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Best gfx card for $205 and under?


Stinger

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I have $205 dollars to spend on a gfx card. I have 8x AGP and I only plan on OC'ing a little bit. The main cards I have heard are the 9600P, 9500P and the Ti4600. When in AA the 4600 looses often but when not it wins. Any other cards, or is there one of those that stands out better?

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Uhhmn, if anyone sees a post of mine, in a random thread about this topic... please tell me. :wacko::blink:

Unless SB is messing with my head and deleted the post... :angry:<_< Just kidding... (I wouldn't be surprised) :hehe:

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Was looking at a review at hexus.net and noticed the FX series produces poorer images with AA on then a Ti Series card. This right? What about the Leadtek Ti4600 is that a good card? And other people have brought up that I should get a card that supports DX9, what would happen if I was not to? Could I still play games fine and all with a card that only supported 8.1?Thanks for the help

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well if you have an 8xagp mobo then why not get an 8xagp video card , i know there isnt any benefit right now but the games of tomorrow may well support this feature, also wait a few months the fx5900 256 ddr will be available and it clearly beats the 9800 in all tests ive seen so far tho that maywell change waiting will also allow you to save a couple more bucks and buy a card that will last you.

failing that a msi 4200/4800 8 x agp or an msi 4600 series have just been rated the best performance per buck cards available out of all the nvidia reference cards currently sold

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I'd stay away from the current FX series cards...they are a load of crap. Maybe the 5900 will redeem itself. <_<

Since nVidia can't get their act together at the moment, I'd recommend purchasing an ATI card. As Havok mentioned, the 9200 performs well for the money. If you want the next step up, get a 9500PRO(soon to be discontinued), or 9600/PRO.

Stinger (an CL), if you're willing to shell out the extra money, go buy a 9700 PRO. It is a DX9 card, 8X AGP, and prices have come down a bit, and will continue to come down with the wider availability of the 9800/9600. The 9700 has been the leader for a good while, only to be beat by some of the most recent releases. It is a large boot to fill.

If you really want an 8X nVidia card, get the Ti 4800, which is essentially a 4600 w/8X AGP support, or a 4200 on steroids with some manufactures. <_<

Along similar lines, most DX8 vid cards CAN play DX9 Games and Applications, however not as well as a DX9 card would.

Sapphire is ok, but try to get the ATI Radeon brand. They use better RAM and sometimes OC their cards to a degree.

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Thanks for all the replies. I have only seen bad things for the GF FX series so far (havent seen 5900 benches and reviews yet). I cant afford the Radeon 9700 Pro. Its ot gonna happen I can get a Radeon 9700 but I wont have the money if I deicde to go pro for some time. Havok, you could've gotten a 9500Pro for $205 from newegg.com you may want to try and return your card and get your money back. Is there something bad about the 9700np besides the fact it isnt a Pro?

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@Stinger,

=UAL=Havok got his card from a Canadian website, and he mentioned he only needed a card to hold him off until he could upgrade his entire system, as well as get a more powerful GFX card. The 32MB GF2 was getting intolerable!

The FX5900 only boasts specs ATM. We will see if nVidia can actually maintain their competitive edge in the industry. But if the 5900 is all that it says it will be...then God help all of us! :o

The main PRO/non-PRO difference is core and memory clock speeds. General architecture and pipeline arrangement are the same.

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=UAL=Havok got his card from a Canadian website, and he mentioned he only needed a card to hold him off until he could upgrade his entire system, as well as get a more powerful GFX card. The 32MB GF2 was getting intolerable!
A 9500p could've held him off though, unless those are damned Canadian dollars!

The main PRO/non-PRO difference is core and memory clock speeds. General architecture and pipeline arrangement are the same.
I shouldn't have any trouble OC'ing it to make up the diff, the sapphire has been oc'd to make up for more than the difference @ [H].
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The FX5900 only boasts specs ATM. We will see if nVidia can actually maintain their competitive edge in the industry. But if the 5900 is all that it says it will be...then God help all of us! :o

The main PRO/non-PRO difference is core and memory clock speeds. General architecture and pipeline arrangement are the same.

If the fan on that FX is as annoying and loud as the current one, I'll stick with a quieter and *perhaps* slower 9800. Also, by the time they get the 5900 out, Ati will have something else waiting. *smells Radeon with DDRII and faster core*

You sure about that Pro/non-Pro thing? I know the 9700s lack pipelines based on versions as well as the 9500s. So I think it would hold true for the 9600/9800 series as well.

Stinger: Yes, overall the FX card spouts out images that are at a lesser quality than that of its Ati counterpart, AA or not.

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@Rook,

Yeah, the 9700 board layout is the same. Both 9700/PRO have:

8-Parallel Pipelines

4-Parallel Geometry Engines

256-Bit memory interface

16 textures per pass

The 9700(non-PRO) has a Core of 275MHz and a Memory rate of 540MHz(270MHz actual). The PRO has a Core of 325MHz and a Memory rate of 620MHz(310MHz actual).

Thus, the 9700 and PRO versions are identical, save the lower frequencies of the non-PRO which ends up having a bit less fill-rate and bandwidth.

@Stinger,

Just don't accidently pick up a 64MB version of the 9700...yes, they do have one...the manufacture shall remain nameless. <_<

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Havok, you could've gotten a 9500Pro for $205 from newegg.com you may want to try and return your card and get your money back.

yeah but i live in canada so once you factor in exchange rate and customs tax and shipping that 200 becomes 1000 ( not quite but the canadian dollar is WEAK ) i can get a 9500pro up here for around $270 but as DR said it only holding me over till i get a whole new rig, cause i couldn't deal with 32megs anymore was driving me bonkers !!! when i get a new rig i'll splurge for a 500 dollar card anyways

btw...can i get a fan for my 9200 ? even my gf2 pro had a fan but this doesn't..i can only seem to find fans for gf cards ..

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