Need recommendation for video card under $100

Mr Reorg · 01-29-2005, 04:14 PM

Someone that works for me asked for my help but I'm not sure what to tell him, so I'm comming to you.

He currently has an FX5200 Ultra and wants to get a new video card but it has to cost less than $100. No preference between ATI or Nvidia. He'll accept the recommendation I give him. Which AGP card would be better than the FX5200 but cost between $70 - $100?

Only caveat. Purchase must be made through Circuit City or Best Buy where he can use the store credit card and not a Visa/Mastercard/Amex.

He's not a gamer. PC used mostly for general web browsing, email and DVD viewing. No idea what mobo he has.

Bires · 01-29-2005, 05:32 PM

Why does he want a new card? The FX5200 should be fine for a nongamer.

SnowSurfer · 01-29-2005, 07:51 PM

i got the fx5200 and i am a gamer and it sucks

...being on team cheap sucks(next upgrade is video card)

lol, he could get a radeon 9500pro and overclock it though that would be pretty cheap

zippyjuan · 01-29-2005, 08:31 PM

I just checked those two store's websites and for less than $100 you won't find anything enough better to be worth buying over what you have. Better off saving some money - you will need to go at least $150 to get something halfway decent.

bachviet · 01-30-2005, 12:30 AM

R9600

zippyjuan · 01-30-2005, 02:07 AM

Not for under $100 at those retailers- Circuit City lists a 9600 SE (SE stands for Sucky Edition, on NVidea they use LE for Lousy Edition) for $79 after $20 rebate but also says out of stock. A 9600 would be a better card though. Is he having any performance problems with his computer or just thinks he wants to upgrade since he has some money coming?

Mr Reorg · 01-30-2005, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bires

Why does he want a new card? The FX5200 should be fine for a nongamer.

I asked him the same question. He thinks there's a problem with the card, but I'm not an expert. He described some "streaks", "blotches" or "distortion" on his screen during boot up. I couldn't quite understand what he was describing. By the way, he's using whatever driver came on the instalation disk along with the card.

From what he described, I didn't think he had a damaged card. I suggested that he boot into Safe Mode, uninstall the drivers and use Detonator RIP. Then, either reinstall the same driver (he doesn't know which one it is), or d/l a later issued one (but not the most recent) directly from the Nvidia website (driver archives).

Quote:

Originally Posted by SnowSurfer

i got the fx5200 and i am a gamer and it sucks

...being on team cheap sucks(next upgrade is video card)

lol, he could get a radeon 9500pro and overclock it though that would be pretty cheap

He has no idea what mobo, PSU or type of RAM he has, so I don't think he will want to get into any overclocking. Is there any significant value or improvement with the 9500 PRO ver the FX5200 ULTRA?

Mr Reorg · 01-30-2005, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zippyjuan

Not for under $100 at those retailers- Circuit City lists a 9600 SE (SE stands for Sucky Edition, on NVidea they use LE for Lousy Edition) for $79 after $20 rebate but also says out of stock. A 9600 would be a better card though. Is he having any performance problems with his computer or just thinks he wants to upgrade since he has some money coming?

He asked what I thought of the FX5700 LE (he saw at CC). I could find any reviews for it.

He had his machine built at some local PC shop about 6 months ago but had them install the graphics card from his old PC.

(edit) I just looked at the CC website, it couldn't have been the 5700, it's way above his price point. Maybe he said the 5500 http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/eVGA-...oductDetail.do

It's not like he has money coming in to spend. He just thinks he has a problem with his old card and thinks replaceing it will resolve whatever his issues are. At that price point, I don't think there would much of a performance difference.

(2nd edit) I don't see any mention of a rebate on the 9600 SE http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Visio...oductDetail.do. I guess he missed it.

Would a 9600 SE with 128MB actually be better than a 5200 ULTRA with 256MB? (At least that's what he told me about his card's specs.)

iLLWiLL · 01-30-2005, 11:53 AM

heres an article just recently posted on Gamespot a couple days ago: http://hardware.gamespot.com/Story-ST-x-1467-x-x-x

Mr Reorg · 01-30-2005, 06:30 PM

One more question to help him choose (or to help me advise my friend)...remember it's for a non gamer...

Get a new card with slightly higher clock speed but less memory or stay with slower clock speed and more memory?

Bires · 01-30-2005, 09:40 PM

Don't waste the money? Seriously. Video cards very seldom distort like you are describing. Other things to consider:

Something near his computer is throwing off way too much interference
The monitor is dying

Are the streaks consistant, or do they go away after boot up?

Mr Reorg · 01-31-2005, 03:25 AM

They go away after boot.

Bires · 01-31-2005, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Reorg

They go away after boot.

Maybe a voltage issue (motherboard), but seriously, it doesn't sound like anything to be replacement-worthy.

Mr Reorg · 01-31-2005, 05:38 PM

Thank you all for your input. With everyones help I've convinced my friend that he shouldn't buy a new card.

He's informed me that he's d/l'd latetest drivers, patches, etc. and the problem seems to have gone away.

nate el bueno · 01-31-2005, 06:07 PM

I'd like to reccomend the radeon 9550 at compusa. it is 256 mg, and only 75.

01-29-2005, 04:14 PM	#1
Mr Reorg Lieutenant Junior Grade Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Rego Park, NY Posts: 65	Need recommendation for video card under $100 Someone that works for me asked for my help but I'm not sure what to tell him, so I'm comming to you. He currently has an FX5200 Ultra and wants to get a new video card but it has to cost less than $100. No preference between ATI or Nvidia. He'll accept the recommendation I give him. Which AGP card would be better than the FX5200 but cost between $70 - $100? Only caveat. Purchase must be made through Circuit City or Best Buy where he can use the store credit card and not a Visa/Mastercard/Amex. He's not a gamer. PC used mostly for general web browsing, email and DVD viewing. No idea what mobo he has.

01-29-2005, 05:32 PM	#2
Bires Admiral Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 5,064	Why does he want a new card? The FX5200 should be fine for a nongamer. __________________ Five years...

01-29-2005, 07:51 PM	#3
SnowSurfer Rear Admiral Lower Half Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 2,616	i got the fx5200 and i am a gamer and it sucks ...being on team cheap sucks(next upgrade is video card) lol, he could get a radeon 9500pro and overclock it though that would be pretty cheap __________________ I have an athlon xp 2500+ ... aren't you glad you know that?

01-29-2005, 08:31 PM	#4
zippyjuan Picture of the Day Guru Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Sunny San Diego Posts: 8,756	I just checked those two store's websites and for less than $100 you won't find anything enough better to be worth buying over what you have. Better off saving some money - you will need to go at least $150 to get something halfway decent. __________________ I add new pictures to my photo gallery pretty regularly. You can see them here if you are interested: http://www.pbase.com/jeffryz

01-30-2005, 12:30 AM	#5
bachviet What's Da Pho*? Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: SoCal (714) Posts: 13,296	R9600 __________________ Dell Dimension 9200 \| Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2.4GHz) \| 4x1GB DDR2 \| 256MB nVidia GeForce 8800GT Dell Studio 17 \| Intel Core i7-720QM (1.6GHz) \| 2x2GB DDR3 1066MHz \| 1GHz ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 Intel P4-C 3.0GHz \| ECS 865PE-A \| 3x512MB PC3200 \| 128MB PNY GeForce 6600GT

01-30-2005, 02:07 AM	#6
zippyjuan Picture of the Day Guru Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Sunny San Diego Posts: 8,756	Not for under $100 at those retailers- Circuit City lists a 9600 SE (SE stands for Sucky Edition, on NVidea they use LE for Lousy Edition) for $79 after $20 rebate but also says out of stock. A 9600 would be a better card though. Is he having any performance problems with his computer or just thinks he wants to upgrade since he has some money coming?

01-30-2005, 11:53 AM	#9
iLLWiLL Lieutenant Junior Grade Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: northern Cali Posts: 191	heres an article just recently posted on Gamespot a couple days ago: http://hardware.gamespot.com/Story-ST-x-1467-x-x-x __________________ P4 3.0GHz @ 3.6GHz, 1MB, 800MHz, LGA775 // Zalman CNPS9500A LED // ASUS P5GDC-V Deluxe mobo // 3GB dual-channel RAM // Cooler Master Cavalier 1 case (silver) // Antec TruePower 550W power supply // 160GB Western Digital SATA hard drive // ASUS GeForce N6600 GT 128MB video card // HP w2207 22" widescreen LCD // NEC 3500A DVD+/-writer (silver) // Pioneer DVD-116 drive // Logitech mx510 mouse

01-30-2005, 06:30 PM	#10
Mr Reorg Lieutenant Junior Grade Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Rego Park, NY Posts: 65	One more question to help him choose (or to help me advise my friend)...remember it's for a non gamer... Get a new card with slightly higher clock speed but less memory or stay with slower clock speed and more memory?

01-30-2005, 09:40 PM	#11
Bires Admiral Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 5,064	Don't waste the money? Seriously. Video cards very seldom distort like you are describing. Other things to consider: Something near his computer is throwing off way too much interference The monitor is dying Are the streaks consistant, or do they go away after boot up?

01-31-2005, 03:25 AM	#12
Mr Reorg Lieutenant Junior Grade Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Rego Park, NY Posts: 65	They go away after boot.

01-31-2005, 05:38 PM	#14
Mr Reorg Lieutenant Junior Grade Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Rego Park, NY Posts: 65	Thank you all for your input. With everyones help I've convinced my friend that he shouldn't buy a new card. He's informed me that he's d/l'd latetest drivers, patches, etc. and the problem seems to have gone away.

01-31-2005, 06:07 PM	#15
nate el bueno Spawn of Markel Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: IL Posts: 1,246	I'd like to reccomend the radeon 9550 at compusa. it is 256 mg, and only 75.

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