[kasperl]

i have just heard that i have 100,- Euro's left over from my birthday money from my grandma. now, i want a new graph card. i have a POS mobo, AGP 2x. my specs are:

P3 800
192MB SDRAM
RIVA TNT2 16MB
win98SE

now, the demands:

has to run on AGP 2x too.
about 100 Euro/$. i have this ammount, plus what's in my wallet. so you can go about 10 dollar/euro's but nothing more.
64MB minimum, possibly more
RADEON, i have heard too much bad news about GForces.
TV-Out, VGA, and if possibly DVI.
video in is certainly a plus, though not neccesary.

now, recommend the best card you know for this kind of thing.

i am looking myself too, but i have a few questions:
what's the difference between DVI and D-Sub?
what matters more, the amount of RAM, the chipset, the speed of the GPU, or the mem speed? remember, i've got AGP2x.
what is RAMDAC?

[Triple Ace]

I'd get a new system if I were you.

[kasperl]

for €100?

[Killfrenzy]

There's nowt wrong with GeForce.

[Liberator]

I replaced the important parts for about $164 US.

$38 for the Mobo
$60 for the Processor
$66 for the RAM

Of course, my parents bought a few things too but that was the majority of it.

[kasperl]

look, i don't have the time, the need, nor the cash for a real new comp. i just need a graph card. i play simple games, like FS, but when i can't even run the SCP i need an upgrade. if i want an entire new comp, i'll ask for it. now, please, either give me something i can use, or STFU. this one ir reasonably important to me, because it is still quite a lot of cash. and i want to play the SCP, that is all.

[vyper]

GeForce FX of some kind.

[Martinus]

[color=66ff00]Replace your computer and I'll mail you my old GeForce2MX which should tide you over until you can afford a decent GFX card.

You buy anything more powerful and you're effectively crippling it with the old mobo, I'd replace the computer first mate. It makes the most monetary sense.
[/color]

[kasperl]

well, yeah, but i need the graphics stuff first. also, i intend to save up for about half a year or more, see if i can get a job in the next schoolyear, and then see about a new comp. i can put this card in it then. really, my 800mhz is keeping me happy for now, and 192MB should be plenty for simple jobs too. i use word, IE, FS, and Halflife/counterstrike. i don't need a new comp for that, just a new graph card for the FSO stuff. i could, off course, save this too, wait till i have the time to figure out a completely new, working system for myself, find the cash, find time to buy it, find time to build it, and then hope it isn't ancient by the time i press the power button. it would take untill next schoolyear at least.

[Grey Wolf]

How about a GeForce 4 Ti4200? They're dropping in price since they're only DX 8.1 compatible, but they're fairly fast (I'm pulling off a 3D Mark 2001 SE score of about 13k with mine) and will work fine with both FSO and an AGP 2x slot. It should set you back about 90 for a 64MB card (which is what I have) or about 130 for a 128MB card. Another decent card that's fairly cheap is if you can find a Radeon 8500 or 9500 somewhere.

[kasperl]

90 for a 64MB card?

i can get a radeon 9200 with 256 for 80
and a 9600 with 128MB for 110
btw, what is the most important, the amount of mem or the date of the chipset?

[Grey Wolf]

The prices I quoted were actually quite high for the card. But anyway, just get whichever of these you can get the cheapest from a reputable company: Ti4200, Radeon 9500, Radeon 9600.

[Woolie Wool]

Buy a Radeon 9200 (like mine).

In case you wondered how my GeForce 2 suddenly became a Radeon 9200, I replaced some of my hardware last December.

Old:
AMD Athlon XP 1600+
nVidia GeForce 2 MX
256 MB RAM
48X CD-ROM drive

New:
AMD Athlon XP 3000+
ATi Radeon 9200
512 MB RAM
52X CD-ROM drive with 8X CD-R/RW burner

Now that I think of it, driver conflicts caused by replacing four major pieces of hardware might have contributed to my HD getting corrupted.

RIVA TNT2 16MB

Good lord! That's an ancient, ancient card. That thing must be six years old.

[Grey Wolf]

I wouldn't really suggest a 9200. No real reason to get a bargain card.

[Woolie Wool]

Bargain card? It's a pretty damn good card, at least compared to my old GeForce 2 and a GeForce 4 comp I once tried out in a store. Plus he's only got €110 or so to spend, so he can't afford a really powerful card.

I checked five stores on the Web for prices on a 9200, and I got $108, $92, $98, $86, and $96--perfect for his budget.

[Grey Wolf]

It is true that it is better than your GF2, and possibly better than the GF4 (that's assuming that it was a GF4 MX), but it is still technically the bargain segment.

ATI's line is divided into three parts, as are most companies. The 9000, 9100, and 9200 fall into the bargain category. The 9500 and 9600 fall into the mainstream category. The performance category is the 9700 and 9800. So your card is, indeed, a bargain card.

[Woolie Wool]

I just edited my post with prices for a 9200, and they fall just within his budget. A 9500 or 9600 might be too expensive.

[Grey Wolf]

A 9500 or 9600 can be found for about 100-120, as shown on this page: http://www.allstarshop.com/shop/subsection.asp?dept%5Fid=339&sid=RLBJUJC540RT8NC2M2HKEQSNLFV64VB0
The 9500 is $126, the 9600 is $109.

[Splinter]

Originally posted by kasperl
remember, i've got AGP2x.
what is RAMDAC?

ayet listen, an AGP8 cardd will run on agp 4 2 and agp 1 even jsut at those speeds... but heres the kicked there is a diffrence really of jsut miliseconds... so to say to watch out for a card that is agp 2 is jsut paranoined... go for the agp 8 itll run at agp 2 untill you get an agp 8 mobo... whats the problem? besides i dont think you can FIND and non agp 8 Graphics card around now adays.

[pyro-manic]

Save a little bit more and get a GFFX 5700 (the only decent card they've done since the Ti4200), or a RAdeon 9600XT. Great performance for the cash. You can get both for about £120. I'm getting one of these when I get my new pootar (finally) next month.