"The bang for the buck" graphics card guide

**HorseArcher** · February 22, 2006, 11:13 AM

I am just writing this for the people who aren't familiar with graphic cards and give them some hints for buying graphic cards.

There is a jungle out there!

There are so many graphic cards out right now, that a novice pc-gamer has a hard time figuring out what is a good price vs. good performance.

For example, learn from my experience:

I bought an ATI X1300 Pro, because the name sounded cool. I didn't check any hardware reviews and i spent my hard earned 150 bucks on it, simply because it stated that it's "newest" and "fastest". Never go for those!

I learned it the hard way again. The card is weak and for an extra 30 bucks I could have gotten a much more decent card.

Always read some reviews online first before you buy! There are some excellent charts and graphic card tests available on the net, just punch in the name of the card into a search engine and see what reviews you can find.

This is what I just ordered after reading several reviews and checking out charts:
XFX GeForce 6800 GS
http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid...e=expert&pid=8

I needed a fast(er) AGP card.

Why? Because I don't feel like buying a PCI express motherboard yet and I needed a good mid-range graphics card that can handle most of the games, fairly decently. I am an ATI fan and my latest 3 cards (9600pro/9800pro/1300pro), but if you check the charts, you'll see why I'm getting this instead of the ATI 1600. It's the same price range, and yet this nvidia card clearly outmatches and almost runs with the big boys.

I also didn't want to spend more than 200 bucks. I just don't see the point of cashing out a lot of money, for PC gaming, but yet, I still want to play games. Really, anything under 150 bucks is really saying "don't buy me if you want to play some nice games! "

So what do you guys think?

Please post any good bargain deals in this thread but save us from junk cards and save us from over-expensive cards also!

**Spiff** · February 22, 2006, 11:23 AM

my thoughts exactly, i bought a 6800 a few months ago to replace my ATI9600 which i broke...for £100, amazing deal and it runs games great. My friend has the same spec card, but his came with a monster heatsink - his idles at 40C while mine is at 50.. thats the only difference i could see, they perform the same.

My only concern is that new motherboards supporting the 64bit athlons usualy have no AGP support, so when i decide i need a new processor, i could end up having to buy aswell as a new motherboard, a PCI-E card too.. bah. Though ive seen a few which have support for both cards, im jst hoping they still sell them in a few months

**OTZ** · February 22, 2006, 11:41 AM

I sort of like the idea about posting bargains, but I have a few concerns. Nationality of the buyer for one - for example, us Canadians can't buy from Newegg...etc...

Another concern is the longevity of posted deals. For example this6800GS is priced @ $195 CDN - which is an absolute steal in my books - but the price will only be valid for a litte while...

What I think is a more realistic, and practical idea, is to post links to our favorite online vendors...just a thought.

**Incinerate_IV** · February 22, 2006, 03:00 PM

Wow $150 on an X1300 Pro??? You got riped off pretty bad lol, my X1600 Pro only cost me $120

**RZZZA** · February 22, 2006, 03:04 PM

*tag*

Yeah, I got a Geforce 6200 stock OC card, I thought it would be enough to let me set high settings and 4x antialiasing/antiscoptering and play all new games beautifully.... I was wrong.

Apparently spending $120 on this thing was kinda a waste, as it can only handle running most new games at medium/low settings. Man we low end comp gamers really get shafted...

**Incinerate_IV** · February 22, 2006, 03:05 PM

Well you can always try to unlock some pipes on the 6200

**RZZZA** · February 22, 2006, 03:07 PM

I have trouble unclogging the pipe in my toilet, so I dont think unclogging pipes in a video card will end up with good results.

**HorseArcher** · February 25, 2006, 10:19 AM

Originally Posted by Incinerate_IV

Well you can always try to unlock some pipes on the 6200

Not to mention to bring the 6800GS to 6800 GT standards:

http://firingsquad.com/hardware/gefo...king/page2.asp

Only possible with the AGP card.

And how about this deal:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...P=OTC-d3alt1me

Also, my favorite vendor is
http://www.tigerdirect.com/

I bought a Sony laptop from them (refurbished) and since it was refurbished, i bought for 1200 US dollars. I didn't know what I got, until I saw some other vendors selling the same thing - even a year later- for almos 3000 bucks!!! Not to mention, that even though it was refurbished, it didn't have a scratch or anything wrong with it. Only the installation CDs and the software bundle came on a second-hand burned disks, which i had no problem using whatsoever.

**Incinerate_IV** · February 25, 2006, 10:25 AM

I personally like Newegg and Zipzoomfly the best, they have the cheapest prices on products and I never have any problems with them. Also if you look on refurbished section of Newegg you can find some very good deals too.

BTW a 7800GT is a pretty insane card, get it if you have the money, but I think the best bang for the buck right now is the 6800GS.

BTW that article is for plain 6800, not 6800GS, I'm not so sure if you can unlock the 6800GS.

**HorseArcher** · February 26, 2006, 12:14 AM

Also and advice for people with less intro into the world of graphic cards, but if you see an ATI 9800XT, or an nvidia 6600GT for a price you can afford, I recommend them, even over the new X1300 or X1600 cards.

This is the site I always check for card reviews:

www.guru3d.com

check some tests and charts out to compare the new cards:

http://www.guru3d.com/article/Videocards/262/12/

**Timmius** · March 18, 2006, 02:10 PM

These threads are always a good initiative

The world of computers is always moving fast, and thus is the Graphics card world

I therefor believe that the strengh of one of these threads lies in a wel up-to-date Topic Start. So there is one thing I'd like to see in it:

I think the mother of all graphics cards test are the ones at tomshardware:
http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/12/02/vga_charts_viii/

Whenever someone wants to buy a card, I always refer to those charts.

Plus some site which supply the most recent prices.

It is always hard to choose a card especially when you take into concern things like overclocking and unlocking, which have become easier and easier. Cards like the 6800XT are interesting in that matter because of the high probability of unlocking some pixelpipelines and making it up to 30% faster.

Or something.. it kinda saterday so that's it for me \o/

**Ahlerich** · March 22, 2006, 12:21 PM

Originally Posted by Archer

I am just writing this for the people who aren't familiar with graphic cards and give them some hints for buying graphic cards.

There is a jungle out there!

There are so many graphic cards out right now, that a novice pc-gamer has a hard time figuring out what is a good price vs. good performance.

For example, learn from my experience:

I bought an ATI X1300 Pro, because the name sounded cool. I didn't check any hardware reviews and i spent my hard earned 150 bucks on it, simply because it stated that it's "newest" and "fastest". Never go for those!

I learned it the hard way again. The card is weak and for an extra 30 bucks I could have gotten a much more decent card.

Always read some reviews online first before you buy! There are some excellent charts and graphic card tests available on the net, just punch in the name of the card into a search engine and see what reviews you can find.

This is what I just ordered after reading several reviews and checking out charts:
XFX GeForce 6800 GS
http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid...e=expert&pid=8

I needed a fast(er) AGP card.

Why? Because I don't feel like buying a PCI express motherboard yet and I needed a good mid-range graphics card that can handle most of the games, fairly decently. I am an ATI fan and my latest 3 cards (9600pro/9800pro/1300pro), but if you check the charts, you'll see why I'm getting this instead of the ATI 1600. It's the same price range, and yet this nvidia card clearly outmatches and almost runs with the big boys.

I also didn't want to spend more than 200 bucks. I just don't see the point of cashing out a lot of money, for PC gaming, but yet, I still want to play games. Really, anything under 150 bucks is really saying "don't buy me if you want to play some nice games! "

So what do you guys think?

Please post any good bargain deals in this thread but save us from junk cards and save us from over-expensive cards also!

how strong is your psu and do you need a voltageplug on the mobo for that card?

**Ahiga** · April 01, 2006, 12:49 AM

Wanted to ask this and not waste a topic for such a newbie question:

I hear really negative responces to the video card Radeon 9800. I thought I got one with 256 Mb back around 2003 or 2002, yet the information it provides on my computer states it as a X800 XT, yet with upgraded drivers, I still lag heavily in World of warcraft, RTW and Half life 2. I'm not sure if it's above or below the norm for quality video cards, because Is the X800 XT the same as the poor "Radeon 9800" that seems to be a weak video card? My RAM is at 2 gigs, my processor at 3.0 ghz, so I can't help but feel like the video card is the most lagging, but I have absolutely no clue as to what video card I should upgrade to, since I do plan on getting a new PC later on this year, but as this one will be going to my brother (Whose dell is far weaker), we might as well upgrade it somewhat. I'd ask for any advice on a video card to get that's below 300 dollars and would allow current and future games to hopefully work on mid to high graphics.

**General Sun** · April 01, 2006, 11:07 AM

The current bang for the buck card right now is probably the 7600GT.

**Ahiga** · April 03, 2006, 04:05 PM

So that's the best for gaming, with say, RTW, Half life 2, battlefield two?

Is there a site which lists more simply the best video cards out at the moment?

**Timmius** · April 03, 2006, 04:36 PM

Originally Posted by Ahiga

Is there a site which lists more simply the best video cards out at the moment?

There are loads. You could check all the sites in this thread. Not all the links are fully up-to-date i'm sure, but most of the sites have a lot of up-to-date reviews. Like uncle tom.
And off course, as always, google is your friend

**PyrrhusIV** · April 03, 2006, 07:57 PM

I wouldnt call this "Bang for the Buck" but definetly a way to prolong AGP for your computer, or, if you are building a PC, a good buy.

The Asus Nvidia 6800 card. Yes, it is for AGP, but listen

. First thing, for you Maniacs of Video cards, it has 512MB Memory. this is a little future proof. Some games require 256 video memory now-a-days, even a few require 512 at the Ultra settings.

It has a 128 memory bit, one good thing about it though. From all the reviews, it is nicely done, and doesnt hold the card back to much ; constructed well. It also has the excellent 6800 graphics, which is a great card to have now.

The Asus card has 12 Pixel pipelines. So, technically, you could have Real HDR on it, if you wished. But, the more pipes, the better. If you buy the card, and OC it, you can unlock a shader pipe, and 4 more "normal" pipes. It is also supposed to run pretty cool, and not get artifacts with the proper OC.

There you have it, a 512MB 6800 with 16 Pixel Pipelines and 6 pixel shader pipes. The only drawback is AGP, and it's 128 bit architecture, but once again, it supposedly doesnt limit this card that much at all.

Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121216

**vizi** · April 03, 2006, 09:29 PM

I look for deals and sometime try to snipe cards on Ebay. In fact I just bought a x850XT PE for 200 bucks. That was in my mind a great deal.

**HorseArcher** · April 03, 2006, 10:02 PM

Originally Posted by PyrrhusIV

I wouldnt call this "Bang for the Buck" but definetly a way to prolong AGP for your computer, or, if you are building a PC, a good buy.

The Asus Nvidia 6800 card. Yes, it is for AGP, but listen

. First thing, for you Maniacs of Video cards, it has 512MB Memory. this is a little future proof. Some games require 256 video memory now-a-days, even a few require 512 at the Ultra settings.
..............
.....

Phyrrus, that was weeks ago!

There are far better deals now. Remember card prices - seems like - change by the hour for crying out loud.

check these out guys!
XFX Geforce 6800 XTreme for 139 bucks! now that's a good deal! It'll run your Oblivion game (and on that matter anything else) great.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ATT=14-150-130

this is also great, but the nvidia card above (and below) simply pwnz0r this, so this is for ATI -only fanatics who beleive that this card
is great (see the bottom quoted message or check out some hardware tests):

Sapphire RADEON X1600 XT 256MB GDDR3 PCI-Express $185.00

http://www.buyxg.com/store/item.asp?key=vc-154-101

or this one:
NVIDIA GeForce 7600GT Sale price: $185.00
http://www.buyxg.com/store/item.asp?key=vc-154-101

GeForce 7600 GT

This is the card that most of you are going to buy. Why? It's affordable and offers serious bang for your hard earned bucks. If I had to sum this product up in two words it would be: absolutely fantastic. The 7600 GT was designed to fight the Radeon X1600 XT and whether ATI likes it or not, the 7600 GT will simply wipe the floor with that X1600 XT.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/Videocards/326/23/

**Ahiga** · April 04, 2006, 12:54 PM

GeForce 7600 GT - So this will run Oblivion on high end stats with 2 gigs of Ram and 3.0 Ghz, as well as run RTW high and Half life 2 high? :-P

If so, I'll go and buy it once I look into it.