Hey, if ya kno anything bout video cards, gimmie a hand

[Sk8Joe01]

Okay, as the title states, i'm a bit lost rite now. You can read my setup below in my profile. My friend found me a PowerColor ATI Radeon 9800se for $152 at newegg, and said something about uping it using omega drivers.... So just now i went over to do some searching for cards and wutnot and i pull down the list of chipsets, and i'm like..... shute! I really dont' know what qualities or specs to look for in these things...
It comes down to- id don't have much $$$, so i dont' care about flashy hardware to show off, i just want something that will run Halo2 and other such games smothly. So, if any of you computer gods out there care to enlighten me by sharing but a drop of your limitless knowledge of this subject, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks much -sk8joe-

 

[GeneralGrievous]

Either that 9800 SE, a real 9800 Pro for $200, a 6800 GT next month for $400, or a X800 XT for $500 are probably your best options. But if you want to play Halo 2 well you need to put down at least that $150 for the 9800 se.

 

[stnicralisk]

you can get a 9600xt for 100 bucks thatll run halo2 just fine.

 

[Matthias99]

Um... if you want to run Halo2, you need to buy an XBox.

For Half-Life 2, a 9600XT should provide adequate performance, and a 9800Pro would be better. A 'next-gen' card like the X800Pro or 6800GT will probably let you really crank up the graphics.

 

[Sk8Joe01]

GeneralGrievous- where can i get a pro for $200, they were all more when i looked

Mattias- i have an Xbox, i just said Halo2 cuz its a high graphic intensive game that poped into my mind, i havn't been into games for a looong time so i dont' know much of wut is out there yet, and while i'm off on this tangent- anyone recomend a good mag? im subscribing to maximum pc rite now....

 

[Sk8Joe01]

oh, and i herd something somewhere about the nvidia cards integrating realy well with the nvidia chipset..??

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: Sk8Joe01
GeneralGrievous- where can i get a pro for $200, they were all more when i looked

Mattias- i have an Xbox, i just said Halo2 cuz its a high graphic intensive game that poped into my mind, i havn't been into games for a looong time so i dont' know much of wut is out there yet, and while i'm off on this tangent- anyone recomend a good mag? im subscribing to maximum pc rite now....

www.newegg.com has them. You want the "Sapphire 9800Pro 128MB 256-bit OEM"; it was about $205 the last time I checked. Do not buy the $170 128-bit model; it's significantly slower.

I've always liked PC Gamer. They're not as good as they used to be, but still by far the most reliable gaming reviews for PC games.

 

[Sk8Joe01]

yeah, i found em for about 200, but i think i'm gonna go with the 9800se, its a 256 bit, its only $150, and i have a chance of being able to unlock the 4 extra (whatever they are called thingers) and essentially make it pro.

here is the link to it- http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=14-131-236&catalog=23&manufactory=BROWSE

 

[Maskirovka]

you might as well spend the extra $5-10 and get the MSI 9800pro...it's $213 right now at newegg, and it's got a sweet fan...and it's retail so you get a couple of games (not that that's a major selling point). i mean...to get the MSI quality and the nice cooling solution...that's worth $7 to me.

 

[Sk8Joe01]

yeah, good advice, sept the difference between the pro and the se rite now is $54, not $7.

 

[ForceCalibur]

Go for the 9800SE if you want to take the chance and save some bucks.