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I got $200 Which Video Card to get?

kabooski

Junior Member
This is crazy
Theres soooo many diffrent cards
all from just 2 makers lol

The 9500 pro is way
more expensive then the 9600 pro!
and the 9700 128 is more expensive then the 9800 128MB!
you would think the higher the number the more powerful
I.E 9800 pro WTF?

I got a MX 440 that is on its last leg
with the new games out

Thanks

 
Dude, I feel you. Im so in the same boat!!! Im looking at a 9500 sapphire 3.3infineon 128m $150
OR
a 5900 from newegg. They all look good for about $200. Better driver compatiblity with windows and openGL (doom3 and castlewolf)
OR
9800np. I bought one from C.City for $275 and returned it cause it had the crap infineon 3.8 ram and stoped running openGL (RtoCW) after I ran MS update and it updated the DX9 drivers and it Wouldnt play wolf at all. After I just played it the whole night/morning before having made it past the chicks and big mean guy.

The powerColor has the best 9800 with 2.8 ram But it cost more ~$325 .... but i have a bad taste in my mouth after that insident in openGL.

So im like... well I'm a DOOM fanboy, love castle - both openGL and never played HL or CS. so it justifies buying a Nvidia 5900 at awesome $225 price. As it was like $400 a month ago and still that much at tigerdirect.com

Decisions, decisions... .. . Ive never been good at this. Plus Im a broke college student who has beer and girls that like to take what like $$ I have.
 
I would have said a nice 9800SE or 9600 Pro (save a bit, they can be had for $160) or XT (still <$200).
Now that I'm about to RMA my PowerColor 9800SE, I'm in the same boat...for Ati, the 9600 Pro at $159 and the 9700 Pro at $238 have about the same performance for the dollar. If you have no preference, 5900nu.
 
yes but the 9800xt can be had for about 100$ and is best bang for ur buck if u can go up 400$ the MX460 will be best of best for quite sometime😉
 
I too am in the same boat, got $200 for xmas to spend on a video card. Thought I had a handle of the whole radeon thing but obviously not. I want to play hl2 so its more than likely gotta be an ATI solution just for the performance in DX9.

I'm thinking 9600pro, but just not sure if thats the best price/performance out there at the moment. Argh...decisions decisions.
 
Originally posted by: CountZero
I too am in the same boat, got $200 for xmas to spend on a video card. Thought I had a handle of the whole radeon thing but obviously not. I want to play hl2 so its more than likely gotta be an ATI solution just for the performance in DX9.

I'm thinking 9600pro, but just not sure if thats the best price/performance out there at the moment. Argh...decisions decisions.

Based on anand's reviews, digit-life's, and the use of my TI-83's "divide" fucntion...
Newegg's Radeon 9600 Pro for $154 and Radeon 9700 Pro for $238 have within 10% of the same bang/buck.
So the choice is really save a few bucks with the 9600 Pro, spend too much extra for a 9600 XT, splurge on a 9700 Pro, or go with the FX 5900...decisions, decisions.
 
Get the GeForce FX 5900SE from Newegg from here:

EVGA 128-A8-N321, GeForce FX 5900SE, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, With Call Of Duty, RETAIL

As you can see it has 2.8ns ram clocked at 400/700 as opposed to 400/800 of the regular 5900 non-ultra. However, the memory runs at reduced latencies compensating for its slower speed. This card comes with a full version of Call of Duty for which is a great game if you are into First Person Shooters.

You can find the review of this card here:

eVGA GeForce FX 5900 SE (Same thing as XT) Review

If you want to guarantee yourself 2.2ns 5900 card then get this, its clocked at 400/850:

PNY Verto nVidia GeForce FX5900 (400MHz / 850MHz) DDR 128MB AGP8X TV / DVI (Retail Box) - $209
 
Link to that card at Buy.com? I can't find it. I see only 2 5900's, one is a ultra for $488, the other is a plain for $209...
 
Well the 5900SE seems pretty good according to the reviews I've read

Here are some of the sub $200 Video Cards

$177 - RADEON 9500 Pro 128MB
$192 - RADEON 9700 128MB
$198 - RADEON 9600 XT 256MB

$179 GeForce FX 5900 128MB
$192 - GeForce FX 5800 128MB
$170 - GeForce4 TI 4600 8x AGP

I may keep my MX440 till after the Holidays
see if prices fall some more................

 
Originally posted by: Murphyrulez
Link to that card at Buy.com? I can't find it. I see only 2 5900's, one is a ultra for $488, the other is a plain for $209...

The one for $209 has a rebate for $60. You can also use a $10 coupon for new buy.com users.
 
I'd get the GFFX 5900SE. It costs the same as the 9600XT and outperforms the ATI 9800np half the time according to firingsquad.com (5 out of 9 games) I believe it outperforms the 9600XT on every one of the games or at least the majority of them.

At newegg.com $189 and free s/h

5900SE
 
Originally posted by: RussianSensation
Get the GeForce FX 5900SE from Newegg from here:

EVGA 128-A8-N321, GeForce FX 5900SE, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, With Call Of Duty, RETAIL

As you can see it has 2.8ns ram clocked at 400/700 as opposed to 400/800 of the regular 5900 non-ultra. However, the memory runs at reduced latencies compensating for its slower speed. This card comes with a full version of Call of Duty for which is a great game if you are into First Person Shooters.

You can find the review of this card here:

eVGA GeForce FX 5900 SE (Same thing as XT) Review


I own a eVGA 5900nu and its performance is awesome, looks like the SE is only a few percent slower so I would say that it is definantly go with that.

 
Originally posted by: RussianSensation
Get the GeForce FX 5900SE from Newegg from here:

EVGA 128-A8-N321, GeForce FX 5900SE, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, With Call Of Duty, RETAIL

As you can see it has 2.8ns ram clocked at 400/700 as opposed to 400/800 of the regular 5900 non-ultra. However, the memory runs at reduced latencies compensating for its slower speed. This card comes with a full version of Call of Duty for which is a great game if you are into First Person Shooters.

You can find the review of this card here:

eVGA GeForce FX 5900 SE (Same thing as XT) Review

If you want to guarantee yourself 2.2ns 5900 card then get this, its clocked at 400/850:

PNY Verto nVidia GeForce FX5900 (400MHz / 850MHz) DDR 128MB AGP8X TV / DVI (Retail Box) - $209

That's what I would do as well.
 
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