Best Budget Card??

misterman1011

Junior Member
Jan 29, 2003
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I have about USD 150.00 to spend on a new vid card. I currently have an Elsa Gladiac GF2 Ultra with 64MB of DDR.

What is my best bet on a card that is going to last me for at least a year? I am a pretty heavy gamer and do a lot of 2d work as well.

Any suggestions from the best forum community on the web?

Thanks ahead of time!!
 

Brian48

Diamond Member
Oct 15, 1999
3,410
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Well, I would have recommended a 128mb Radeon 8500LE, but it's next to impossible to find any of the older 250/250 versions any more. A Geforce ti4200 should do you fine for awhile.
 

fluxquantum

Platinum Member
Oct 27, 2000
2,398
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i think i am going to purchase a geforce 4 ti-4200 in the near future. birthday is coming up and the would be a nice gift. :)
 

misterman1011

Junior Member
Jan 29, 2003
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What about the 9000 PRO? I have read that it is nice, but is it worth the 50 bucks saved vs. going for a TI4200?
 

Creig

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,170
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Another vote for 9500 NON-Pro. If you're a heavy gamer and want it to last at least a year then this (or a Ti4200) would be your best choice. I went for the 9500 myself and lucked out getting one of the good ones that works well with the Soft9700 mod. Am pulling 14,300 3DMarks with a 2.0GHz T-Bred "A" 1800+.
 

Easy1

Member
Aug 20, 2000
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I just built a system and went with 9500 Pro 128MB. The card is fast (benches about the same as Ti4600) supports 8X AGP and DX9. I honestly think ATI is currently the best bang for the buck and has the most longevity. I have no axe to grind - GEForce 2 in the old box but this time around the best dollar value was ATI. If you can stretch to $180 for OEM I recommend it. I see Newegg also has Saphire 9500 128MB OEM for $159. If you are lucky youmight be able to do software mod and make that a 9700. Obviously, no guarantees on that score. ;) I almost bought Ti4200 so that wouldn't be a bad choice either. Good luck on your decision.
 

movinslow

Senior member
Jul 15, 2002
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Originally posted by: misterman1011
What about the 9000 PRO? I have read that it is nice, but is it worth the 50 bucks saved vs. going for a TI4200?
Since you're a heavy gamer, get an 8500 instead of 9000pro for that price range. Even the 8500LE is faster than the 9000pro.
The Geforce Ti4200 128mb is right at your price range, which is faster than the 8500. For a little more, you could go with a 9500pro or nonpro and try your like with a mod.

Take a look here. It's done with fast procs, but I think you'll get the idea.
Good luck! :)
 

Kazuo

Member
Oct 14, 2002
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The 9000 Pro is faster than the 8500 at some (very few) things. It depends on the software. Anyway, I'd say the R9500 or Ti4200 are your best bets.
 

misterman1011

Junior Member
Jan 29, 2003
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Thanks for all of your help. I think I will probably go with the straight 9500.
I appreciate all the suggestions and would have expected nothing less than this from the members of this forum :)

Thanks again!!
 

Bong

Member
Jan 26, 2003
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Get the best valued 128mb Ti 4200 (8x or 4x, doesnt matter). Most probably, it will clock at least at Ti 4400 speeds.
 

DimZiE

Golden Member
Jun 26, 2001
1,093
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get the Radeon 9000 Pro 8x AGP or the 8x AGP Ti4200....

i've got a good overclocking result on MSI's Ti4200
 

hovenas

Senior member
Jan 5, 2001
616
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Make sure you get the right 9500np w 128 mb in the right configuration... Check the threads on the matter and educate yourself before moving ahead. My Connect3d came cheap and it works flawless as a 9700almostPRO!