mid-level card..

[Marsumane]

Originally posted by: 1Cheap2Crazy
Does anyone have this card? 9600 Pro $110
Is this a good company? Or what about this GeForce4 TI 4200-8X card$98 with free Far Cry, but is it Dx9 ready?

Thanks

Buy the card in the first link above. Its probably the best bang for your buck.

 

[narcotic]

I know some of this cards ship with better memory than others, i.e I could get one 9600 pro with "slow" memory and another which has a fast memory - which is also better to OC.. Is there a way I can verify which type of memory I'm getting, or is it just a matter of luck? And what about 9600 XT do they all come with the same memory (which I guess should be fast...).

 

[VirtualLarry]

What about a PowerColor Radeon 9550 card? Those are essentially underclocked 9600s, and bench somewhere between 9600 and 9600 Pro. They can (I guess) be overclocked to 9600 Pro speeds, and should be cheaper than just a straight 9600. However, they were originally intended to be sold only in "price-concious" sales regions around the world, so finding a supplier for them may be difficult.

Even with a faster video card, I have to wonder if perhaps some of the more modern games aren't CPU-limited as well. With only $100 to spend, I might consider putting that into a better CPU instead, and OC'ing it to 2.3Ghz or whatever they do nowadays.

True, that won't get you any better eyecandy, but it might up your framerates, and you would be in a better condition to upgrade your video card in the near future, perhaps if ATI Radeon 9800 Pros drop some more in price in the next six months. (Or they might just not, I can't say.)

 

[narcotic]

yeah, let me put my question in other words... Suppose I'm gonna go for the 9600 XT (which seems reasonable for me right now), is there a way I can guarantee that I get a card that OC's well? Are all the 9600 XT shipped with the same hardware, or some brands are less likely to OC than others? If so then please let me know which brands to stay away from, and which to get...