mainly for gaming, i am looking for a cheap graphics card (hopefully under $100.) i have a dell dimension 4700 2.8Ghz 512mb ram 40GB. my graphics card that came with the computer is (i think) Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 Video Card.
i have one PCI express slot and 2 of the other slot....forgot what its called...
please help me find a cheap graphics card for gaming, thanx a lot.

Please post the website where I can see the specs of the system.

Geforce 6600 would be under $100 or for a little more you could get a 6600GT.

2.80GHz Pentium 4 w/ HT Technology, 512MB, 40GB, DVD-ROM, Windows XP
follow the following link to see the full specs
http://shopping.msn.com/Specs/shp/?itemId=22915825

Here you go:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127147

$99 after the $20 rebate

are both compatible for my computer? is APG better? or PCI Express

I believe, only PCIe would be compatible for your system. PCIe is better only because its twice the speed of AGP (8x.. PCIe is 16x) and this is the reason PCIe will the standard soon.

is it worth the extra cash to get 256 mb instead of 128 mb? im not sure if i need so much ram in a video card for me....
How does it help to have 256 over 128 mb?
also, is it better to get a graphics card that has a fan(GeForce 6600GT)? or w/o fan is ok too (GeForce6600)?

the reason for the fans is to cool off the VPU. and the reason the 6600 doesnt have one is its not a high performance video card. which means its not as good as the 6600GT

gettin the extra memory depends on the card. for example. if ur looking at the 6600 and u want it in 256, its probably quite useless as the card isnt even fast enuf to have 256MB of memory. it doesnt balance in the end, by the time u even get close to using up that memory, ur VPU will be begging for mercy. all in all, 6600 with 128 is pretty equal to one with 256

now if ur looking at a 6600GT with 128mb of ram vs 6600GT 256MB ram, u may notice a slightly better performance. nothing drastic as the 6600GT isnt very strong for the up to date games. it would be more logical to have 256mb of ram in a 6600GT than in a 6600 though.

the 6800 line is the starting line tht seem to fully utilize all the memory that the card has to offer because they have more shaders that will actually make full use of large memory.

hope this helps

so the geforce 6800 - whats up with that one? its more worth it to get that than 6600gt 256mb? when u say 6800, u mean with gt or plain 6800 (w/o fan)?
please help- i really wanna get whats best for my computer. thanx so much

how much money do you want to spend? thats all it comes down to. the 6800 vanilla (plain, not GT or whatever) is like.. TAD bit more performance than the 6600GT. if you LIGHTLY boost the 6600GT's clock speed its pretty much a 6800.

the 6800GT.. uhm, well ur better off getting the 7600GT. so really, it all depends on how much money IMO.

i think im gonna go for the geforce 6600gt 128 mb.....is that a good choice? i just dont wanna spend over $100 - thats why....
where can i find the best deals/cheapest price for a graphics card?
and wats IMO? sorry- not familiar with the term....

and what does btw mean to??

For that price range, I think that is about the best card on the market. As for where to by it, check www.newegg.com

oh, and:
IMO = in my opinion
BTW = by the way

IMO = In my opinion, ...
BTW = By the way, ...

[err Don, lol u had to post the above while i was writing and lookin for links for him.. now i jus look stupid re-stating the above oh well.. still good ]

sorry about the Forum lingo guys, I use (and many others) for typing efficiency =S
there should be a sticky on these abbreviations huh =P

as for the 6600GT, almsot everyone who buys a budget card or someone looking for the best card for cheapest (but not too crappy) the 6600GT always comes around. As for the facts, yes it is an awesome card for $100.

For best deals (assuming you live in the US) go to www.newegg.com

heres a good 6600GT from a company with platinum quality customer service:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130214

heres one thats cheapest, $98 after rebates (also comes with a bunch of games):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127147

and heres a bunch of other 6600GT u can choose from:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...&Go.x=0&Go.y=0

i really appreciate it - i will look around- hopefully ill find something good and cheap...thanx everyone

by the way- i really like this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127147
so i think i might get it - cuz its under 100 (after rebate).....but i am not completly sure i will....do the prices go down? will it go down within the next month....or so...??
thanx....

youre welcome. and yes I like that one too. I would actualy buy that one if i were you.

as for the prices, they might drop a bit more. these cards were around 130-150 about a month and a half ago. I guess the recent release of the 7600, 7900 made the low-mid range cards drop more in prices

should i just wait another month or 2 and see if price drops further or is that not happening? will price drop soon again? or no?

Prices are always dropping. Recently both Nvidia and ATI both came out with a new lineup of cards, forcing the 6600GTs even lower. It's anyone's guess, but I'd say $100 is about the best you'll do for a 6600GT for a few months anyways.

On the other hand, the 6600GT's life expectancy is also getting shorter and shorter as newer games come out that are just too demanding for the card.

u have help me greatly - thanx a lot