Mid range PCI-E video card recommendation

[All_One_Mind]

Alright, so I'm on a budget and I just upgrade my computer to these specs:

- Opteron 165 (overclocked from 1.8GHz to 2.2GHz. CPU holds 2.7GHz stable through all stress tests at 100% on both CPU cores at a temp of 47C!)
- 1GB PC3200 value RAM
- Biostar GeForce 6100-m9 motherboard
- Crappy integrated GeForce 6100 graphics, with 1 PCI-E 16x slot
- Black Steel 580W power supply with 30A on 12+v rail.

So I'm looking at spending between $100 and $125 (before shipping) on a mid range card. I'm on a tight budget, so even the jump to $150 is a bit too high for me. I'd like to play Oblivion again, but this time with some half decent settings (I beat it on an ATI Radeon 9600XT) and some other modern gen games, but the settings don't need to be maxed or anything. I'm a moderate gamer.

Here's the cards I'm considering, in order of price:
Radeon X1650PRO @ $102 (only has GDDR2 though)
GeForce 7600GT @ $102 (GDDR2 again)
Radeon X1600XT @ $110
GeForce 7800GT @ $129 (recertified)
Radeon X1650XT @ $145 (a bit too high, I'm literally pinching pennies)
Radeon X1900GT @ $165 (no way I can afford this)

All the cards I mentioned have 256MB of VRAM. Assume stock settings, etc etc. So, I'm leaning towards the recertified GeForce 7800GT in terms of price/performance, but I was hoping for a little advice. What do you all think?

 

[F1N3ST]

Go on anandtech.com and buy used!

 

[All_One_Mind]

I didn't know they sold used cards. I'll take a look at that. Only thing I'd be worried about (before looking into their used cards) is dead on arrivals. brb though.

EDIT:

Ahh, I see. They have a buy/trade/sell section on their forum. I'll keep an eye open there. I've already spotted some good deals. Thanks for the heads up F1N3ST!

 

[Grafficks]

According to that list of options you posted, the 7800GT does seem like the best choice. Re-certified products should be OK, even though it is refurbished it should still be covered by warranty like anything else. At $129 it should play your games at respectable settings and keep your wallet happy too (which is very important ).

 

[Ritwik7]

X1650XT might be a better choice...If you're willing to spend that bit more...

 

[tweakboy]

I recommend go high end,,,, do it ,, get a gf 7800GTX and ull be happy,,

 

[MetalX]

Does a X1650XT really beat a 7800GT? That's slightly alarming...

 

[DonNagual]

No way. A 7800GT is a much stronger card compared to an X1650.

 

[wolfram]

The X1650 has 8 pixel pipelines (24 shaders), 128 bit RAM bus. The 7800GT has 20 or 24 pipelines (can't remember exactly ), and a 256 bit bus.

Much, much stronger than a X1650XT.

 

[Grafficks]

The 7800 (regardless of GT, GTX, GS, etc.) is model 800 in the GeForce 7 series of cards. The x1650 is a variation of the x1600, which is model 600 in the Radeon X1 series. The 7800GT belongs in the high-end categorization and the x1650XT belongs in the mid-range classification.

800 > 600

This really isn't a debatable argument. All you do is look at the last three digits of the model name.

 

[Ressurrector]

think i gave around 70 for this EVGA geforce 7300 le its decent you get what you pay for with video cards I got a agi geforce something i gave a few hundred for at best buy like about 3 years ago it still holds its weight today