Agreed. The 6200 is NOT a good card. If you're stuck with a crappy Dell system that has PCI slots only, look for an FX5500 or if you can't find one, settle for an FX5200. Make sure to get one that uses 128-bit memory. Do NOT get one that uses 64-bit.
If that's correct, you have all sorts of decent choices available. Since you appear to be on a limited budget, consider something like this Radeon 9600XT:
Im not completely new to computers but im not a genius either.. Ok, so i can handle PCI and AGP buses.
Is newegg.com a safe site to order from? Is the Radeon 9600XT a reliable card or will it crash my computer? Is it good with games? (Sounds like it..) I've heard that 256 mb is necassarilly (i think thats how you spell it..) better. Can i save a few bucks on a 128 mb?
I know these are some questions to answer.. but i dont wanna get the "blue screen of death," or is that gone on the XP?
AGP cards are MUCH better than PCI. And the 9600XT that I posted a link to above is an excellent card for $50 (I have the exact same card in my PC).
DVI = Digital Visual Interface. It's a type of connection between the video card & the monitor. Most video cards come with both the standard VGA port & a DVI port. If you have an older monitor (in other words, not an LCD), you'll need the standard VGA port.
K.. now i want the 9600XT but its an open box item and doesnt come with accesories (installation disk, wires, etc.) Can i still use the card without it?
Yes, you can still use the card without that stuff. Just go to the ATI website and download the newest drivers. ATI has one driver to download and works with prettty much all of their cards, so dont worry about downloading the wrong one.
Mattwizz3 : )
Sempron 2600+ @ 2.2GHz 1Gb DDR400 Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe 200GB SATA 2X 80Gb IDE 256Mb MSI 6800 Ultra
It may or may not come with those things...you won't know until you get it. The drivers on the installation disk will be outdated anyhow so that's really not an issue. The "wires" that are included are usually an S-video cable (for connecting to a TV) & a DVI-to-VGA adapter. Chances are you wouldn't use them anyway. But until you actually receive the card, you won't know what's included. I've purchased many open-box items from Newegg & only one of them came as the bare board...all the rest were the full versions in the retail box with all the accessories.
All you'll have to do is uninstall the drivers for your current card, then shutdown, disconnect the monitor & remove the old card. Then install the new card, connect the monitor, reboot, & install the new drivers. The latest drivers can be downloaded directly from ATI.
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