What kind of videocard should I go for?

lejonetpedro · Jun 1, 2005

hey,
could you guys help me out with some advice?

I finally upgraded and bought an old Fujitsu/Siemens PC really cheap from my job, got monitor and computer for 1000 SEK (about 125 US Dollars).

This is about it:
P4 1.5Ghz
512 MB RAM (133Mhz)
I haven't checked what my AGP-status is, but I reckon that it's 2x(?) and that I only have the old PCI-slots.

Playing Football Manager 2005 works perfectly, but I need a little more muscle on the graphic processor-front since it was delivered with a 16MB TNT2card... ehum. What should I be aiming at?

Thnx / J

vnf4ultra · Jun 1, 2005

I think we need more info to help you. What's your budget? What games do you play, how high graphics settings do you want to use? What agp speed do you have. Ati or nvidia or indifferent? To find your agp speed try everest home.
http://www.lavalys.com/products/overview.php?pid=1&lang=en

Didou · Jun 1, 2005

I don't think P4s ever had AGP2x. That's why VooDoo 4/5 cards would not work with P4 systems. Good bang-for-buckl cards are the Radeon 9800 Pro or a GeForce 6600GT. If you can't afford those, you can find GeForce 5700 or Radeon 9600 Pro cards.

lejonetpedro · Jun 1, 2005

thanks, here's the info

sorry, my bad.
thanks for the EVEREST tip, i now know everything worth knowing about my computer.

I got P4 1.5 Ghz, 512 133Mhz RAM, Onboard soundcard, and an AGP version that apparently supports 4x speed.

I am an all-eating gamer. Two of my favourite games (but played only on xbox) is SSX 3 and Halo2. I also like the GTA series, manager simulations, and huge role-playing games. The higher the possible resolution, the happier I'll be.

As for budget, well... I guess I'm aiming for 1500 SEK = 200 US Dollars tops, but then again i won't complain if the card costs less. Nvidia or ATI doesn't matter,

So, the 6600 card, is that what a guy with my not-so-state-of-the-art equipment and not-that-big-budget should settle for?

vnf4ultra · Jun 1, 2005

A 6600gt agp or a 9800 pro both are good, and are a good bit below $200 now. I think a 6600gt is about $170-180 now and 9800pro are about $150-160 for the cheaper models.

Edit: I found this.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814122193
I didn't realize any 6800's were below $200, wow, that's a nice price.

lejonetpedro · Jun 2, 2005

thnx a lot!

...just a few more lame questions:

with my, pretty slow, 1.5 ghz p4 - is there a limit where a better/faster card wont help me?

and, since i only have agp 4x, how does that affect a card like the 6600 with 8x capabilities?

and: is 256MB worth the extra money, or should i settle for a 128MB card?

i really appreciate your advice, you guys are mighty nice.

/j

Didou · Jun 2, 2005

1) a slower system might not push your new card to the max, but then you can enable some extra eye candy like Anti-Aliasing &/or Anisotropic filtering & not notice any slowdowns.

2) there's very little difference between AGP4x & AGP8x

3) if the price between the 128mb & the 256mb version is big, go for 128mb. 256mb isn't worth it, if you have to pay a lot for it.

compguy · Jun 4, 2005

x series from ati radeon

GEt the x850 xt from ati radeon which is 449$ you can get a ati radeon x850 xt or the x800 xt the x series are the best out there hope you get u get a x series wonderfull quality and performance.... good luck......

sebastian

Bobcat1132 · Jun 4, 2005

your processor should be able to run anything out there well enough but you wont want to buy a 400-500 dollar top of the line graphics card unless you plan to upgrade later go with what has been listed as they will work fine for what you need

What kind of videocard should I go for?

lejonetpedro

vnf4ultra

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lejonetpedro

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