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Best Video Cards Under $500

Discussion in 'PC hardware help' started by ggamer, Aug 5, 2004.

  1. Praetor

    Praetor Moderator Staff Member

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    Well said although it might be worthwhile for me to note (for the record I guess): benchmarks are not the be-all end-all of anything, they merely give a general indication of performance. Some people see a one or two fps difference and rush to bash the other card. A grain of salt can go miles :)

    That being said, the 6800GT does seem to be the current best-for-buck card you can get. Grain of salt is one thing; a 20-25% performance lead is another. :) Another vote for the 6800GT! :)
     
  2. ggamer

    ggamer Guest

    Seems we have come to a consensus on buying the gt
     
  3. Nephilim

    Nephilim Moderator Staff Member

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    Buy one for me too while you're at it. I'll be your bestest friend :p
     
  4. Sophocles

    Sophocles Senior member

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    [bold]get a 98/59 and put the rest of the cash elsewhere in the system[/bold]

    I agree I would buy the best of 6 months ago and wait for the near future to unfold. The fall is almost upon us and AGP cards are and will continue to be on the decline. Shoved aside by the arrival of PCI express they will no longer be able to compete.
    _X_X_X_X_X_[small][​IMG]

    Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." Sherlock Holmes (by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1859-1930)[/small]
     
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2004
  5. Praetor

    Praetor Moderator Staff Member

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    Only because of marketing -- not because of performance -- not yet anyways
     
  6. Nephilim

    Nephilim Moderator Staff Member

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    Agreed.

    We've yet to come close to saturating the 8X AGP bus. I'll pay the premium for PCI Express when it will actually make a difference :)

    Now PCI-X on the other hand.............
     
  7. Sophocles

    Sophocles Senior member

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    I'm not saying jump on the PCI express train as soon as it hits. What I'm saying is that I see no reason to change my 9800 Pro and that the prices are coming down on the latest and greatest which makes them better buys for now. I don't see any sense in buying a card for much more than $200. I know that there’s still more band width left in 8X accelerated graphics ports. And yes Graphics cards using AGP will continue to get faster, but what I have is fast enough play anything I throw at it and probably will continue to be able to do so for another year, by then they will be playing second fiddle to PCI Express.

    [​IMG]
     
  8. ggamer

    ggamer Guest

    hmm okay i will just wait
     
  9. Vinster32

    Vinster32 Guest

    I need advice. I have a HP pavillion a430n, Out of the box, it has a 250 watt power supply. I've noticed alot of the average to high end graphic cards recommend a minimum 300 watts Power supply. My question is, Is there a good graphics card that would be sufficient for newer gamesLike Doom UT2004 or Half Life2. Etc, that anyone would recommend? Or am I out of luck?



    AMD XP 3200+
    1024 DDR 333 RAM
    Nvidia Geforce 440MX 8X AGP
    160 GB Western Digital
    CD/4XDVD+RW
     
  10. Sophocles

    Sophocles Senior member

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    Vinster32

    Are we talking a laptop or a desktop. If it's a laptop then you'll be limited because of space and power requirements, but if it's a desktop then power supplies are usually an easy upgrade. You do have to make sure that you have an accelerated graphics port or everthings a no go. Mnay buget PC's come with intergrated graphics and often with no AGP and if this is the case then you may be out luck.
     
  11. Vinster32

    Vinster32 Guest

    Its a desktop, 8X AGP port. So, are you recommending I upgrade my power supply?
     
  12. Sophocles

    Sophocles Senior member

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    Absolutely get at least a 400 watt.
     
  13. Vinster32

    Vinster32 Guest

    Thank you for the advice.
     

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