Looking to upgrade my GF4-TI4200

[misle]

I haven't been paying much attention to the video card market. But now I'm looking to upgrade my TI4200. I don't want to spend more than $200 on a card.

It seems that ATi is ruling the video card market right now. Do they have stable drivers now?

What's the best video card for under $200? (I'm not big on overclocking, if that makes a difference)

computer:
2000+ Athlon XP
Epox EP-8RDA nForce2 board
512 DDR-RAM
Santa Cruz Sound Card
M-Audio Delta 1010 D/A interface

 

[Sunny129]

i also have a Ti4200 and am looking to upgrade as well. i'm looking at ATI cards...i don't think i'll be going nVidia this time. anyways, for under $200 you can get a 9500pro, and a 9600pro. i hear that getting the non pros just arent worth the upgrade. i think the next cheapest ATI card is the 9700 non pro, which is roughly $230 these days, but you might be able to find on in the for sale/trade forums here, but the cheapest i've seen it here is $215. the 9700 non pro is faster than both the 9500pro and 9600pro. the 9500pro is faster than the 9600pro, but are more expensive b/c of limited production. if you get a 9600pro from the right reseller, you can OC the hell out of it.

 

[Schadenfroh]

spend 210 and get a 9700, anything less than a 9700 non pro is not worth the cost of the upgrade imo

 

[modedepe]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
spend 210 and get a 9700, anything less than a 9700 non pro is not worth the cost of the upgrade imo

 

[DaveSimmons]

Get the 9700 np or wait a few months until 9800 non-pro cards get closer to $200, but stay away from the crippled 9800SE and 9500/9600.

Your ti4200 is still a great card. A 9500 Pro is only about 20% faster which hardly seems worth $150-200. Even the 9700 non-pro is less than double the speed (Toms 31 Cards)

 

[Corporate Thug]

yup, get some extra cash and go 9700 np.

btw the 9800 NP are down to $230 if you can shell out the extra $30 that would be the best upgrade

 

[misle]

Thanks for the tips. After review the facts, I think I'll wait until Half-Life 2 or Ultima X comes out to upgrade. My Ti4200 should be able to last that long.

 

[McArra]

Originally posted by: misle
Thanks for the tips. After review the facts, I think I'll wait until Half-Life 2 or Ultima X comes out to upgrade. My Ti4200 should be able to last that long.

Nice choice.

 

[ahfung]

My 4600 just died and I was in deep sorrow. For nvidia's offering anything below 5800 is actually a downgrade. So I looked into ATI and get a 9700NP. It overclockes like mad well beyond Pro speed (400/371). However I DO NOT notice any major difference in 1942 and morrowind unless playing with AA/AF. I know it should be faster than 4600 by miles but there just no DX9 games to take advantage of it yet.

Just wait until decent DX9 games hit the street. By the time 9800 should be cheap enough for you.