Can I get advice on what vid card to get?

[sicks]

Hi

Im a bit stuck on what video card to get.I would like to upgrade from fx5200 to somthing better.

My specs are.

Intel 2.8 h/t
Asus p4s800 mobo
S/b audigy
512 pc3200 ddr sdram (will be getting 1gig soon)
Codegen 350w psu
fx5200 v/c

I love the extreme graphic type games and my current vid card kinda sux.
I also dont have all that much to spend.

I have managed to find this I can pick up fairly cheap
ATI All-in-Wonder 9700 PRO
But as Im a pc nublet Im stuck as what to get.
Thought I'd ask some pc pro's and see what advice you could offer.

Thanks in advance

Sicks

 

[iss]

Since your going to have to stay with an AGP card unless you want to upgrade your mobo as well I would suggest going with any ATI 9800 PRO-X800PRO you can find in your budget range.

 

[sllewe]

stay away from the all in wonder, unless you need the recording features, as it will be more expensive. Id say a nice 9800xt would be a nice cheap solution. If your really into gaming, your going to have to shell out some big bucks, there is no way around it.

 

[sicks]

Damn.Was afraid of having to spend more then I wanted too.

Ok if I was to buy a decent video card.. could I get an idea on what to look for plz a few options would be nice.(I look at video cards and its like reading japanese I just dont understand half the features and I dont want to buy something that aint compatible with my pc)
If I can get away with it (apart from having to add more Ram) would this pc setup of mine still be alright if I was to purchase a decent video card?

Ive just been down to the local pc shop and they all seem to be trying to sell me what they have in stock rather then listen to what Im after.

Thanks in advance
Sicks

 

[sllewe]

Well...what is your budget. dont give us minium numbers lol we need the max your willing to spend. Your CPU is fairly strong, for now. But as the games become more and more demanding, that may become your bottleneck. It sounds like you have a AGP 4x/8x slot, which leaves you options pretty open. Wehn looking for cards, i would suggest 256MB memory, (some may argue that is overkill) as far as clock speeds, they are prob, one of the last things your worried about.

 

[sicks]

I was planning to spend around 200bux aussie dollor but from what I've gathered so far that aint nothing lol.

My budget is around 350-400 bux aussie dollor thats about all I can afford atm.

On another note has anyone dealt with ebay stores?
as they seem to offer cheaper prices but where there are savings there's usually a catch.

Thanks in advance
Sicks

 

[C_Conqueror]

First off you have done the right thing not to buy a graphics card from a store the will rip you off so fast. You can still get a decent graphics card for $200 like a geforce 6800 but if you want to spend a little more you can get a geforce 6800 gt. I have the geforce 6800 and it works great counter strike source is almost maxed out.

 

[farseerdav]

I just upgraded my FX 5200 to a Leadtek 6600 GT and i'm happy with it, but I had to get a new power supply as well.
If you're in Melbourne, Sydeny or QLD check out MSY (www.msy.com.au, they are the cheapest shop I could find and they're not listed on static ice.

 

[hball]

I was just going to say that you'll probably want to buy a power supply to power any of the video cards that will be suggested you buy.

I am an nvidea fan, but I have to tell you that the ATI X850 XT platinum is a beautiful card. It outperforms the nvidea 6800 GT by a good margin. I play BF2 and I had to run my 6800 GT on the lowest settings so I wouldn't lag. Since I fried my 6800 GT (don't ask how, embaressing), I bought the ATI card and now I have most my settings on high and the rest on medium and the game runs beautifully. I didn't realize how much more detail the higher settings brought out in that game, as opposed to the low settings.

 

[sicks]

thanks for all the advice but after seeing some of the prices around on ebay.au I have bought a Ati 9700pro all in one for 100bux.Still waiting for it to be delivered.

I've set my goals at building my own pc and try and build a better 1 then what I have.The 9700pro should do for now untill I gather up all the bits to build another 1.

Once again thanks for the responses