Best graphics card for $200 or less?

Rico

Rico

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Hey guys,

My birthday is coming up near the end of March and my girlfriend was asking what to get me. Well, I told her I needed a new GFX card soon so she's considering it. Now, she knows nothing of GFX cards and is relying on me to pick it out. Problem is, I haven't had time to keep up with the latest gen of graphics cards.

Here's my current build:

AMD64 3800+
7600GT 256MB
2GB DDR
WD280 GB SATA

I'd like some suggestions for a new graphics card that'll give me a good bang for the buck.
 
My only concern about the 8800GT 256MB model is that I run in 1400x900 widescreen (my monitor's native res) and I've heard that 256MB for higher resolutions just won't cut it.
 
sleekness of card looks better :p

why on earth would you want to look at the pcb?
 
Just got my new 8800GS from XFX in from newegg. Paid $160 and it came with a free 4GB usb drive. Once I install it I'll let you know how it works.
 
Depends on your mobo. Do you have a PCIe slot? If you're limited to AGP you might want to check out the Radeon x1950 Pro AGP 256Mb or 512Mb. You'd be looking at $200-$250 depending on the make, but if you were lucky you might find one for <$200 and afaik it's THE best card if you're lumbered with an AGP mobo.
 
Ah I guess I forgot to mention. PCI-E mobo

Though I doubt they make the 7600GT in AGP anyways.
 
They do :) I was searching for one to buy for my aging system a while back, but held off in the end and waited to get a Radeon x1950 Pro instead. There are PCIe versions of those too, but I dunno how they shape up against the 8800 range.
 
I would definitely recommend the 8800GT. Even the 256MB version would be better than a mid-range card ($150) with 512mb. Plus the 8800 will have PhysX support soon.

1400x900 is not really a high resolution. Pretty standard pixel count. To compare:
1400x900 = 1260k pixels
1280x1024 = 1311k pixels

1600x1200 = 1920k pixels
^Definitely would want more for this resolution though.

Edit:
The 9600GT is brand new. Have to check out some reviews to see where it sits. But it should have the PhysX support soon as well.
9600GT Review Faster than the 8800GT 256MB card when they turn up the AA/AF because of the memory difference. 8800GT 512MB still top of the pile though. 9600GT would be a little better than a 3870 for most of the games.
 
Yeah I saw those reviews, that's why I was considering them. The 3870 is a top of the line card right? But the 9600GT has gotten some decent reviews so far, though hardware wise its not as beefy as a 8800GT but like I said, in reviews the extra video ram seems to put it on top of the 8800GT 256MB at higher resolutions.

Mainly I just want a card that'll last me 2 years or so if possible.
 
This is relevant to my interests also. I just sold my camera for 200 bucks so im in the market for a similar card.

I was looking at this one. It seems like most 8800gt cards have a 600mhz core speed, this one is 660.

Also this one, with a 700mhz core speed. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125088

How much of a difference will that make over the one toaster posted with a 600mhz?
 
I usually don't see cards as cute, I prefer performance.
















Yeah, *all kinds* of 8800gt are cute.
<3
 
In a way it's good to see a change in priorities on Nvidia's part. I couldn't possibly count the amount of times I've heard "I'll buy it later when the price comes down" (and variants thereof) concerning GPUs.
 
I think as far as raw performance goes the 8800GT is ahead of the 9600GT but not by a massive margin.
 
clarky003 said:
http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/02/21/nvidia_geforce_9600_gt/page17.html

That's weird, is the 9600GT and new radeon card that much better than the 8800 GTX and ultra? , the performance on Crysis with AA and AF set up seems a bit unbelievable for an average.
Click to expand...
I don't see how the 8800GTX fits into the link. It's a percentage of how the 9600gt compares to the 3870.

I'd say the 8800gt 512mb is worth it over the 9600 for the extra room you get for more stressing or future games to be more playable.
 
From the pictures it looks like Palit's 9600 has the same fan as their 8800gt, which is excellent.
The rest seem to have stock cooling, haven't heard how good it is, but looks superficially similar to the old 8800gt fan which wasn't great - though appearances can be deceptive.
 
Just to open this fortnight ol' thread to mention that I'm thinking of purchasing a new graphics card. The specifications I need are nothing special. Price isn't a huge issue, but as always, the less the better.

My current card is a Sapphire X1950Pro 512MB PCI-E
2GB DDR2
AMD AM2 (I believe it's a 4400, but I can't be sure without checking)
And basically nothing exciting.

I've been looking at the latest HD3870 (the X2 is probably out of my price range and probably not worth it. I could always purchase a second HD3870 if I needed). It looks like a good upgrade from my current card, and most reviews I've read are impressed with AMD's kick up ATi's backside. I've been researching it a bit the past couple of days, but I'd appreciate any further feedback any of you guys have.
 
I got an HD3850, it's not nearly as powerful as the top-end nVidia, but for a budget card of 200$ or less I'd highly suggest getting the HD3870.
 
Get the 8800GT 512mb, I recommend from BFG as it comes pre-overclocked a bit. Few free FPS for the same price, if not cheaper, than the rest.

Its pretty much THE card to have these days. Its just awesome. Flawless DX9 fps, and does very, very well on DX10 games like Crysis. 30fps+

AND considering i got mine for ?120, dont know what that is in dollars, its just SUCH a steal.
 
Our ₤ is roughly half their $. Slightly less.
 
120 quid would buy you a second hand one, or a 256mb model.

Or did you buy it new?
 
No, you can get a 3870 for about ?140 brand spanking new.
 
You can get a top-quality 8800 GT for 137GBP here. It's what I bought, been great so far.
The same site has a 3870 for 115GBP if that's really what you want.
 
Since that's the same price as the Palit 8800GT I would (did) go for the nvidia card.
 
From what I see and the reviews I've observed the HD3870 outperforms nVidia's 8800GT.
A couple of reviews I've seen have managed to clock the GT with higher performance than the 3870, although I don't see how they did.

Unless you can really persuade me too, I think I've set my mind on the ATi Card.
 
Druckles said:
From what I see and the reviews I've observed the HD3870 outperforms nVidia's 8800GT.
A couple of reviews I've seen have managed to clock the GT with higher performance than the 3870, although I don't see how they did.

Unless you can really persuade me too, I think I've set my mind on the ATi Card.
Click to expand...
I've always preferred ATI cards in the past (used to have better image quality, better performance with AA/AF turned on etc) but Nvidia has matched or beat those. (although you still can't fold with one...)
8800GT 512MB faster on average than the 3870. Just keep hitting next to go from game to game. Some exceptions but those are less than playable for all cards.

HardOCP review
They benchmark the opposite way. Instead of seeing who gets the higher FPS while keeping the settings the same...they see which card can run with the higher settings while keeping the FPS playable.
8800GT 512MB @ 1600x1200 and 3870 512MB @ 1240x1024 in Crysis
What that graph says is that you can afford to bump the resolution up with the 8800GT and still be within playable performance of the 3870 at the lower setting.
 
From the reviews I've seen overclocked 3870's are ahead of stock 8800gt on some games and behind on others. Links to the ones you were looking at?
 
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