what video card should I get?

[crazdude]

I wanna get a new video card. here are my system spec

venice amd anthlon 64 3500 + 2.2Ghz cpu
512 mb DDR=SDRAM (not sure what it means with the ddr-sd stuff) memory
300 watt power supply (might need another one)
250 gb hard drive
pci express 16x slot

well, am not sure what card to get, i want something that is capable of playing the latest games, but i dont think am willing to spend more than 200 bucks on a card (am broke) so I wud like some help on what i shud get that will work with my system best. do what you do best techspot members!

 

[vegasgmc]

The best sub- $200 card would be the Geforce 6800 or X800 Pro.

 

[springy101]

ya i say the x800gto 256 mb. only like 165 and amazingly good for the price

 

[DonNagual]

If you are wanting to play the latest games as you say, then here's what I would do. Don't spend the whole wad on a video card. You also need to get up to 1Gb of ram (this will also make a nice difference in your games).

Get a 6600Gt
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130214

And then bump yourself up to 1Gb of ram. Is your current ram 1 stick of 512mb or 2 sticks of 256?

Also what name brand is your PSU? Take a look at the sticker on it. How many amps on the 12v rail(s)? You may need to upgrade this as well depending on what you have.

Go here: http://extreme.outervision.com/index.jsp and calculate what you need.

 

[crazdude]

2 sticks of 256, sats on site my pc can handle up to 4 gigs, but i need to remove the 256 ones and put int 1gb chips in order to do that, also make sure its pci express and what do i set the psu utilization to on that program things? cuz i put it to 80% and it recomend at 203 watt supply. and where can i buy good affordable ram in the money i wud have left over?

 

[DonNagual]

Well, you COULD add 2 more sticks of 256mb in there, to bump you up to 1Gb. However, I have seen some people reporting in here that when using 4 sticks, they are noticing performance loses. I admit I don't know enough about this to advise you on this.

What make/model is your motherboard? This'll help decide.

Otherwise, it may be best to upgrade to 2 sticks of 512mb, and sell the ram you have in there now. I am assuming your motherboard supports PC3200 ram. Here is a good deal for quality (budget level) ram. $71 after mail in rebate, leaving you $130 for your card. The 6600GT I link you to above is 125 after rebate.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227039

As for your PSU being enough, it sounds like it has enough watts to power this newer card. The question then, is whether or not your power supply is a quality one or not. Do you know the maker's name? Hopefully you have some good juice on the 12v rail (you can get this info on the sticker attached to the PSU itself). Pray you have at least .... 18amps or so.