Video Card compatible with latest games

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imported_rod

Golden Member
Apr 13, 2005
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What about a GeForce 6600GT? They're awesome performance for the price, and mine plays basically any current game (HL2/Doom3/BF2) at medium settings. But you would need to go to low settings to use an MX4000 or 5200FX. Seriously, consider the 6600GT - it's by far the best value mid-range card out there.

RoD
 
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Rockhound1

Senior member
Dec 31, 2003
592
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Both the MX4000 and the 5200FX that you identify are less than $40. Is that your current budget?

I would have to agree with ROD. If you look hard enough, you can find a 6600GT between $100 and $120. I recently purchased a PNY 6600GT (AGP 4X/8X) for $99 after rebate. I would save up some more and go with the 6600GT.
 
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Wolfshanze

Senior member
Jan 21, 2005
767
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Blackrain... Quake-4 and especially FEAR would bring both of the cards you mentioned to their knees (and that's at minimum settings... if you set the details to max in FEAR and tried to run it on a MX4000 you would probably set your system on fire!).

Obviously you are price-concious, but if you want to play games like Quake-4 and FEAR, neither of those cards will do the job.

If you can afford the extra dough, go with the advice the others have given... something more along the lines of a 6600GT will be a much better choice... if you don't have the money now to afford a 6600GT, you would be better served to SAVE what you have now for however long it takes to afford a 6600GT-like card. Blowing $40-$50 bucks on one of the cards you mentioned is just going to make you $40 bucks poorer and you STILL won't be able to play Quake-4 or FEAR.
 
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blackrain

Golden Member
Feb 15, 2005
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Since $40 is my budget right now, I will wait it out a few months and get the 6600GT...I hope that games don;t change enough by then to make the 6600GT obsolete
 
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Rockhound1

Senior member
Dec 31, 2003
592
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The 6600GT still has life. You can't play the new games (FEAR, Quake 4, COD2, etc.) with all the eye candy, but it will play them at least with "medium" settings.
 
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alimoalem

Diamond Member
Sep 22, 2005
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Originally posted by: blackrain
Since $40 is my budget right now, I will wait it out a few months and get the 6600GT...I hope that games don;t change enough by then to make the 6600GT obsolete
Click to expand...

even if it's obsolete at your time of purchase, you can spend your money on another card that will replace the 6600gt. believe me, your mx4000 will not pass. i have one and on need for speed underground 2, it LAGS when placed on anything but the lowest settings. i don't even think the game will start if you try loading any of the mentioned games you want to play.
 
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Mavrick007

Diamond Member
Dec 19, 2001
3,198
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If you're on a budget, try looking in the FS/FT Forum to see if you can find a used 6600GT or better and you might find a deal under $100.
 
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Wolfshanze

Senior member
Jan 21, 2005
767
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Yes... do NOT buy the 6600LE if you want a good card... it's clocked vastly slower, it has DDR1 memory instead of DDR3 memory, and has HALF the pixel pipes at only 4, instead of 8 like the GT.

In short, the 6600LE is one of the WORST cards NVidia sells.
 
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JBT

Lifer
Nov 28, 2001
12,094
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In all seriousness would either of the above cards even run FEAR? I bet there would be alot of artifacts etc in the textures and models alteast on the MX card.
 
Eureka

Eureka

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2005
3,822
1
81
The 6600GT would probably be able to run FEAR and Quake 4 at low-medium settings. Look for the 6800GS, it's a bit more expensive, but it will give you what you really need.

Norm
 
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blackrain

Golden Member
Feb 15, 2005
1,226
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the 6800GS looks too expensive. I need an agp card. It looks like agp is more expensive than pci express for a lot of these newer cards.

 
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blackrain

Golden Member
Feb 15, 2005
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by the way, no one has mentioned radeon cards...is it cheaper to get ati or nvidia for the same capabilities
 
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deepred98

Golden Member
Sep 3, 2005
1,246
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if you looking for ATi card the only one in the 100-140 dollar range is the x700 (i think), and that card performs slightly worse than the 6600gt
 
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blackrain

Golden Member
Feb 15, 2005
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It seems like AGP is being phased out...or there are a lot less of these in AGP. Are these eventually going to be hard to find and expensive? I am just wondering how long I can wait before I get one of these. Right now, I can't get it. Do you think prices will go down on these any further?
 
Eureka

Eureka

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2005
3,822
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Um, they would probably go down a bit, but not too much. AGP is being phased out, sooner or later it'll become obsolete. I'd say you can probably wait another few months with AGP.

Norm
 
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blackrain

Golden Member
Feb 15, 2005
1,226
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71
I am wondering if I was underestimating my system when I first posted this. Would it be possible to upgrade the video and/or memory to play the latest games in high settings. What would I need for that?

My current specs are:
Abit VT7 mobo
2.6ghz northwood
Memory: not yet installed
Geforce 3 (to be upgraded)
Seagate 8mb cache 160GB HD
16X dvdrom


Note: I am currently looking to buy memory....will 1 Gb cut it for now? I can get more later.
 
Malladine

Malladine

Diamond Member
Mar 31, 2003
4,618
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71
yeah 1gb is just fine. 2gb will provide a boost only in BF2 currently.

Buy a 6600GT for under $150 (@ newegg at least) and you'll be alright playing games @ 1024x768 with low/med settings for a couple of years, imo. If you can afford $200 you can choose between two 256mb 256bit 12 pipe cards: the 6800GS or the X800GTO unless you can find that nice deal on the X850XT at microcenter.com (though that requires messing with a rebate - not everyone's cup of tea).
 
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blackrain

Golden Member
Feb 15, 2005
1,226
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Originally posted by: Malladine
yeah 1gb is just fine. 2gb will provide a boost only in BF2 currently.

Buy a 6600GT for under $150 (@ newegg at least) and you'll be alright playing games @ 1024x768 with low/med settings for a couple of years, imo. If you can afford $200 you can choose between two 256mb 256bit 12 pipe cards: the 6800GS or the X800GTO unless you can find that nice deal on the X850XT at microcenter.com (though that requires messing with a rebate - not everyone's cup of tea).
Click to expand...


Sorry but I changed my question from my original post. Originally, I didn't think I had a shot at high settings. What I am looking for now is whether it is possible (or worthwhile) to upgrade my system so that i can play the latest in high settings? Would the 6800GS do it for me with 2GB of ram, considering my obsolete board and cpu.

As a sidenote, I intend to use this pc a lot with my tv (its a regular tv...not hdtv or anything like that). So will I be able to take advantage of the high settings without the resolution that I would get from my monitor? Or are the high settings only worthwhile at high resolutions?
 
Malladine

Malladine

Diamond Member
Mar 31, 2003
4,618
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71
There are no AGP cards that will run all games at high, even at 1024, for that length of time until (IF) the 7800GS comes out in that flavour. The 6800GS with 2gb will allow 1024 with high for a while, but that's pushing the limits even today (in FEAR @ max/1024 with minimal aa/af you'd be seeing fps in the 40s, perhaps less with a 2.6ghz p4, - the minimum necessary for a fast paced first person shooter), nevermind in a year.

I'd say high settings are very much worthwhile regardless of the resolution, provided we're talking about 1024 at a minimum. 800x600 with everything high will obviously look better than with settings lower, but such a low res. is generally pretty crap even then.

Playing PC games on a regular tv? I have no experience there, but I do know that non-hdtvs aren't capable of any res even close to what you can get with a standard monitor. You'll probably still see improvements in the settings and aa/af department but how far that goes I have no idea.
 
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