52x CDRW
16X dual layer dvd
Western Digital 60GB hard drive
Maxtar 80GB 7200
Seagate 200GB 7200

 

[imported_lamer]

hmm maybe the 6600?

 

[Shenkoa]

The 9600 Pro can be had for $111 on Newegg.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Used geforce 4 ti4200 / 4400 / 4600 from FS/T forum. Your 440 mx is really just a fast geforce 2.

9600 Pro is also a good choice. 9600 plain or a crippled SE is not.

 

[mlk3454]

I am having fun looking at pricewatch. Is there a big difference between the 9600 and the 9800? As for nvidia I would suppose the TI series wouldn't be that much of an upgrade so should I look at something like the 5500 or higher? Also what nvidia card is comparable to say a 9600 or 9800? Thanks guys for putting up with my dumbness!

 

[ukDave]

9800 pro 0wns the 9600 series.
If you have the dosh, the 9800pro would be great. Find a nice 2nd price, or consider a 9700pro if you can still find them on the other side of the pond. eBay will probably be your best bet on your budget - unless you crave for a fully warrantied product.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Clcik the "video" tab at the top of the page and look back a page for benchmarks on old cards like these -- the "Fall budget cards roundup" for 2003 should help.

A gf4 ti 4200 is actually faster than a fx 5200 and probably the fx 5500 as well since, it's faster than a 5600 in some games. The 5xxx series was not a good year for nvidia.

..and the 9800 pro is by far the best card under $200, but it's still well over your $100 price.

 

[mlk3454]

That roundup article was pretty good! I am wondering since my mobo only has a 4x agp slot...how much would I be limited? I am now looking at a 9600xt and some of the 9800s. Also, would I notice any benefits from the 128ddr or the 256ddr memory choices? Thanks again guys

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: mlk3454
That roundup article was pretty good! I am wondering since my mobo only has a 4x agp slot...how much would I be limited? I am now looking at a 9600xt and some of the 9800s. Also, would I notice any benefits from the 128ddr or the 256ddr memory choices? Thanks again guys

Read the Doom3 and Half-Life 2 articles on the first page to help decide between a 9600XT and 9800 Pro. In the under-$200 range 256 MB does not help. Over $200 you should be looking at an nv 6800.

AGP 4x vs. 8x doesn't make any difference for cards under $200.

 

[mlk3454]

Thanks again Dave! I guess my last concern would be a dvi spot on the board. Would it be safe to assume that these cards would have a dvi hookup?

 

[ukDave]

Yes they do. Not 100% sure about the 9600 series cards, anything above 9800 >* will have at least one DVI port.

So check before you buy really. The cheaper end cards sometimes have stuff "cut-off" to make them cheaper, hence the possible lack of a DVI port. So, check the item specs and you will be fine.