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trolli
11-14-2003, 11:31 AM
I recently built a new computer, and unfortunately the video card I got just gave me problems. I bought a supposedly new radeon 9500 pro on ebay, that never worked right in my system.

Here are the specs.
Athlon XP 2500+ barton
asus a7n8x-x
1X 512mb giel golden dragon ddr400 memory
80gb maxtor 7200rpm 8mb cache
52x cendyne burner

The 9500 pro wouldn't even let the machine post, and I tried it in two other computers. It posted in one, and worked fine, but the other system wouldn't even turn on with it in. So I sold the card back on ebay to get my money back.

Anyway I'm looking for a card that will have decent graphics. I'm not a perfectionist when it comes to graphics. If it looks good and the game runs smoothly I'm happy. I don't need the 100+ frames a second at 1600X1200. I run a resolution of 1280X1024, and play most games at 1024X768. So as long as I have a decent frame rate and smoothness at 1024X768 for games I'm happy.

I'm looking at playing games like Age of Empires type sims, Tron 2.0, Unreal Tournament, and stuff like that.

I figured the radeon 9500pro would have been a great card for the price I got it at, but since it didn't work I'm not sure I want to try one of those again just in case. Although the card I tried didn't come in a box or anything, so it was probably a bogus card to begin with.

Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions for a card please let me know. I don't have loads of money to spend. So we are probably talking < $200.00. I'd like to see < $150.00 if at all possible.

Thanks

Drake
11-14-2003, 06:57 PM
The best <$200 card is the 9600XT, and comes with a free copy (see: ticket) of HL2. I'd say if you wanna spend any less you'd probably be better off waiting for the next generation of cards to bring about a price drop.

mdzcpa
11-15-2003, 11:46 PM
Originally posted by Drake
The best <$200 card is the 9600XT, and comes with a free copy (see: ticket) of HL2.

ditto

trolli
11-17-2003, 04:43 PM
I've been looking into the 9600 XT now. I see two major companies that seem to make it. Asus, and Sapphire. Are there any advantages to either one of them? I found a OEM sapphire version of the card, with all the manuals, and Half Life 2 for 155. Thats why I ask. Not sure if Asus is a better card or not.

Drake
11-17-2003, 06:53 PM
All the manufacturers are about equal. I'd say look up user opinions to help finalize your decision :)

notoriousformula
11-17-2003, 07:35 PM
Originally posted by trolli
I found a OEM sapphire version of the card, with all the manuals, and Half Life 2 for 155.

Shweeet!!!^^^^^...go for it :D

Cheers!