$95 to spend on a video card to run Sims 2? WTF?!!

[msi1337]

so, the story is... my fiance loves the Sims 2 pc game...and her onboard Nforce 2 (GF4MX) just isn't cutting it... so, I am allocating $95 shipped for the best AGP card I can get her for the money.

granted she does not need too much high end..but I figure I might as well get the best I can for the money... believe it or not Sims 2 is one of the most embarrasingly taxing games I have seen... easily uses over 500mb of system memory when running.

so I imagine this new expansion pack coming out in 3 weeks is just gonna add to the chaos.

 

[isekii]

you might as well toss in another 15-20 bucks to get a 6600GT

 

[msi1337]

oops.. I should add..there are known issues with Nvidia 6600-6800 cards and properly displaying bump maps in the sims 2... because of this... please recommend the best ATI card

 

[rise]

Originally posted by: msi1337
oops.. I should add..there are known issues with Nvidia 6600-6800 cards and properly displaying bump maps in the sims 2... because of this... please recommend the best ATI card

thats odd. my son used to love that game. he played it on my 6800gt and i didn't see any issues.

 

[msi1337]

sorry for the excess bumps..the issue with bump maps is that they don't show up... the game still runs fine, and until someone tells you they are not there, you will not know it..

please see this link for more information on this problem.

 

[strend]

That link is from 6 months ago? Also, reading the posts in the thread, this is not an nvidia only issue.

 

[volrathy]

LOL clearly you have a problem with nvidia that has nothing to do with sims 2.
make your own decision.
The 6600GT is clearly the BEST mid range card available.

 

[Soccerman06]

Originally posted by: volrathy
LOL clearly you have a problem with nvidia that has nothing to do with sims 2.
make your own decision.
The 6600GT is clearly the BEST mid range card available.

Read the post, it says ATI cards only.

For $100, get the 9800pro, easily the best performance for the price.

 

[kyparrish]

9800pro from fs/ft

 

[Blastman]

You can get 9600XT 128MB cards for about $80 if you are staying within your budget and want new.

Sapphire 9600XT 128MB ?$83

That card should be enough to run the Sims ???

There are refurbished 9800pro?s for about $95 at Newegg, or you might find a 9800pro sale someplace.

 

[2Xtreme21]

9700pro will work a lot better than a 9600XT, though a 9800pro will be your best bet.

 

[hans030390]

6600gt will beat the 9800
6600 is close to a 9800, so you might as well get that.

no, its not a 6 series issue. my 6600gt was fine.

 

[Wreckage]

How about a Refurbished FX5200 for $38.59 Shipped.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814164046R

 

[MX2]

Hmmm... my FX 5900 runs it just fine *shrugs*

 

[dnuggett]

Originally posted by: Wreckage
How about a Refurbished FX5200 for $38.59 Shipped.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814164046R

Negative.

 

[mwmorph]

I got a 9800pro for $90 shipped. runs sims 2 fine though at oddly low fps compared to most benchies, but im testing reasons for that. I get around 30 when benchamrks from sites get 60 with a 9800pro

 

[DrZoidberg]

Try getting a x800gt which recently came out. I've seen it in shops selling same price as a 6600gt, its got 256bit memory interface and 8 pipes and is as fast and in some benchmarks mainly AA it is faster than a 6600gt.

 

[Zap]

I don't think the x800GT will fit within $95 shipped.

For the OP, just get something now because whatever you get is going to run a lot better than the Nforce2 IGP.

I'd suggest the 9600XT because it has reasonable performance, comes in under your budget and will outperform its predecessor, plus you don't have to wait for deals or do pricematches or rebates to get that price and the card would be new. :thumbsup: