Deciding on a Video Card

[Poncherelli]

Hello, i'm building a new system soon and i'm sort of stuck on what video card to choose. The system will be a 1.33 athlon with 512 DDR ram (possibly 256 if i need to cut back). I will use this system for gaming and graphic design so i'd like a nice video card in the 100-200 dollar price range. Any suggestions on what to get are greatly appreciated. Oh, and i'm not impartial to to saving money now and upgrading in a while when things get cheaper.

 

[winterlude]

You might want to go with a GeForce 2 GTS 64meg. You should be able to get it within your price range. The G3's are still pricy and don't have much of a performance edge over G2's because of the lack of games and apps for the G3.
If you need video in/tv out features, I recommend the ASUS V7700 deluxe. If you want to keep within your budget though, you'll have to opt for the 32 meg version which is still no slouch.

Good luck!

 

[SleepyGuy]

get a radeon le and flash to ddr. for $77 you can't beat the price/performance ratio. wait till the geforce 4 or radeon 2 or g800 arrive for something huge comes along. i got the aiw radeon in my primary and the radeon le in my gaming system... can't tell the difference. Radeon is the biggest steal in video cards. peace out.

 

[MichaelD]

If the system is going to primarily be used for graphic design, you'll need lots of memory. Don't skimp. The extra $60 you spend on the second 256mb stick of PC2100 will be money well spent.

If I were in the position you're in right now, I'd get the GF2 GTS Pro. Performance-wise, it's right in the middle between the GF2GTS(32mb) and the GF2 Ultra. You can get the Pro for $150. Check Pricewatch.

The GF3 is too overpriced right now. (My opinion, no flames, please) The Ultra is fairly close in performance to the GF3, but is fairly expensive ($250).

The Pro fits in your plan, pricewise, and would still allow 512meg of ram, staying within your budget. Good luck.

 

[MrHelpful]

The Radeon LE is a great card. It performs well in 3D applications, and has very good image quality, something Geforces cannot boast too often.

 

[bjc112]

i would get the PRO,, like mike said.. its one great card, for a great price.. and it "hangs" with the ULTRA..

i am getting one in a couple weeks!!

 

[NelsonMuntz]

I don't know what's most important to ya, but I always like VIVO, so my choice would probably be one of the ASUS 7700 Deluxe cards with Geforce 2 GTS. It doesn't cost as much as the Pro or the Ultra, but the DDR ram is there. They have two versions with the 32 Mb one at $167 and the 64 Mb one at $238 both at myinfinity.com. Something like that will probably be in my next rig.

 

[Poncherelli]

Ok, i was thinking about the pro before and now i'm pretty sure i'll go with that. Can anyone recommend a good brand a place to buy one?

 

[Poncherelli]

fast boards.... bump

 

[bjc112]

MSI..

what size monitor.. they say higher res. above 1024 gets bad 2d..

 

[187]

whats the difference between geforce ULTRA and PRO?

 

[Syborg1211]

ok get a radeon because it's video quality is superb and much better than the geforces ever wish they could be and the hardware dvd decoding is something you gotta love. Dont buy a geforce equipped with tvout or even video and expect good quality. The tv-outs used by geforces are the biggest pieces of crap you'll ever view. Go with the Radeon 64mb vivo for it's video in and video out capabilities which look great on a tv. Comparing my geforce's tv-out to my radeon's, it's an easy decision with the Radeon...

 

[Sugadaddy]

Ultra: 250core/460mem

Pro: 200core/400mem

 

[Poncherelli]

19" monitor, i like to run stuff at 1024x768-32 usually