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I have finally gave up on my old graphic card (Apollo 3D Thrill sis315 128 MB). I have been having trouble playing games like Fifa 2005, world cup 2006, quake 4 etc. Those games crash when I try to open them. I did have the most recent driver I could find (I think it came out back in 2003), but it still seems to have issues with directX 9.
.................
So I scrapped up abt a $100 and I was wondering if you guys would be kind enough to suggest me a decent AGP video card for my budget. I have been looking a bit and I see sooooooo many brands with 128 MB ram and 256 MB ram as well as 250 MHz to 350 Mhz GPU..etc...but I am not quite sure what properties/specs actually make a good card. I have seen brans like ATI, PNY, Diamond, EVGA, Mad Dog, Fuzion, Xtacy ...the last time I bought a card was back in 2002 and they didn't even have so many brands back then..Anyways, I will really appreciate your help.
Thank You.
Well if it helps any, I bought a Radeon 9550; 128 bit, 256MB of Ram - video card for $70.00 with shipping.
The stock clock/memory speed is 200/195
Using modded drivers, this card can be unlocked to the speeds of the more expensive 9600 Pro. I use "Radclocker" and my card currently runs at a whopping overclock to: 460/290!!!! For example: I am able to play Doom 3 at High Detail and a 1204 X 768 resolutionAbit NF8
Sempron 64 3100+ @2.6GHZ
Thermaltake Big Typhoon
512 MB PC 3200 Ram
Windows XP Pro
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Could you please specify if it's ATI Radeon or by some other manufacturer?
Also, some more details on how to unlock the card will be very appreciated.
Thank you.
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SiS makes crappy video cards...I'm surprised you hung on to it for this long!
Arm yourself with knowledge:
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/131
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/132
http://www.techpowerup.com/gpudb/
http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/07/05/vga_charts_vii/
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Hey, I have a Radeon 9550 128MB/128-bit card myself. About 1.5 yrs ago, it was a good buy...cheap & very overclockable (I use ATiTOOL). It will play most games on low/medium settings with little or no lag. (I don't push my overclock near as far as J-Micro). I wouldn't recommend less than a Radeon 9600XT for gaming these days though.
Here's a few to get you thinking:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130232
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102666
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Forgot to mention one thing...most higher performance AGP cards have to be connected to the power supply (PSU), so your PSU would have to be able to handle the added load from the video card. If your PSU's not up to it, the 9600XT will probably be your best bet.
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yes, check the amperage on your 12v rail--that's far more important than wattage. 18+ amps for a card that has to be plugged into the PSU.
One of my cube-shaped PCs (SFF) has a measly-sounding 240 watt PSU, but with 19.5 amps on the 12v rail. It runs an AMD x2 4200 and overclocked 6800 Ultra without a hitch
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"Could you please specify if it's ATI Radeon or by some other manufacturer?
Also, some more details on how to unlock the card will be very appreciated."It is by ATI - The Radeon 9550, with the heat sink/fan (instead of the heatsink only)
I was unsuccessful in flashing my BIOS to the 9600, so I installed the softmod drivers.
(I don't currently have the link on this computer, it's on my home PC)
Abit NF8
Sempron 64 3100+ @2.6GHZ
Thermaltake Big Typhoon
512 MB PC 3200 Ram
Windows XP Pro
0
I wouldn't recommend anything less than a 6600GT these days unless the box has no prayer of playing anything newer.
Corn chips are no place for a mighty warrior!
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hey hero, if you happen to have another look at this thread, do you like the X1600PRO over the 6600GT? Specs seem better & it's a little cheaper
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To be honest, I'd want to compare the X1600Pro to the 7600GS. It looks like from a quick look the 7600GS compared to the x1600xt (better than the pro) wins in older games, newer games are either ties or the X1600XT wins...
http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/geforce_7600_gs_preview/
That would seem to imply the X1600Pro would lose to the 7600GS, and therefore, the card to get would be the 7600GS between those two.
I still want to research it a bit more...
Corn chips are no place for a mighty warrior!
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My 6600GT struggled with Quake 4, so you're looking to get a 6800AGP minimum for that.
Look for 9700 Pro on ebay... They go for peanuts now and will still run most new games
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Problem is the 6800 isn't much better than the 6600GT. I'd shoot more for say the 7600GT.
When I said 6600GT, I meant literally as a minimum. I'd preferably go with something from the 7600 series.
"Milk was a bad choice!"
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Keep in mind that the OP only wants to spend about $100. That's why I came up with the X1600Pro as a suggestion. I figured that's about as good as it gets in that price range. Looking at the specs, I assumed it's about as good as the more expensive 6600GT because it has 4 more pixels per clock. Would that be correct?
X1600Pro
core = 500MHz
memory = 780MHz @ 128-bit
pixels per clock = 126600GT
core = 500MHz
memory = 1GHz @ 128-bit
pixels per clock = 8Here's the other 2 you mentioned:
X1600XT
core = 590MHz
memory = 1.38GHz @ 128-bit
pixels per clock = 127600GT
core = 580MHz
memory = 1.4 GHz @ 128-bit
pixels per clock = 12
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X1600Pro
core = 500MHz
memory = 780MHz @ 128-bit
pixels per clock = 126600GT
core = 500MHz
memory = 1GHz @ 128-bit
pixels per clock = 8Here's the other 2 you mentioned:
X1600XT
core = 590MHz
memory = 1.38GHz @ 128-bit
pixels per clock = 127600GT
core = 580MHz
memory = 1.4 GHz @ 128-bit
pixels per clock = 12
Wow..if I didn't play games only on occasions, I would go buy one of those cards immediately! The memory speeds are "ridiculous!"Abit NF8
Sempron 64 3100+ @2.6GHZ
Thermaltake Big Typhoon
512 MB PC 3200 Ram
Windows XP Pro
0
Where can I get this 7600GS for that price?
The OP said that he wanted an AGP card, but when I did a pricegrabber.com search for all of these superbly suggested cards, they were all PCIe. I'm in the same boat as the OP. I am about to order a newer graphics card as my current one died this past weekend. I have a bit of a bigger budget - $150 - but it has to be AGP and preferibly 256MB/256bit.
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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102609
The 7600GS's aren't apparently available in AGP, so an X1600Pro or the above card maybe a better bet.
"Milk was a bad choice!"
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What AGP cards are currently 256 bit in the less than $150.00 price range?
Abit NF8
Sempron64 3100+ - 2.6GHZ
Thermaltake Big Typhoon
512 MB PC 3200 Ram
Radeon 9550 @ 460/560
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Don't get concerned with specific specs like that unless you have data that suggests it's important. Compare actual benchmarks of all cards under $150.
In other words, there are some 128-bit cards that beat 256-bit cards.
"Milk was a bad choice!"
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You said you needed a $150 dollar agp card? Why not get a radeon x850xt agp for $159?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102688
It was a past generation card but it keeps up well with a 7600gt and it brings up good frames in newer games, even oblivion. Just remember to have a good powersupply because these past generation cards tend to get a lil power hungry.
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