which card would you recomend

[narcotic]

I'm getting a new rig soon (A64 3200), I'm on a sort of a tight budget, so which video card should I get for about $190 (shipped)? Please if possible also give a link to where the card you recomend can be bought for that price. Thanks.

 

[Matthias99]

The only real choice (IMO) at that price is the RADEON 9800Pro, 128MB, 256-bit. Readily available all over the place online.

Also, a simple search would have answered this...

 

[narcotic]

Thanx for the answer, what do you mean all over the place? I want to buy somewhere decent, not in some place like giveUsUrCash.com... And it should be Retail to, forgot to mention that. So, not used, not OEM, and not from spooky sites. Thanks.

 

[narcotic]

yeah, one more thing about that R9800pro run at around $210 in newegg... Is there another decent place to get it for lower?

 

[rocketman14]

compusa has the 6600GT for 199 until saturday......its much better then the 9800Pro

 

[narcotic]

the 6600gt is 128-bit, how on earth it beats 9800Pro which is 256-bit...???!!!

 

[Zardnok]

http://www.anandtech.com/guides/priceguide.aspx

 

[wmansfield]

Originally posted by: narcotic
the 6600gt is 128-bit, how on earth it beats 9800Pro which is 256-bit...???!!!

Because it's newer tech?

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: narcotic
the 6600gt is 128-bit, how on earth it beats 9800Pro which is 256-bit...???!!!

It also has 500Mhz memory, as compared to 340Mhz on the 9800Pro. It has significantly more fillrate, and only a small deficit in memory bandwidth (which only hurts it when running high resolutions with AA and AF, and it's still usually faster than the 9800Pro). If you could get an AGP 6600GT for $199, it would be an excellent deal.

I guess the prices have crept up a bit, since the cheapest R9800Pro is now $209 on Newegg and $205 on ZZF. Can't you dig up some spare change from your couch or something? Unless you want a used/refurb card, there's nothing better in that price range. If you absolutely *cannot* spend over $190, and you have to have a new card, you could try to find a RADEON 9700Pro or RADEON 9800 (regular, not the SE). They perform about the same, and are only about 10-15% slower than the 9800Pro.

 

[mwmorph]

actually, you can probably flash a se to Pro if you spend some on a new cooler.

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: mwmorph
actually, you can probably flash a se to Pro if you spend some on a new cooler.

Easier at that point to just buy a used card (since you're voiding the warranty on the 9800SE if you flash it). The price difference between a new, flashable 9800SE and a used 9800Pro is pretty minimal. And I'm not sure I'd want to buy a used, softmodded card that's had who knows what done to it.

 

[customcoms]

Save yourself some money and do the following: Get a new nForce4 board and either a PCI-E 6600GT or Radeon X700Pro. The 6600GT is the better value, but you could look at the 128mb X700Pro. It is between a 9800Pro and 6600GT performance wise, and is $35 cheaper than the 9800Pro. If you start looking at the 256mb versions, you would be better of buying a 6600GT (really the best value but if strapped for chase the X700Pro is a great choice).

 

[Pete]

Spend a little more for a 6600GT. Best card for ~$200, IMO, as all the reviews show. If you want to stay closer to $190, CC has the 9800P for $180AR + tax this week. You'll be waiting on rebates, tho.