Reccomend a card

[SneakyStuff]

Hey again guys, my friend just returned his defective 9600 Pro to newegg, full refund. He said he'd be willing to spend up to $150, to get another card. What is the BEST card he can get for $150, in the AGP format. Thanks

 

[Avalon]

Well, he's got some options...

Option #1
Option #2
Option #3

A powercolor 9600XT for ~$145.
A powercolor 9800SE 256bit for ~$145 (when it comes back in stock.
A refurbished powercolor 9800SE 256bit for $119.

Add a couple dollars for shipping where necessary.

Now, I swear it was purely coincidence that all three cards I listed are powercolor
There were cheaper 9600XT cards, but I didn't want to recommend a jetway, rosewill, or some other low tier brand that I haven't had experience with. Anyway, here's my reasoning.

1) A 9600XT is the best stock purchase you can make with a $150 budget, unless you stumble across a 9800 pro for $150 deal, which doesn't happen often enough to be sure of. None of the new gen mainstream cards seem to be hitting the shelves in AGP format at this time, which really stinks, because they're much better than a 9600 series card. So, the powercolor 9600XT is an option for you.

2) This particular 9800SE is a good buy because it costs the same as the 9600XT above, and performs pretty darn similarly due to the bonus of having a 256bit memory width. Also, it is clocked higher than most 9800SE cards, which is the only thing that has it competing with the 9600XT at stock. Think of this card as the 9800SE XT. Now, since we've established that this card and a 9600XT are similar at stock speeds, you'll also get a free bonus option of being able to softmod your card (unlock it into an 8 pipeline 9800 pro) with doing any physical modification to it. If this works, you've got yourself a $145 9800 pro. If it doesn't, you've got yourself a $145 "9600 XT".

3) In case you are happy with a stock 9600 XT performance, and don't feel the need to have the bonus softmod gamble in your favor, you may want to opt with this refurbed 9800SE (same card as option #2). My guess is that 90% of these refurbs are cards that people returned because they wouldn't softmod. I'm pretty sure most of them work just fine at stock 4 pipes. So, if you want a near 9600 XT solution and don't care for softmodding, you can take a gamble with this and possibly get a "9600 XT" on the cheap. Very cheap, at $119.

There is some room for brand name flexibility with the 9600 XT option, but I'd stick with powercolor if you're going to nab the 9800SE card.

 

[dak125]

9800 pro would be my suggestion if you can find one for that price. If he's willing to wait awhile I'm sure the prices are going to drop very soon.

 

[Azndude51]

You can get brand new 9700pros for under $150 off ebay, just be careful and only buy from reliable sellers who have a lot of positive feedback and >98% rating.