Okay, my old computer died a while back, and I’m using this cobbled-together one that’s giving me the occasional video problem. They’d be more occasional if I actually tried to play the games I’d like to play. Ergo, I’ve given thought to upgrading my video card. I’m kinda on the poor side, so I’m wondering what advice people might have about just going ‘one step up’ from what I have- what I should be looking for, etc.
What I have right now is an NVidia GeForce2 Mx/Mx400. What’s the next step up for a guy that doesn’t want to spend much?
A GeForce4 MX. They’re basically just glorified GF2 MX’s; but nowadays one can be had for forty bucks.
However, if you want a bit more quality, shop around for a GeForce FX 5200… I’m betting you can find one for $70. Or you can check out the lower-end Radeon 9000 series (like a 9200 or so)… they’re roughly comparable. However, I’m not as knowledgeable about the Radeons, admittedly.
You’ll really need to pay attention to how much memory each of these cards have too. An NVidia GeForce2 Mx400 with 64MB would be noticeably better than one with only 32MB.
I suggest getting a GeForce4 Ti4200 with 128MB memory. I got mine for around $50, and I can play most games at their highest settings.
Get something that’s DX9 capable since it’s the new gen spec… for about $100 you can get a nvidia geforce FX 5200 card
At this point, it would be a waste to upgrade to anything less than a DirectX9 card…
Entry level cards are
The geforce FX 5200
or ATI Radeon 9600… (9500 also, but is more expensive…)
I have seen the geforce cards for around $70…
and the ATI 9600 for $120…
The FX 5200 is a pretty good value card… That would be what I would go with.
An FX 5200 is an EXTREMELY bad idea. It had DirectX9 support, but advanced hardware support is useless when the card itself is so underpowered. For comparison purposes, an FX 5200 is slower than most Geforce4 MX models. Avoid the Radeon 9200-series for similar reasons. Your options, with going rates in USD (links available upon request):
[ul]
[li]ATI Radeon 7500 DDR, $35[/li][li]ATI Radeon 9000, $45[/li][li]ATI Radeon 9100, $55[/li][li]nVidia Geforce4 Ti4200, $75[/li][li]ATI Radeon 9500, $105[/li][li]ATI Radeon 9600 Pro, $145[/li][/ul]
The Radeon 9100 offers the best bang for the buck for the low end. It will beat any Geforce3 or Geforce4 MX card, and offers full DirectX 8.1 support. If you want DirectX9.0 support, your cheapest option is the Radeon 9500. If your budget is too tight to permit even a Radeon 9000, go with a Radeon 7500 DDR. They’ll beat Geforce4 MX level cards, and offer better image quality and features. Still, performance will likely be unacceptable.