3D card

[starrider]

ok to sum it all up: dont have one, need one if i wanna play anything beside RTSes.

and a BIG problem has reared its ugly head, cost. you see if i had $300 dollars then i'd get on ebay and buy an ATI radeon 9700 pro myself but sadly i have only around $50 and my dad can pitch in about $30 cause its his comp (technicly anyway).i want a card that isnt really old and can run most of todays games.

can anybody help?????

[nickersonm]

GF2 Ultra mabey, or possibly GF3 Ti 200. Don't get an MX, whatever you do.

- nickersonm

[FallenSoloSLS]

Okay, first off, at $80 you're not talking the top of the line.

But on www.Pricewatch.com and other sites, you should find GeForce4 Ti4200 for around that price.

Well after checking, I see that the Ti4200 is still around $110 - $120. But the Raedon9100 or the GeForce 4 MX is right in line with your price range, and they will all allow you to play the latest games. You may have to turn down some video settings, but you should be okay.

Good Luck.

[starrider]

i know im not gonna get anything top of the line here but slightly less than new 3d card is better than no 3d card because no 3d card= no good games and that = no planetside come may.and in pms bit recomended a gf 3 if i have no agp slot and a gf 4 if i do. oh and btw i have a p3 processor 256 ram and ummm a 56k modem if that helps any...

[Mac_Bug]

Radeon 9000 +, ti4200 +

[The_Assimilator]

Radeon 9000Pro is what you should be aiming for.

[starrider]

9000 pro eh???? ill look around and see what i can find

[starrider]

i hate to double post but i figure that this is important enough to make a new post out of.

after going on a wild goose chasse throught the control panel of my computer (apparently named GENISIS) i have found out that i do infact have a video card of some sort and that it is a NIVIDA GeForce 2 MX/MX 400 since mohaa wont run on my comp(see my other thread) im guessing that it probably needs to be upgraded. any suguestions would be much appreciated.

[Liberator]

Yes I'm an Nvidia junkie.
PCI
According to the Nvidia Site (http://www.nvidia.com/view.asp?PAGE=geforce4mx) there are two MX 440s the "base" and the SE, judging by the polys per second the SE looks to be a 420's GPU coupled with DDR memory. Additionally most MX cards come with either and S-Video port or if your really lucky a component(RCA) video jack.

I recomend the "base" Geforce MX 440, which I have seen locally in Wal-Mart of all places for as little as $65.00 US. This place (http://www.cmicomputer.com/cgi-bin/quikstore.cgi?store=&search=yes&detail=yes&product=vc128gf4s&category=Video_Card&keywords=PCI%20128MB&hits_seen=&page=search.html&and=&affiliate_id=&exact_match=yes) has the 128MB SE version on sale for 52.00.

AGP
Again, go with the MX 440 chip and get as much memory as you can. This place (http://www.amamax.com/geforce4.html) has all manner of AGP and PCI versions of the Geforce MX line.

These choices are based on your maximum stated budget of $80.00. If you can worm some extra $$$ out of your dad or earn it somehow, this place (http://www.cmicomputer.com/cgi-bin/quikstore.cgi?store=&search=yes&detail=yes&product=vc128ti42tv&category=Video_Card&keywords=Geforce%204&hits_seen=20&page=search.html&and=&affiliate_id=&exact_match=yes) has a Ti 4200 w/128 DDR for $127.00.



A lot of people have a chip on their shoulder about the Geforce 4 MX sereis of cards. Granted they don'thave the advanced features of the TI series such as Pixel and Vertex Shaders. But they are a good, solid card that will add a lot of power to a system for not a lot of $$$, especially if said system is using GF2mx or Voodoo3 graphics cards.

3 simple rules for buying Video Cards(or other computer components)
1. Don't buy the most expensive. It'll be obsolete in 6 months.

2. Don't be suckered by flashy ads. Do your research and buy what suits your needs.

3. Don't buy "Bleeding Edge" technology If you're itching for the newest thus-and-so, wait a month or two after the inital release. The price may have come down and some of the more nasty bugs will have been worked of it.

[starrider]

um ok im dumb when it comes to this stuff but what do u mean when you say pci or agp. i think i know but im not sure. and right now i have a gf 2 mx 400

[Liberator]

The easiest way to tell the difference is to crack your case and find your video card.

The PCI (http://www.webopaedia.com/TERM/P/PCI.html) slots are white. They will probably have your modem and soundcard in them.

The AGP (http://www.webopaedia.com/TERM/A/AGP.html) slot(there is only ever 1) will be above and slightly recessed from the PCI slots(I've seen mobos with as many as 6).

Those definitions I linked are old and need to be updated but they are generally accurate.