What is best AGP sub-$100 video card for gaming?

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spartanslayer

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I got a free old computer, and I need to use it untill fall. The specs are OK, except for the 2MB video card! I have a 8X AGP slot, and am wondering what is the best sub-$100 video card. The 6600? The 9600XT? Reply, Reply. I want a name brand to, like sapphire or xfx. Thanks. I'd really prefer to spend around $70-$80. Thanks.
 
Honestly?

If I were spending money in that range, I would probably venture into the "used" market and try and get myself a good 6600GT. Ebay etc. The wild west.
 
Then see if you can find a good 9800pro (saphire for example). The little engine that could. For what it is, it is a pretty good card.
 
With 128MB of memory or 256? The 256 version is $$$$$$$$. Even the 128MB is pricey. How about the 9600XT or the 6600? Are they good? I got good reviews on the 9600XT.
 
I had the 9800pro with 128mb on my old computer and it was a great performer for the money. No problems running Doom3 at medium settings, good framerates. (with 1gb ram and a barton 3200)

I just setup a system for a friend a few weeks back, and he went for the 6600 (256mb). He is running Far Cry (on low settings) with EXCELLENT framerates (1Gb ram and an Athlon64 3500)
 
But how does the 9600XT compare? It seems pretty good. And I really can't afford a $120 card like the ones you've been showing me. Think cheaper.
 
quite honisly i would save up an extra 20 dollors, you wont regret it, you can get a good 6600gt much better then the 96xx series and for 120dollors its a bargran. thats what i would do
 
Should I get the 128MB version of the 6600GT or the 256MB version of the 6600? What will the difference be? And the 6800 128MB is around $130. Should I get that one? Thanks for your help.
 
OK, but my question is, is it better to get a faster card with 128MB instead of a slower card with 256MB? Also, I will be getting AGP.
 
Great, then I'll probably get the 6600 or the 6600GT, depending on which costs more at FRYS or COMPUSA. Hope to get it this afternoon. Thanks for all your help guys. CASE CLOSED.
 
Thanks alot guys. I ended up getting the 6600GT from Newegg. Now I have:

Athlon XP 2400.
1.25GB of 2700DDR Ram.
20GB 5400RPM Hard Drive.
eVga 6600GT.
XP Pro.

Outta keep me busy till August. One question, will it game well? :eek:

Thanks guys.
 
Looks like a good budget level machine to me. You should be able to run any newer game (with the settings turned down) and get some decent framerates.

Looks like your bottleneck now is that CPU. If you find you just can't get satisfying frame rates, consider OCing it just a little. At least, that's what I'd do.
 
How would you overclock it. I have 3 case fans, and a oversized CPU cooler. Is it safe? Or could I ruin the system? I've never overclocked before.
 
I am not really a fan of overclocking except in situations like yours. I had a Barton 2500 on my system about a year ago, and it started feeling slow, so I cranked it up to a 3200. For older CPUs it is a nice way to stretch their usefullness for a few extra months.

But there are risks. You may fry it. Most of the mobos today have pretty good protection so it is not as dangerous as it used to be, but there are always risks. And it also is heavily dependant on the quality of the ram you have installed as well as who makes your motherboard.

There are many good articles on how to do it that explain the process much better than I could:

http://www.ocia.net/articles/overclockingguide/page1.shtml
 
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