Best cheap AGP DirectX 9 video card?

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Nasshi

Member
Apr 16, 2002
168
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I'm just looking for a DirectX 9 card that will play games like HL2 and WoW on low settings well.

What would you guys suggest? I originally was eyeballing the Sapphire 9600Pro as people have told me it's the best bang for the buck (~$110). I have absolutely no idea about other models though. Can anyone recommend me anything that may be cheaper that they know performs well? It doesn't have to perform like a 9600Pro, I'm just interested in seeing what I could get for say...$60 or $70.
 
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Peter

Elite Member
Oct 15, 1999
9,640
1
0
9550 and 9550SE have the same feature set as the 9600 series (it's the same chip anyway). They are clocked lower (250 instead of 325 MHz of the 9600, 400 MHz on 9600pro), have 200 MHz RAM (9600pro: 300). On either series, the "SE" flavor has 64-bit RAM, and thus is massively slower, but just as much cheaper.

So for mild gaming on a sharp budget, I'd avoid the "SE" and go for at least a plain 9550, or if you find one, a plain 9600.
 
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Nasshi

Member
Apr 16, 2002
168
0
0
so as long as it's not labeled SE it will have 128-bit ram?

yeah, i am going to play the latest games...but i don't need to play them amazingly :) i will be playing at 1024x768 resolution at most. low settings are fine too.

what about a GeForce FX5200? those can be had for ~$50 from newegg and the reviews seem good for a low end DX9 card.
 
biostud

biostud

Lifer
Feb 27, 2003
19,971
7,067
136
Originally posted by: Nasshi
so as long as it's not labeled SE it will have 128-bit ram?

yeah, i am going to play the latest games...but i don't need to play them amazingly :) i will be playing at 1024x768 resolution at most. low settings are fine too.

what about a GeForce FX5200? those can be had for ~$50 from newegg and the reviews seem good for a low end DX9 card.
Click to expand...

stay away from the FX line no matter what you do.
 
2Xtreme21

2Xtreme21

Diamond Member
Jun 13, 2004
7,044
0
0
Yeah good luck with that.

If you want to play the latest games with some future-proofing, definitely the 9700pro. They can be had for about $120 off of eBay "Buy it now!"
 
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wmansfield

Member
Oct 31, 2004
135
0
0
I can say from experience that the 9600 Pro doesn't handle HL2 very well, and forget about Doom 3... it's not happening. Look for a used 9700 Pro on these boards or ebay or something.. it's going to be your best bet without spending a fortune.
 
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halfadder

Golden Member
Dec 5, 2004
1,190
0
0
I've put in many hours of Halo, HL2, and Doom3 on my 9600 Pro. But I also have a 3 GHz P4, which has a little more juice than a 2400+

I don't recommend that a gamer buy a 9550 or 9600 anymore. They're great cards, but not if you're a gamer looking for new hardware. I agree with wmansfield, get at least a 9700 Pro. But even with that card you won't be able to max out the settings.

9700 Pro or 9800 Pro are great options if you find a really good deal. Otherwise spend a little more and get a 6600 or 6800.
 
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febuld

Member
Aug 18, 2004
100
0
0
I'd just like to say that I can play Unreal Tournament 2004 Demo and Doom 3 Demo on my nVidia 2MX card... I get playable framerates, but everything's at low settings...and no, i don't get owned in UT2K4; I often own everyone else...

Just a testimonial on how far a "crappy" card can go... It all depends on what you define as playable and what price range you're looking at.
 
clamum

clamum

Lifer
Feb 13, 2003
26,256
406
126
I'm kind of in the same situation... I want a new video card but am not going to spend a bunch of money on it.

Right now I have an AMD 2500+, 768 MB RAM, and a Geforce 4 MX 440 SE. I can play Half-Life 2 fine, and Doom 3 on lowest settings runs OK but it's not too good.

As you can see my processor isn't real great so I will most likely be upgrading in the future (next fall maybe?). I was looking at 6600GTs and 6800s but am thinking now that I'll just get a cheaper card because I'll be upgrading later anyway. I mean, I've been using my Geforce 4 since the summer of 2003 and I'm OK with it still but would like an upgrade.
 
Cerb

Cerb

Elite Member
Aug 26, 2000
17,484
33
86
PSA: that is NOT a Geforce 4. That is a Geforce4 MX, which doesn't even make it to GF3 specs.
I would also agree about a 9700. A plain 9700 or 9700 Pro would be a good low-end (now, anyway) card.
 
A

Antoneo

Diamond Member
May 25, 2001
3,911
0
0
Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
Originally posted by: nick1985
Originally posted by: Nasshi
i decided to go with a 128-bit Radeon 9550 from gigabyte which seems to overclock well. $65 from newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=14-125-141&depa=0
Click to expand...

you got owned.
Click to expand...

**confirmed**
Click to expand...
Care to explain why?? I was about to finally purchase one but can't understand why you guys make it look so bad. The FX5200 I can understand, but the 9550 doesn't seem so bad for the price. Anything better and readily available at newegg (or other e-tailers for that matter, not fs/t) at that price range? I've checked and it's hard to beat.
 
Schadenfroh

Schadenfroh

Elite Member
Mar 8, 2003
38,416
4
0
Originally posted by: Antoneo
Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
Originally posted by: nick1985
Originally posted by: Nasshi
i decided to go with a 128-bit Radeon 9550 from gigabyte which seems to overclock well. $65 from newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=14-125-141&depa=0
Click to expand...

you got owned.
Click to expand...

**confirmed**
Click to expand...
Care to explain why?? I was about to finally purchase one but can't understand why you guys make it look so bad. The FX5200 I can understand, but the 9550 doesn't seem so bad for the price. Anything better and readily available at newegg (or other e-tailers for that matter, not fs/t) at that price range? I've checked and it's hard to beat.
Click to expand...

good luck playing any DX9 game with good detail settings with that thing at a resolution of 1024x768 or above.
 
A

Antoneo

Diamond Member
May 25, 2001
3,911
0
0
Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
Originally posted by: Antoneo
Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
Originally posted by: nick1985
Originally posted by: Nasshi
i decided to go with a 128-bit Radeon 9550 from gigabyte which seems to overclock well. $65 from newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=14-125-141&depa=0
Click to expand...

you got owned.
Click to expand...

**confirmed**
Click to expand...
Care to explain why?? I was about to finally purchase one but can't understand why you guys make it look so bad. The FX5200 I can understand, but the 9550 doesn't seem so bad for the price. Anything better and readily available at newegg (or other e-tailers for that matter, not fs/t) at that price range? I've checked and it's hard to beat.
Click to expand...

good luck playing any DX9 game with good detail settings with that thing at a resolution of 1024x768 or above.
Click to expand...
What about regular dx8.1 games?

 
I

imported_JamesDax

Member
Jan 3, 2005
136
0
0
If you can wait a few weeks there will be AGP versions of the GeForce 6200 and 6600. I'd imagine the 6200 version will be running at around $100.
 
Cerb

Cerb

Elite Member
Aug 26, 2000
17,484
33
86
Originally posted by: Antoneo
Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
Originally posted by: Antoneo
Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
Originally posted by: nick1985
Originally posted by: Nasshi
i decided to go with a 128-bit Radeon 9550 from gigabyte which seems to overclock well. $65 from newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=14-125-141&depa=0
Click to expand...

you got owned.
Click to expand...

**confirmed**
Click to expand...
Care to explain why?? I was about to finally purchase one but can't understand why you guys make it look so bad. The FX5200 I can understand, but the 9550 doesn't seem so bad for the price. Anything better and readily available at newegg (or other e-tailers for that matter, not fs/t) at that price range? I've checked and it's hard to beat.
Click to expand...
good luck playing any DX9 game with good detail settings with that thing at a resolution of 1024x768 or above.
Click to expand...
What about regular dx8.1 games?
Click to expand...
Equally bad.
The 9550 is a *severely* underclocked 9600. It should be on par with a FX 5200, maybe slightly better in shader-heavy stuff.

 
meltdown75

meltdown75

Lifer
Nov 17, 2004
37,548
7
81
I just wanted to give props to my 9600 pro... it was a budget video upgrade and it runs HL2 like a champ.
 
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