Choosing a Video Card

[LinkDeath]

Hey, all. I'm in the market for updating my current video card (An Inno3D Gefore2 MX 400) to something with a bit more power. I primarily use the card for gaming and can afford right around $250. I'm guessing that at the moment, that limits me to a GeForce4 Ti 4600. My question is, what is the best manufacturer/bundle for the money? I've heard MSI or LeakTek, but I'd like some direct input on this.

Or is there perhaps something even better? ANyone know of a Radeon 9700 Pro for under $250?

 

[kurt454]

I've heard real good reviews on MSI cards. Gainward and PNY are the only Nvidia gaming cards I have dealt with. Love my Gainward GF3.

 

[AnAndAustin]

What gfx card to go for does depend a little on your current system and what upgrades you have planned in the near future. In terms of value for money the Rad8500 ($100ish) are excellent for those with CPUs up to about Athlon 1.4ghz / P4 1.6ghz after which the gains from a GF4TI really start to show and they're clearly worth the extra cash. Another card with great perf that's also great value for money is the GF4TI4200 ($120ish 64MB, $140ish 128MB), faster than 8500 esp with the faster CPUs and AA enabled. If you want more, then for about $190 there are GF4TI4400 and enhanced GF4TI4200 (using longer 4400/4600 design and 3.3ns BGA RAM) which are about 10-15% faster than a standard 4200. The GF4TI4600 has really come down in price and is about 10% faster than TI4400 and comes in at about $210. The Rad9700 ($350+) is a lot faster than 4600 esp if you want maximum AA and AF, the speed isn't really needed by anything yet, the DX9 hw (it's the only card with this) is unlikely to be of use for at least another 12 months and this card will devalue pretty quickly too ... but if you want the best the Rad9700 is the clear winner and will still be very capable for a good few years.

If you can wait it out the next 6 months should see NV30 (nVidia's DX9), value NV30, Rad9500 (value 9700) and Rad9700-DDRII if not a little more. IMHO if you have a GF3 or Rad8500 there isn't much need to upgrade, if you have something less you can get these for $100, a little more for a GF4TI4200 or if you need that bit more a faster GF4TI, these will be light on your wallet, play all current games very well, devalue slowly, sell on well and then you can pick up a nice DX9 card for a great price having had a very pleasant 6 month wait. Even a GF3TI200 or Rad9000 will seem like lightning to your current GF2MX400, I'd say don't overspend now and you will reap the rerwards in only a few months time.

PS. Manu makes little diff on GF4TI cards as all tend to have almost identical perf, o/c'ability, functionality, image quality, etc. The only big exceptions are some of the 4200 cards, namely AOpen, EVGA and it seems the standard Gainward cards where they cheap out on the RAM and in some cases lower the standard clocks too. I'd avoid these manus but consider all others going mostly on price and bundle. So MSI and Leadtek are both great choices, MSI GF4TI are known to o/c slightly better while most still regard Leadtek as having the slightest edge in image quality.

 

[LinkDeath]

Well, let me give you a rundown, then:

MB: Gigabyte GA-7ZX-1
CPU: AMD 1.4GHz Athlon
RAM: 512MB Crucial & Kingston SDRAM

I don't think drive size and sound card really enter into this. Basically, I bought the motherboard a while back and I'm now maxxing it out, trying to pull as much performance from it as long as possible before doing a major upgrade. So, as much as possible, I'm shooting for components that will translate onto a new MB sometime in the future.

 

[AnAndAustin]

Well if you're thinking of upping the CPU within the next few months I'd say a GF4TI is the best option, 4200 in shear 'perf per pound' or 4600 if you want that bit more, a Rad8500 won't make the best of any new CPU, but in 6 months time you'll prob want a Rad9500 or value NV30 type card so a Rad8500 will do you fine if the CPU upgrade is about that far away. At Athlon 1.4ghz there is still a boost from a 4200 over Rad8500, esp for AA so even before the CPU upgrade a 4200 will still give you some extra perf for your cash. So I'd suggest a Rad8500 if that CPU upgrade is closer to 6 months away, a 4200 or 4600 if you want that little bit more now and a great boost when that CPU upgrade does come around.

 

[ScrewFace]

I'd recommend a GeForce4-Ti4400 as it's $130 cheaper than the Ti4600 and can be overclocked past Ti4600 speeds. Forget the GeForce4-Ti4200.

 

[AnAndAustin]

Pricewatch.com

Rad8500-64MB $83
Rad8500LE-128MB $98
4200-64MB $114
4200-128MB $136
4400-128MB $187
4600-128MB $214

Newegg.com

Rad8500LE-64 $86
Rad8500LE-128 $99
4200-64 $123
4200-128 $147
4400-128 $192
4600-128 $223