need to upgrade card and need advice

[Graywar]

currently have a PNY GForce fx 5200 128Mb DDR. I like gaming and don't have the unlimited budget or the desire for tinkering with overclocking. I just don't want to buy junk, most I can spend is about $200.

 

[Dman877]

9800 Pro is a bit over 200$, 5900XT is a bit under, those are my recommendations.

VGA Charts

 

[Corporate Thug]

9800 pro

 

[Graywar]

how big is the difference between 128 and 256 on the 9800 pro?

 

[Algere]

Not much

 

[Graywar]

and how big would the difference be between my current card and the 9800 pro 128?

 

[SickBeast]

Very very large...quadruple or maybe even more.

 

[Corporate Thug]

Originally posted by: Graywar
and how big would the difference be between my current card and the 9800 pro 128?

HUGE difference, day and night

 

[Graywar]

whats the Sapphire stuff?

 

[SickBeast]

Sapphire is a brand. They build cards for ATi. They are considered to be of equal quality to a built by ATi card.

 

[Graywar]

so if I can save $20 is it a good deal?

 

[SickBeast]

I suppose. The thing is, retail ATi boards come with a 3-year warranty as opposed to the 1-year of the Sapphire OEM. For $20 I would go with the ATi one provided it is a retail box.

 

[Graywar]

ok heres what i'm looking at

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-369&depa=1

whats the difference between 128 bit and 256 bit?

 

[SickBeast]

It's a pretty serious thing. Don't get a 128-bit card, it will perform much worse. You need serious components to run games like Serious Sam 2, so don't get that one. I'm serious. Seriously, buy a 256-bit card. You seriously won't regret it. Serious.

 

[jhurst]

Stray away from the 5900XT whatever you do. Its the most overpriced card on the market right now. I had a buddy who had one, and I was running a 9600XT, and we were getting similar FPS on UT2K4. The 9800p blows everything away $200 and less.

 

[Graywar]

SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON 9800 PRO Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP $209

my new purchase, should be here next week, thanks a TON all of you