Buying a new graphics card - (read first post)

Man, unfortunately this motherboard is already gone... and I really don't have much more than $133 to offer for a board like this

Something's acting up with my email, so I'm still waiting on that activation message from the PC hardware forums before I can ask about the Albatross. In the meantime, I did some digging into what's available for the 9600GT and found two other cards around the same price point:

http://www.craigslist.com/example1
ECS GeForce 9600 GT, 512MB, PCI-E, TV Out, Dual DVI $167

http://www.ebay.com/example2
nVidia VGA PCI-E EVGA, 9600GT superclocked, GeForce 9600 GT, 512mb

Do you happen to know if there's any real difference between these, or are they all pretty much the same...

Anthony Sanders7 said:My email is acting up and won't let me in, so I'm just sitting here waiting on an activation message from the tech forums so I can finally ask about the Albatros card, but in the meantime, I’ve been scouring through what’s available for the 9600GT and actually stumbled upon two other cards priced pretty much the same:

http://www.craigslist.com/ads/example1
ECS GeForce 9600 GT, 512MB, PCI-E, TV Out, Dual DVI $167

http://www.ebay.com/itm/example2
nVidia VGA PCI-E EVGA, GeForce 9600 GT superclocked, GeForce 9600 GT, 512mb

Do you happen to know if there's any real difference between them, or are they all basically the same thing?

Honestly, the brand doesn't matter all that much to me, so just try to find whichever one hits the lowest price point possible... though, before you go pulling the trigger on a new graphics card, you really ought to hunt down a good motherboard first! You'll find that the 650i SLI and 750i SLI models are quite similar since they both offer 8x+8x bandwidth, whereas if you step up to the 680i SLI or 780i SLI, you get that beefier 16x+16x throughput...

Thanks a ton for the help.

A friend of mine is looking to build a new PC... he isn't really sure how to navigate these forums himself, so I'm stepping in for him.

* Are you looking for an AGP or a PCI-E card?
* What does your current or intended setup look like, and what kind of power supply are you running?
* What resolution do you typically play at?
* What is your total budget?
* Which retailers are you considering?
* If there are any other specific requirements, please list them.

Here is the info he passed along to me...

PCI-E
Intel - 5200 (?!?) - Gigabyte P31-DS3L - 3GB RAM - 500GB HDD - Corsair 400W
He doesn't game - just light video editing using Premiere and Photoshop.
$167 - $200
Best Buy, Micro Center
The main thing is that it needs to have TV Out.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

First thing I did was run CPU-Z, and it's telling me my interface is AGP v3.0—but then I check the manufacturer's site for this motherboard and it says PCI Express.
I've thrown a friend's PCI-E card in here before and it worked just fine—or at least, it "responded." So, if AGP v3.0 is somehow the same thing as PCI-E, then we have a problem. I've narrowed down a few cards that won't break the bank, so maybe someone can give me a pro or con list for these? Or better yet, just a solid recommendation.

PCI-E
AMD Athlon X2 4000+, ASUS M2V-MX SE, 2x1 GB RAM, 230V PSU
Resolution 1680 x 1050

Sapphire ATI HD4650 512MB DDR3
or
Club3D CGNX-G952DD GF9500GT 512MB GDDR3
or
BFG GeForce 9500 GT 1024 MB DDR2
or
MSI ATI HD4670 512MB DDR3

Thanks

The voltage is 230V..

Just get the HD4670.

Hey everyone, I just picked up a new motherboard, which meant I had to let go of my old x1950 pro AGP card. Now I'm on the hunt for a PCI-E card—something that can actually handle newer games on higher settings if possible.

My setup:
AMD Sempron 2.2, AM2 socket (overclocked to 2.8)
2GB Kingston RAM
Biostar MCP6P-M2 motherboard
Chieftec 450W power supply
A Siemens 22" monitor, I don't think I know the exact model...

Right now, I'm looking at the HD4670 over at Newegg, and I'm feeling a bit skeptical about it. The clock speeds seem high at 750/1700, yet the card itself is so small—and honestly, that 128-bit memory bus looks a little stingy to me.
I've got up to $233 set aside for a GPU, so I was wondering if this one is a solid choice or if I should maybe look for something else?
The only shop I'm checking out is Newegg, and they mostly just have ATI cards...

Pairing that processor with an HD4670 is complete overkill.

Look, I don't really care if it's overkill—I mean, I'm just dropping in an Athlon X2, so that's why I'm getting a new card... can I just get a straight answer?

If you're planning on picking up an Athlon X2, then the HD4670 is definitely the way to go.👍

So, will it actually hold up for what I need? I'm mostly looking to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Resident Evil 5 once it finally drops on PC...

It really depends on what resolution you're running, but I think you'll be pretty happy with it. Call of Duty is a well-optimized game, unlike something like Crysis... I don't think RE is going to push your hardware any harder than CoD does, so you shouldn't have any issues.

Greetings... I am still looking to play some games, and frankly, I need help...
It is about time I picked up a new graphics card. My current ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT PRO—well, let’s just say it simply refuses to cooperate with my demands lately... 😉

PCI-Express ASUS M2V
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+
3 gigs of RAM—there's no point in pushing more on Windows XP, really, it feels futile at this stage

What are your thoughts on this particular card?
Gigabyte GeForce 9800 GT, 512MB DDR3, TV Out, Dual DVI (Vemil)
And would it actually be better for gaming than this one—to put it bluntly?
*Zotac GeForce 9600 GT, 512MB DDR3, AMP Edition, DVI audio, TV Out, DVI

Thank you in advance

Is an ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT actually worth it $67?

God, I used to spend so much time obsessing over this thing—it was practically my entire life back then!
Last year, looking back, it actually held up pretty well for me... I could still push my top 10 favorite games from that era through the high settings without too much trouble...
These days, sure, it’s starting to feel a bit sluggish... but honestly, I think it’s $67 nothing more than a minor trifle, if you ask me.😉

Alright, here’s my current setup: ALiveNFG6-DVI
Regarding the power supply, I’m honestly clueless. When I popped the case open, all I saw was some random sticker, and I can't make sense of it. Any idea how much wattage we're looking at?🤷😕

What I’m really trying to do is get Call of Duty playable, because right now my specs are just way too weak for it:http://www.ve-mil.com/description.aspx?prika...&Sifra=1130313
And this is my processor:
http://www.hgspot.com/description.aspx?ID=023602z
I'm planning on doing a little overclocking on it, too.
That's pretty much it for now since I'm on a tight budget and trying to save up...
Down the road, I want to grab a solid 700W PSU and a motherboard that supports a quad-core, keep whatever GPU I have, add another 2 GB of RAM, and don't forget a 160 GB HDD.

So, that's where I'm at for now...

What do you guys think about the compatibility?
And what kind of settings do you think I'll be able to run Call of Duty on?

I also just picked up a new monitor, an $533 LG Flatron with TV Out and everything.
It feels a bit silly that I can't even run the newer games properly with a monitor like this...

Finding a 700V unit is going to be tough... that’s an incredibly high voltage. However, you'll easily find a power supply that runs on 110V, which is the standard here in the States.

Basically, you need a 400W PSU. I think you can grab one for about $100; there's a Corsair 460 w out there that's more than enough for your setup.

Skip that GPU. You're better off going with an NVIDIA GT 430.

That processor is only available in some small town in rural Ohio, so I doubt you'll be able to track it down. And don't bother dreaming about overclocking on that board.

A 160GB drive isn't worth the money. For $17$40, you can already pick up 250-320GB drives instead.

You should definitely be able to run Call of Duty 5 at 1024x768, though a beefier CPU—maybe an Athlon 6000+—would help.

I'm looking to pick up a new graphics card, and I'd love to hear your recommendations. I've heard some great things about the Nvidia GeForce 9800 GTX. Does anyone happen to know what the current price tag looks like in US dollars?

I really need a solid card so I can actually play the new GTA IV properly—you know, running everything on high settings like a real gamer should.

Thanks!

wiredmarlin5 said:We have a few rules that need to be followed:

• Do you need an AGP or PCI-E card?
• What’s your current or planned setup, and what kind of PSU are you running?
• What resolution are you gaming at?
• What's your budget looking like?
• Which retailers are you considering?
• List any other specific requirements here.

Just stick to the requirements listed above.