What videocard should I buy?

[Ry]

Just wondering if any EN Worlders know enough about videocards to help me out.

Very simply: I've got an AGP 8x slot only. I want to buy as good as I can for that slot (I know that the world is moving on to PCI express). What's my best choice?

 

[KenM]

This should be moved to the computer fourm, also, how much cash you have to spend?
I found this on Newegg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143046

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

This should be moved to the computer fourm, also, how much cash you have to spend?
I found this on Newegg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143046

That's a good option.

What are the other specs on your computer?

 

[trancejeremy]

I would suggest a ATI x1600 pro. About $150, pretty good performance.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814103005

 

[KenM]

another thing you need you consider is how big a power supply you have. You should have at least a 350 watt. Alot of the newer cards require higher power.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

KenM's right on the power supply. The newer boards want 400+ watt power supplies with free connectors and what have you.

Here's a link to Tom's interactive comparison charts ; you can throw the ATI and the Nvidia side by side. Performance per $ is about the same, so it comes down to how much you want to spend. Your options for ADP boards are pretty limited any more.

Also, if your PC is really old, you're quite possible CPU-bound in terms of performance, and adding a new video card might not give you a lot of boost. If your current card is so far behind that you can't play new stuff at all, though, it could still be worth upgrading.

 

[Bront]

You are better off getting a PCI Express Motherboard and PCI Express card than the top end AGP card. You can get a 7900 GT for almost the same price, and it will run a good 20-30% faster than the AGP card, and overclock fantasticly.

If not, I'd recomend nothing over about $150.

Quick questions. What kind of CPU and memory do you have?

 

[Ry]

Ah... hmm. I'm kind of a hardware idiot.

I've got an ATX12V power supply... but I'm not sure that's a part number rather than a specification.

I've got about 350 CAD to spend on it, which is about... well, think $250 USD sticker price.

 

[Bront]

ATX 12V is a spec, not a type. It should say on a sticker on the side. I'd cringe if you want a high end card and have less than a 400W PSU. I have a 550W PSU, and that helps with stability a lot.

 

[Ry]

Called the retailer:

I have: A 450 Watt power supply
2 Ghz of DDR 400 RAM
P4 3.4 GHz processor, 2 Megs cache, Socket 775