Best 256MB for the buck?

[Lexxon]

I currently have This card that I plan to order for my machine. I know it's a decent mid-range card, but it could possibly hinder my machine, since the rest of it is pretty decent.

Athlon 64 3000+
1 GB RAM


What are the best, CHEAP options for a 256MB video card? If there aren't many, I may just hold off on them until they go down in price, since I'm on a tight budget on this rig.

Thanks!

 

[McArra]

That surely is the best card you can buy for that price.

 

[bradyapba]

Well 1st let me ask, what is your price range, and what are you using it for?

I dont think 256 megs would make much of a difference at that price rnage becuase you are really limited by the power of the GPU.

That is really a LOW end of the mid range section of cards now. Its a great card, but really based on whats getting to be a bit older technology now.

$200 is more of a midrange type of card now, such as the 6600GT.

If it was me, i would try to movde up in GPU processing power, and not worry about 256 megs on the 9X00 series of cards.

So, not knowing your price point, and what your using it for, its hard to give you a good idea of what you need.

With a nice system like your building, it would be a same to put older video card technology in it.

But if your going to stay in the 100 dollar range, thats a decent card for the price.

Chris

 

[LTC8K6]

Only the top end cards can use the extra memory and even then it doesn't do all that much. There is no point in getting 256MB of ram on a mid or low end card. It's just a waste of money and memory chips.

A 6600GT or 9800Pro is the minimum card I would look at these days.

Why don't you overclock that 9600pro and save up for a 6600GT?

I thought you already had that card. If I were buying a 9600Pro, I'd make sure it had the correct 400/600 core/mem clocks. That one doesn't say so I am suspicious. Many 9600Pros are sold with considerably slower 400mhz memory and the word "advantage" makes me think that is one of them.

Look for one that says it has 400core/600mem speeds.

 

[Pete]

If you're a gamer, there's really no sense buying anything less than a used 9700 for that kind of money. I doubt that 9600P has full 300MHz memory, either. That looks like TSOP, which usually means 275MHz or less.

As brady said, the four-pipe 9600 is really low-end nowadays, compared to the eight-pipe 9700/9800/X700/6600 mid-range. And apparently ATI will release a 12-pipe PCIe "midrange" card (alongside the X800XL) relatively soon.

 

[Lexxon]

I know the video card's shaky, and I'm really considering going into a 9800 Pro or something like that. They all seem to cost nearly or over $100 more, however. Is this the cheapest mid-range cards come at now? :-

I am a gamer, but not heavy-duty graphics-oriented. I just want the games to run well--my current computers can barely run World of Warcraft (yeah, you heard me)...

Thanks for the help, gonna look at more cards. (This damn computer gets more expensive every time I come on these boards..😛)

And my price range was $100-150, but I'll go up to $200 if I have to.

 

[Pete]

Well, if you're willing to consider buying a used card, you should be able to find a 9700 Pro for about the same price as that 9600P.

You can stay within your original budget by going for the Sapphire 9700 at Allstarshop (if they still carry it), but an extra $50 will net you a much faster card in a 6600GT.

But if you want to buy new and stay close to $100, check the Hot Deals forum on how to get a 9600XT from ATi for ~$100 after trading in any old video card. Yes, it can be half as fast as a 6600GT, but it's also half the price. I'm guessing it'll be good enough for WoW, though, even with some AA+AF, as that game doesn't look too graphically demanding.

Did you ask for a 256MB card b/c you know WoW requires that much memory, or just because you think 256MB is better than 128MB? If WoW will be smoother with the extra memory, I suppose it makes sense to sacrifice some performance to ensure smoother framerates.

 

[Lexxon]

Nah, I just expected 256MB cards to be the "standard" now. It obviously isn't (yet), so I can handle 128MB easily.

I'd like a pretty good card, but the 9800 Pros and 6600GTs are at least $200, and so many brands, I'm just getting confused :-X

It's gonna take some research..gonna check out that Hot Deals forum now. I just want one that'll be good for at least 2-3 years, and it seems the 6600GT/9800 Pro is the way to go.

Feel free to tune in with any other advice or links, I'm all ears :-D

 

[Lexxon]

Evega

Leadtek

These cards look good? There is also a Chaintech card for cheaper, but it is PCI, and I think I'd rather hold on to AGP.

Sorry to sound so clueless, but I just am :-D

 

[imverygifted]

could always go w/ a ti4200 nothing wrong with those try to find someone's used card on the for sale/trade and you'll get an even better deal maybe find a 9700pro or 9800pro for around 120-140

 

[bradyapba]

As much As i loved my my gainward ti4200 (had it for 2 years or so) thats not going to be the card to get you through the NEXT 2-3 years like you say you wanted. Either is the 9600 you were looking at.


As a point of reference those cheap PCI 6600gt's are PCI-e. Different that PCI. Does your new motherboard support PCIe?

Either one of those 6600GT's you looked at are good and will do you fine, you may get 2 years out of one. But if your going to spend $220... you might as well bit the bullet and get a 6800

on new egg there are 4 or so brands from 268-280. For the extra 50-60 bucks you will get the extra 4 pipe lines on the 6800 (12 on the 6800 vs 8 on the 6600GT).. with the possibility of softmodding it to 16 pipes which would be 2X as many as the 6600GT.

I think for the extra dough, Roughly and extra 20% of a 6600GT, you get a much better card, which should last you longer as well.

just my 2 cents.

Chris