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Low end AGP

S

spwango

Senior member
Hey all, I've been trying to help a friend pick out a low end AGP card (sub $100, 1.7MHz P4)--he's interested in running the MS flight sims/combat flight sims and little else, so I see no advantage in telling him to go get a 9800 Pro...I'm leaning towards suggesting the Radeon 9600 at the moment, is that smart?
 
The R9600 isn't a *bad* card... but a used/refurb 9700Pro/9800/9800Pro is much better in terms of bang/buck. If you want to go cheap and don't need DX9, the GeForce4Ti line can be quite a deal if you can find one used -- the 4200 is about as fast as the R9600, and the 4600 is around the speed of a 9600Pro/XT.
 
You could get a used 9700pro for about that much...

If he wants something new and under $100, a 9600pro would be a good buy.
 
Isn't it a little daring ordering a refurb card for someone who might not be able to deal with the problems that could arise?
 
Palit 9550 128mb - 2.5ns 128bit hynix ram (thats ddr800)
abit 9550 xturbo guru - 2.5ns 128bit hynix ram
abit 9550 128mb - 3.6 or 4ns 128bit samsung ram
gecube 9550 xt extreme - 3.3ns 128bit etrontech ram


the 9550xt models have the rv360 core (same as 9600 xt) and the others have rv350 (9600 pro) you can either soft mod, or overclock like crazy.. either way these cards are GREAT for the price... currently my abit 9550 (not the xturbo guru version) with 3.6ns ram is at 430/500 on stock cooling.. once i add ramsinks and a stock a64 hsf we'll see how far it'll go 🙂
 
if your looking for the cheapest video card to suit your needs.. i'd recommend getting an abit 9550.. mine was about $65 and works GREAT
 
Originally posted by: spwango
I dunno, a 9800Pro sounds an awful lot like overkill...

Anyone have experience with this particular board? Keep in mind, this is a very purposed use, and if he decides to really get into the flight sims, I think he's going to want to look at a new box anyway.

http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102408

thanks all for the advice.
Click to expand...


stay away from 9600 series cards that dont give core and memory clock speeds. i believe they should be 400 core 600 memory.
 
also, how long does he plan on keeping the card? saving 20 bucks now and not getting that 9800 pro could cost your friend down the road.
 
This is not a long term solution. I don't see a ton of upgradability in his box (this is not a custom built machine)--Thus, my thinking is that whatever gets put into this machine will be replaced by a PCIE card or a whole new box in the future.
 
Originally posted by: spwango
I dunno, a 9800Pro sounds an awful lot like overkill...

Anyone have experience with this particular board? Keep in mind, this is a very purposed use, and if he decides to really get into the flight sims, I think he's going to want to look at a new box anyway.

http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102408

thanks all for the advice.
Click to expand...

Stay away from the Advantage Edition. The core's the same speed but the memory is el-cheapo clocked at 226. I bought this card not knowing that. The core hits 440 but the memory won't get over 270. Poor performer in general.
 
NO, avoid the fx cards like the plague if you plan on playing any DX9 games. Seriously, the radeon 9600 is better than similar fx cards. If you want something better, get a used radeon 9700/9800, those are still pretty good at running the latest games.
 
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