Recommendation for an upgrade...

[majmera]

Hi Guys,
I currently have a 9250 128MB. The only game that I play is the F1 Career Challenge. Currently when I play at 1280x1024 (my LCDs native resolution) I get very low frame rates (18-23 fps).
I am looking to spend about 100-120$ to upgrade my GPU. What would you suggest? I am not really into gaming and don't see my self playing Doom3 or any other games other than F1C.

Thanks

 

[RajunCajun]

A used 9800Pro or 6600 NonU should fit the bill IF you're limited to $120. If you want to wait a couple of months after NVidia and ATI come out with they're new line of cards, the current cards will drop in price. Should be able to get either a 6600GT or similar for about this price by the end of the summer. I presume you're using AGP. X700 would also be a good upgrade if available in AGP.

By expanding your budget to $150-175 this will open up you choices quite a bit. I know you're thinking you just need a quick fix, but think ahead to what you PLAN or MIGHT use your PC for.

 

[blckgrffn]

Sigh, I am turning into a broken record here. 9800 Pro. Go to NewEgg and buy one. It is in your budget and has at least 4x the performance you currently have. Stay away from the 6600NU for the best performance for your dollar, it has much less memory bandwidth and this hinders it a lot. I should know, check my sig 😉

Nat

 

[RussianSensation]

Probably a 9800Pro is a good bet. 6600Gt is a slight stretch at $150.

You definately cannot enable AA/AF if you play at 1280x1024 with any of these cards though. LINK

 

[majmera]

This might be a dumb question, but what is AA/AF?

 

[isekii]

Want an ATI AIW 9700 Pro For $120 ?

 

[Pete]

You'll be able to enable AF, but AA will be too much with newer games.

majmera, check out AnandTech's original review of the 9700 Pro for a primer on AA and AF.