Video Card Confusion, Please help!

[agaraffa]

I am in the process putting together a new computer. I'm still running my old Pentium 166 which I built while I was in school. At that time I thought that a video card was one of the most important components in a PC and researched extensively before choosing the Diamond Stealth 3000 3D, a high-end expensive card at the time. I still feel that a good video card is an essential part of a PC but have a hard time swallowing $400-$500 for a top of the line model. I am asking you good people for recomendations. Here are some details that will help...

1)Nothing over $300. 2)I'm not a big gamer, however a sports game or two never hurt anyone. 3)DVD quality and features are important.

I guess that's it. Let me know what you think.


Thanks everyone,
agaraffa

 

[snow patrol]

The ATi All in Wonder Radeon 32Meg DDR could be just the thing you're looking for:



Link to a review

 

[ET]

Let me get this straight - are you saying that you're planning to run your new card with the Pentium 166 machine? If so, your options are extremely limited, and it's highly likely that you won't be able to get decent speed from any current game, no matter the card, and it's certain that you won't be able to play DVDs well without a DVD card.

If you're planning to buy a new computer, and want a decent card, and you're not a serious gamer, nor do you plan to do any serious 3D work, then something like the ATI Rage Fury Pro may be what you need. It has decent 3D (but nowhere near the speed of current cards), good DVD playback, and video in/out. As mentioned, the Radeon (newer generation ATI card) is a good choice, if you're interested in more powerful 3D.

 

[Workin']

I second ET's opinion.

ATi Rage Fury Pro 32MB if you are on a budget - great 2-D performance, decent 3-D performance, top-notch DVD performance, plus TV-out and TV-in features. Can't be beat for all-around goodness under US$100.

If your budget can bear more, you might consider an ATi Radeon, but it doesn't seem like you need the boost in 3-D performance over the Rage Fury Pro, especially if you plan to stay with a less-powerful CPU.

 

[agaraffa]

Just to clear up the misconception, I am building a new system. I think my P166 has served me well, time to retire the old girl. As for my new system, I'm leaning toward an Athlon Thunderbird 900MHz with 256MB RAM.

agaraffa

 

[snow patrol]

Well, considering it's a card that isn't going to be coupled with a P166 (I kind of took it as read that you'd be updating the rest of your PC as well ), and given what you've said and how much you're willing to spend - I think the AIW Radeon 32MB or the 64Meg Radeon (not AIW) could be your best choice. They don't have the sheer speed of the Geforce 2, but they're certainly close, and image quality (both 2d and 3d) is said to be as good as anything out there.

The Rage Fury Pro would have been ok if you were sticking with the 166, but don't consider it for your new system - it's just not a great video card by today's standards Good luck.

 

[RoboTECH]

ATI All-in-Wonder Radeon is definitely the card for you.

 

[Comp10]

I agree, Radeon all the way. However, unless you want a TV tuner just go with either the normal Radeon 32mb DDR or 64mb DDR.