Which Video Card for my PC should I get?

[buttasuperb]

I just updated some stuff on my computer and was thinking of getting a better video card too. I'm looking to spend around $100, what do you recommend?

Thanks.

[GameGuru]

Well, for the most bang for the buck you would have to go for the ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 128MB. You can find them online for around $130.

[maxlords]

Which is better right now? ATI or NVidia? I have a GeForce 2 right now, and I asked for a new card for Xmas, was thinking maybe a 256 Meg card, but I'm probably not going to get more than about $150 for it if I get money for it. I want to get the most bang for my buck as well, and be able to run Deus Ex 2 silky smooth :)

[GameGuru]

The GeForce FX does beat the ATI Radeons in DirectX 8 games so if you don't plan to play new games it is a good choice. If you want to play DirectX 9 games I would go with an ATI now if you want to upgrade. Personally I am gonna stick with my GeForce 4 Ti4200 for probably another 6 months and then see if nVidia takes the lead again. If not, I will go ATI.

[zektor]

I am personally a Nvidia fan myself. They are just good cards. Reliable, fast, and seem to work with everything...even all of the strange emulators I throw at it. I used to love ATI, having purchased the very first "All-In-Wonder" card released. After that I had a few problems with them however. I purchased a new card about 2 years ago (can't remember the model, but it was $500) and when I brought it home a loose broken resistor fell out of the box! I went back to Comp USA and exchanged it for another, but asked the cashier if I could open it there first. Luckily I did that because another resistor fell out of this box! I swapped it 3 times before I got one that was not broken. The problem was the packaging....where the card was laying it was pretty easy to break it possibly by stacking the boxes in shipping. EIther way, I haven't purchased another ATI card since.

[Punisher5555]

I got the Nvidia GeForce FX 5200 ULTRA at Wal-Mart for less than $150.
It has good clock speed at 325Mhz and has 128Mb. It is at the low end of the new DX9 boards but I am not rich enough to afford the others.

I have been able to play everything so far with no problems.

P.S. It comes with Splinter Cell.

[buttasuperb]

lemme hear some more opinions people.

thanks.

[buttasuperb]

lemme hear some more opinions people.

thanks.

[Raedon]

Dude.. save up $100 more and get an ATI 9800np.. but if you HAVE to only spend $100 I would get an ATI 9600 np.. BB had them on sale for that 4 hours for $80 bucks. Your at a bad time to be looking for under $100 video cards.

Look on Ebay for one of the following:

9800np, any of the 9600 pro cards.

9700pro (good luck but never know)

If you are using a gf4ti4200 or something around that quality you are at the top of the under 100 cards.

I want you to look at the current trailer for DOOM III.. http://www.doom3.com (trailer button there)
This demo is running on a ATI Radeon 9800 Pro.. the 9800 Non-pro can easily be clocked to pro speeds and higher.. and the cards are selling for $200 (will be $150 by the start of 2004)


Nothing Nvidia has under $300 can do this. Forget Nvidia cards for the next year. None of the current cards support DirectX9 and do not have the video quality of the current gen ATI cards.

[Raedon]

Dude.. save up $100 more and get an ATI 9800np.. but if you HAVE to only spend $100 I would get an ATI 9600 np.. BB had them on sale for that 4 hours for $80 bucks. Your at a bad time to be looking for under $100 video cards.

Look on Ebay for one of the following:

9800np, any of the 9600 pro cards.

9700pro (good luck but never know)

If you are using a gf4ti4200 or something around that quality you are at the top of the under 100 cards.

I want you to look at the current trailer for DOOM III.. http://www.doom3.com (trailer button there)
This demo is running on a ATI Radeon 9800 Pro.. the 9800 Non-pro can easily be clocked to pro speeds and higher.. and the cards are selling for $200 (will be $150 by the start of 2004)


Nothing Nvidia has under $300 can do this. Forget Nvidia cards for the next year. None of the current cards support DirectX9 and do not have the video quality of the current gen ATI cards.

[kai123]

Right now a Ati card is the way to go. Half-life 2 is the current benchmark for obvious reasons. An Ati card will give you the most bang for your buck. Nvidia has tried to release driver updates just to compete with Ati. They have failed in that regard. http://www.tomshardware.com/graphic/index.html They have some good info there.

[kai123]

Right now a Ati card is the way to go. Half-life 2 is the current benchmark for obvious reasons. An Ati card will give you the most bang for your buck. Nvidia has tried to release driver updates just to compete with Ati. They have failed in that regard. http://www.tomshardware.com/graphic/index.html They have some good info there.

[Raedon]

Which is better right now? ATI or NVidia? I have a GeForce 2 right now, and I asked for a new card for Xmas, was thinking maybe a 256 Meg card, but I'm probably not going to get more than about $150 for it if I get money for it. I want to get the most bang for my buck as well, and be able to run Deus Ex 2 silky smooth :)

the best card out now (and for the next 6 months at least) is the Radeon 9800 series of cards (NOT the 9800SE) You can get a 9800 non-pro for $200 right now but if you wait until after xmas you will be able to get a pro for around that. The 9800 XT 256meg is the top card atm, but it is only slightly faster then the Pro.

The difference in the 9800np and pro is clock speed and memory speed only. It is quite easy to overclock a current np card faster then the 9800pro.

if price is no object is the 9800 XT 256meg which is over $400.


I have a 9800 non-pro that is clocked at 414/620 and I can play that old leaked DOOM III alpha at 1024x768 with 2xaa and 4xaf over 40 fps.. And that is the old Alpha from 2002.. I'm sure the DOOM III engine is far more optimized by now.

Stay away from all nvidia cards right now, they don't support all the functions of DirectX 9, not even their top dog card.

[Raedon]

Which is better right now? ATI or NVidia? I have a GeForce 2 right now, and I asked for a new card for Xmas, was thinking maybe a 256 Meg card, but I'm probably not going to get more than about $150 for it if I get money for it. I want to get the most bang for my buck as well, and be able to run Deus Ex 2 silky smooth :)

the best card out now (and for the next 6 months at least) is the Radeon 9800 series of cards (NOT the 9800SE) You can get a 9800 non-pro for $200 right now but if you wait until after xmas you will be able to get a pro for around that. The 9800 XT 256meg is the top card atm, but it is only slightly faster then the Pro.

The difference in the 9800np and pro is clock speed and memory speed only. It is quite easy to overclock a current np card faster then the 9800pro.

if price is no object is the 9800 XT 256meg which is over $400.


I have a 9800 non-pro that is clocked at 414/620 and I can play that old leaked DOOM III alpha at 1024x768 with 2xaa and 4xaf over 40 fps.. And that is the old Alpha from 2002.. I'm sure the DOOM III engine is far more optimized by now.

Stay away from all nvidia cards right now, they don't support all the functions of DirectX 9, not even their top dog card.

[hu6800]

I got the Nvidia GeForce FX 5200 ULTRA at Wal-Mart for less than $150.
It has good clock speed at 325Mhz and has 128Mb. It is at the low end of the new DX9 boards but I am not rich enough to afford the others.

I have been able to play everything so far with no problems.

P.S. It comes with Splinter Cell.

ive seen that card too .. so you think its worth the bux?
i was thinking about picking that up.

[hu6800]

I got the Nvidia GeForce FX 5200 ULTRA at Wal-Mart for less than $150.
It has good clock speed at 325Mhz and has 128Mb. It is at the low end of the new DX9 boards but I am not rich enough to afford the others.

I have been able to play everything so far with no problems.

P.S. It comes with Splinter Cell.

ive seen that card too .. so you think its worth the bux?
i was thinking about picking that up.

[Raedon]

I got the Nvidia GeForce FX 5200 ULTRA at Wal-Mart for less than $150.
It has good clock speed at 325Mhz and has 128Mb. It is at the low end of the new DX9 boards but I am not rich enough to afford the others.

I have been able to play everything so far with no problems.

P.S. It comes with Splinter Cell.

ive seen that card too .. so you think its worth the bux?
i was thinking about picking that up.

The 9600 pro smokes that card. If you have a gf4ti4200 you have the same power with a few added functions you will never use (who needs high end shaders when the game is moving 5 frames per second.)

[Raedon]

I got the Nvidia GeForce FX 5200 ULTRA at Wal-Mart for less than $150.
It has good clock speed at 325Mhz and has 128Mb. It is at the low end of the new DX9 boards but I am not rich enough to afford the others.

I have been able to play everything so far with no problems.

P.S. It comes with Splinter Cell.

ive seen that card too .. so you think its worth the bux?
i was thinking about picking that up.

The 9600 pro smokes that card. If you have a gf4ti4200 you have the same power with a few added functions you will never use (who needs high end shaders when the game is moving 5 frames per second.)

[bensenvill]

I got the Nvidia GeForce FX 5200 ULTRA at Wal-Mart for less than $150.
It has good clock speed at 325Mhz and has 128Mb. It is at the low end of the new DX9 boards but I am not rich enough to afford the others.

I have been able to play everything so far with no problems.

P.S. It comes with Splinter Cell.

ive seen that card too .. so you think its worth the bux?
i was thinking about picking that up.

I am also a nvidia man. I just recently bought a new card. If you do get one, I stongly suggest the FX 5600 over the 5200. The simple answer to what the difference is is that the 5200 is the equivalent of the older MX series (its a little more stripped down). A 5600 will give you alot more bang for your buck (and there is very little pricedifference right now)

~Tj

[bensenvill]

I got the Nvidia GeForce FX 5200 ULTRA at Wal-Mart for less than $150.
It has good clock speed at 325Mhz and has 128Mb. It is at the low end of the new DX9 boards but I am not rich enough to afford the others.

I have been able to play everything so far with no problems.

P.S. It comes with Splinter Cell.

ive seen that card too .. so you think its worth the bux?
i was thinking about picking that up.

I am also a nvidia man. I just recently bought a new card. If you do get one, I stongly suggest the FX 5600 over the 5200. The simple answer to what the difference is is that the 5200 is the equivalent of the older MX series (its a little more stripped down). A 5600 will give you alot more bang for your buck (and there is very little pricedifference right now)

~Tj

[maxlords]

OK guys, looks like I"m getting a card. I'm spending about $300 Cdn, and I'm getting the 128 Meg Raedon 9600 XT. It looks like a solid choice for my price range....the 9800 Pro and XT cards are WAY more spendy. Apparently the XT line is ATI's gaming line? Anyway, for $285 Cdn + tax, it comes with the card, a free copy of Half Life 2 when it comes out, and some other goodies. I THINK that should do me for a while. I dearly wish I could afford the 9800 series, but they're at the $450-700 mark here! *sigh*.

There are no decent NVidia cards available for me that match the 9600XT, and I've been hearing a LOT of negative about NVidia's newer FX cards from retailers (that they're overclocked regular cards, etc).

Thoughts? Wise choice?

[Raedon]

OK guys, looks like I"m getting a card. I'm spending about $300 Cdn, and I'm getting the 128 Meg Raedon 9600 XT. It looks like a solid choice for my price range....the 9800 Pro and XT cards are WAY more spendy. Apparently the XT line is ATI's gaming line? Anyway, for $285 Cdn + tax, it comes with the card, a free copy of Half Life 2 when it comes out, and some other goodies. I THINK that should do me for a while. I dearly wish I could afford the 9800 series, but they're at the $450-700 mark here! *sigh*.

There are no decent NVidia cards available for me that match the 9600XT, and I've been hearing a LOT of negative about NVidia's newer FX cards from retailers (that they're overclocked regular cards, etc).

Thoughts? Wise choice?

9800 pro/XT=8 pixel pipelines 9600 pro/XT=4 pixel pipelines.. Again, get a 9800 pro or XT (the non-pro's are now discontinued but the pro's are dropping in price fast.)

Please man, just wait for the price to drop.. the 9800 is the only card that will play Doom III the way you will want to play it..

[maxlords]

OK guys, looks like I"m getting a card. I'm spending about $300 Cdn, and I'm getting the 128 Meg Raedon 9600 XT. It looks like a solid choice for my price range....the 9800 Pro and XT cards are WAY more spendy. Apparently the XT line is ATI's gaming line? Anyway, for $285 Cdn + tax, it comes with the card, a free copy of Half Life 2 when it comes out, and some other goodies. I THINK that should do me for a while. I dearly wish I could afford the 9800 series, but they're at the $450-700 mark here! *sigh*.

There are no decent NVidia cards available for me that match the 9600XT, and I've been hearing a LOT of negative about NVidia's newer FX cards from retailers (that they're overclocked regular cards, etc).

Thoughts? Wise choice?

9800 pro/XT=8 pixel pipelines 9600 pro/XT=4 pixel pipelines.. Again, get a 9800 pro or XT (the non-pro's are now discontinued but the pro's are dropping in price fast.)

Please man, just wait for the price to drop.. the 9800 is the only card that will play Doom III the way you will want to play it..


Well, I need a new card to run Deus Ex: Invisible War. I got it for Xmas and my GeForce 2 MX 64 is just too weak to even run it, because it's pre-pixel shading. I MAY have a bit more money, but I don't think I'll have the money for the 9800pro/XT either way...they're like $500+ right now, and I need something to play the new games. I want to play Doom III but hell, if I can't run it at full spec, I'll still be able to at least RUN it. Right?

Really, I WANT to play Doom III, but I'm not jonesing for it or anything. As long as it runs fairly high res (moderate settings) I'll be happy. I guess there are 3 9800 cards... the Pro, the SE, and the XT. Seems they're none too cheap either, and some are 256 Meg cards. Hard core stuff. I dn't know what a pixel pipeline is either, and the price drop won't be for at LEAST 6 months. What would I REALLY be losing with the 9600XT? I looked at the specs, and my motherboard is only 4X anyway, so I don't think I can get the max power out of the 9800s in the first place, unless I'm understanding things wrong... For the prices and the power, won't the 9600XT cut it for me?

[Raedon]

get what you can afford I guess. Sounds like you need to upgrade more then the card if you are using a 4x only board. You can throw a 9800 XT 256meg in a 800mhz PC and not be able to play DOOM III lol.

[calthaer]

The GeForce 2 MX is certainly way too weak to even think about running Invisible War, but truth be told you'd be best off waiting for a patch before going out and blowing money right now to play that game. I have a rig that is above the recommended specs for that game and have jerky screen movement trying to run the thing at a piddly 640x480. They've done a piss-poor job of optimizing DE: Invisible War (for anything other than the Xbox, at least) and even people with the 9800-level ATI cards are reporting problems with it (check out the official forums at www.deusex.com). Apparently the thing runs like crap on ATI cards; Nvidia cards fare better but sometimes not by much.

[maxlords]

The GeForce 2 MX is certainly way too weak to even think about running Invisible War, but truth be told you'd be best off waiting for a patch before going out and blowing money right now to play that game. I have a rig that is above the recommended specs for that game and have jerky screen movement trying to run the thing at a piddly 640x480. They've done a piss-poor job of optimizing DE: Invisible War (for anything other than the Xbox, at least) and even people with the 9800-level ATI cards are reporting problems with it (check out the official forums at www.deusex.com). Apparently the thing runs like crap on ATI cards; Nvidia cards fare better but sometimes not by much.

There's already a patch or two out there for it. Already downloaded it and everything.

[calthaer]

The v.1.1 patch changes nothing in terms of actual performance. What it does change are some extremely stupid mistakes (i.e. - they left the config file as "read-only," meaning that your preferences would never be saved!), along with making headshots more damaging and making NPCs get mad sooner if you start to attack them. You can also turn off all shadows, if you want (and who cares, seeing as how stealth in DE:IW is a complete joke), but there were already tools out there to do that.

[djbeatmongrel]

while we are on the topic of video cards. does anyone know how to tweak the settings of a GeForce FX 5200 to run at its full capacity? i just got a new comp and i'm playing deus ex 2 on it but it doesn't seemed to be pushing as hard as its technically capable of doing.

[Sylentwulf]

Well, for the most bang for the buck you would have to go for the ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 128MB. You can find them online for around $130.

I'd agree with that, you should be able to get one around $100.

[Raedon]

do a google search for coolbits.. it's a .reg file that opens a secret overclocking option for Nvidia cards. Push the GPU and MEM speed up until you get artifacts then lower the settings.

[buttasuperb]

Well, for the most bang for the buck you would have to go for the ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 128MB. You can find them online for around $130.

I'd agree with that, you should be able to get one around $100.

Where?

[Sylentwulf]

You KNOW what my answers gonna be :)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2777188538&category=40158

[WiseSalesman]

9800 pro/XT=8 pixel pipelines 9600 pro/XT=4 pixel pipelines.. Again, get a 9800 pro or XT (the non-pro's are now discontinued but the pro's are dropping in price fast.)

Please man, just wait for the price to drop.. the 9800 is the only card that will play Doom III the way you will want to play it..

I plan to possibly purchase a new graphics card as well (this Radeon 7000 is starting to slow me down). I was going to use Christmas money. I was only planning to spend $150, but was willing to go up to $200. The 9800 Pro is still $300 everywhere I look. That's WAY too expensive for me, unfortunately. You has mentioned it going down in price, but, as I said, I can't find it anywhere for under $299. Am I looking at the right card?

[Raedon]

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=157390

$239 for a 9800 Pro.. down $20 in the last two weeks.. good place to buy from but slower then Newegg.com (7-10 days not 2-4 days like newegg)

I'd like to point to Newegg.com but they don't have any deals on 9800's atm.. I've seen the old 9700 pro's going for under $180.. but a 9600 XT pushes as much 3D.

[Raedon]

I also hear that Newegg.com will have the Radeon 9800 pro for $229 this weekend.

[WiseSalesman]

Thanks, Raedon. I figure I can push my budget to an extra $30 if the card's going to be that much better. These still come with the pack in for a free copy of Half-Life 2 when it comes out?

[Raedon]

These still come with the pack in for a free copy of Half-Life 2 when it comes out?

No idea.. I've seen a few PRO's with HL2 coupons but mostly it's the XT's.. I'd rather have a 9800 pro with no HL2 then a 9600 XT with HL2.

[calthaer]

while we are on the topic of video cards. does anyone know how to tweak the settings of a GeForce FX 5200 to run at its full capacity? i just got a new comp and i'm playing deus ex 2 on it but it doesn't seemed to be pushing as hard as its technically capable of doing.

djbeatmongrel - since you're talking about tweaking your card to play a specific game, I have to re-suggest visiting the game's forums at www.deusex.com. I've found the suggestions quite helpful and as there are a LOT of people having problems with Invisible War I think you'll have a good chance of finding answers to your questions there. To repeat: many, many people are having technical difficulties with this game (and with no other games), so any generic video card tweaks people might suggest here might not help your performance with DX2 at all. You need to visit the board for this specific game and see what they have to say.

I haven't had this issue since I have a GeForce3Ti card, but it seems a lot of the newer nVidia ones have some sort of 2.0 pixel shader which has quite a few more problems than the 1.1 version of the same pixel shader has. Since I'm not having those problems I can't exactly help you with that problem (if indeed that is one problem you're having), but - www.deusex.com, click on Community and visit the forums.

[BoOchan]

Well, I'd go for the Geforce FX 5600 128mb if your looking at a $100 card. I'll probably get that card for the comp I'm building, or an 5200 because I am NOT a PC Gamer!

[WiseSalesman]

Yo Raedon:
Seeing as how Newegg didn't put 9800Pros on sale this week after all, I realized I had another question. Does brand matter with these? Does it matter if I get one by Sapphire, or Tyan, or Connect3d or any of the other manufacturers listed?