good, $100 or less dx 9 card

[joecool]

i want to upgrade my wife's machine with a dx9 card but don't want to spend a ton. it also has an older ati tv tuner card in it, i'm tempted to get her the 9600 aiw, however, i have no idea what nvidia offers in the lower end of the market. what would be a good alternative to the 9600 NOT AIW card?

thanks,

joe

 

[SneakyStuff]

Ummm, for under $100, the 9600 is the best DX9 card. (excluding a used 9500 pro)

 

[joecool]

between the 9600 and the 9500pro which is better?

 

[SneakyStuff]

The 9500 Pro is a 4X2 pipeline card, whereas the 9600 is a 4X1 pipeline card. 8 is better than 4 If you can find a 9500 Pro, by all means, pick one up, it's a great card even today. A little read

 

[Bateluer]

9500s are very hard to find these days. A 9600 AIW is probably your best bet. Just don't expect miracles from performance.

 

[kylebisme]

Originally posted by: SneakyStuff
The 9500 Pro is a 4X2 pipeline card, whereas the 9600 is a 4X1 pipeline card. 8 is better than 4 [/L]

The 9500pro is an 8x1 card, with pipelines being the first figure and texture units per-pipeline being the latter. also, 8 isn't always better than 4; but in this case the 9500pro is the better card.

 

[SneakyStuff]

Originally posted by: TheSnowman

Originally posted by: SneakyStuff
The 9500 Pro is a 4X2 pipeline card, whereas the 9600 is a 4X1 pipeline card. 8 is better than 4 [/L]

The 9500pro is an 8x1 card, with pipelines being the first figure and texture units per-pipeline being the latter. also, 8 isn't always better than 4; but in this case the 9500pro is the better card.

Ahh, well I knew it had 8, but wasn't quite sure of the arrangement, thanks for the correction

 

[joecool]

so is the 9500pro really that much better than the 9600? looks like i can get the 9500pro off ebay for a pretty good price, but i'm liking the aiw concept.

 

[PrayForDeath]

Yes, a 9500Pro is even better than a 9600XT, so it crushes a 9600NP so easily, but do you really need a good gaming card, or you just need the AIW capabilities? It depends on your needs.

p.s: lol at your signature, SneakySuff XGI really got PWNED (the member not the company )

 

[orangat]

There was several 9500pro's in the FS/FT board. If you can't get hold of one, then the 9600Pro can be had for $100.

 

[Acanthus]

Theres no such thing as a DX9-capable card under $100.

Itll say its DX-9 compatible, but is far to slow to utilize any of its features.

 

[joecool]

Originally posted by: Acanthus
Theres no such thing as a DX9-capable card under $100.

Itll say its DX-9 compatible, but is far to slow to utilize any of its features.

humph ... so maybe i should wait a while for prices to come down?

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

I agree with Acanthus anything under 100 is basicly a dx8 card since it doesn't have the power to run dx9.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: joecool

Originally posted by: Acanthus
Theres no such thing as a DX9-capable card under $100.

Itll say its DX-9 compatible, but is far to slow to utilize any of its features.

humph ... so maybe i should wait a while for prices to come down?

I would say that yes, the 6600 series is looking good, and im watchin the X600 for suprises although its looking like a 9600 pro v2.0.

 

[klah]

6600 NDA expires in less than a week, but the AGP version looks like Oct/Nov availability.

 

[lament]

Originally posted by: Acanthus

Originally posted by: joecool

Originally posted by: Acanthus
Theres no such thing as a DX9-capable card under $100.

Itll say its DX-9 compatible, but is far to slow to utilize any of its features.

humph ... so maybe i should wait a while for prices to come down?

I would say that yes, the 6600 series is looking good, and im watchin the X600 for suprises although its looking like a 9600 pro v2.0.

The initial 6600s are PCI-Express only, which means you'd need a new motherboard. an AGP version is coming later.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: lament

Originally posted by: Acanthus

Originally posted by: joecool

Originally posted by: Acanthus
Theres no such thing as a DX9-capable card under $100.

Itll say its DX-9 compatible, but is far to slow to utilize any of its features.

humph ... so maybe i should wait a while for prices to come down?

I would say that yes, the 6600 series is looking good, and im watchin the X600 for suprises although its looking like a 9600 pro v2.0.

The initial 6600s are PCI-Express only, which means you'd need a new motherboard. an AGP version is coming later.

A month or two later... we arent talking a lifetime here.

 

[raanemaan]

I would wait for the 6600. It would give you time to save the extra money. I'm waiting for it but I'm not always a patient person either.

 

[lament]

honestly though - the 6600s are slower than the vanilla 6800. but to each their own.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: lament
honestly though - the 6600s are slower than the vanilla 6800. but to each their own.

yes they are, but they are slated to be faster than the 9800 pro, and cheaper, with a full featureset, and SLI capable (in the pci-e flavor which doesnt apply in this case though)

 

[icarus4586]

I don't know how much that 9500Pro you were looking at on ebay was, but you already have a PCI TV-Wonder (if I read right), so buying a new AIW card wouldn't serve that much purpose. If the 9500Pro is in your price range, by all means, go for it. It definitely does have DX9 (PS2.0) capability, and it's a pretty fast card.

 

[SickBeast]

Responding to this thread reminds me of Calculus class back in HS.

good, $100 or less dx 9 card

Does not exist. (unfortunately)