NEED HELP WITH graphics card!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[compu-dude]

is the 9600xt the best one?

 

[aye29]

In my opinion, the 9600XT is the best one for under $200.

 

[Forceflow]

9600XT is the best for its value. if you wait a few months 9700 will have a decent price if you want to wait for that. I'd stay away from the whole FX scene, Nvidia needs to sort out alot of bugs with that card. And its freaking loud!

 

[compu-dude]

i know u r all gonna laugh at me........but just out of curiosity, does anyone know how well the PNY Verto FX 5200 performs? There is one on sale at Best Buy this week.

 

[Chipa66]

Did you end up reinstalling your version of Windows after you installed the card? If so, I may have some advice for you. One bit of advice I have now, however, is to stear clear of the 5200. No that there is necessarily anything horribly wrong with it, but you are able to get some really good deals on better cards if you shop around and have some patience. If you want to stay with Nvidia, get the 5900 that is currently selling for $200 or less in many places. The 9600XT is also selling for about the same price or less but some sites have it benchmarking below the 5900. You can get an OEM version of the 9800 PRO at newegg for $229 if you don't mind getting your product in a plain white box. Personally, I think I'm going with that particular offer myself.

Here's a link to a review of the 5900 with some 9600XT benchmarks for comparison: http://www.hardwareseeker.com/articles.html?f=bfg5900

 

[Olinskis7]

You certain its a 9800XT for 229? Dang, lowest 9800XT OEM I saw on newegg was 429. If you link me, I'll buy today!

 

[Chipa66]

Dude...so sorry to make that mistake! I've edited my post to correct myself. It's the 9800 Pro for $229. Didn't mean to get everyone excited. Anyway, here's a link to the Pro, which I still think is a rockin' deal.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-268&catalog=48&depa=1

 

[compu-dude]

well i thought about reinstalling windows but i have a question about that........

my computer is from dell (go ahead, ridicule me), and i was thinking that possibly all of the junk dell puts on its systems may have been causing hte problems. despite this fact, would reinstalling win. xp possibly help? (all i have is the reinstall disk that dell gave me, not the full version. does that mean that the reainstall disk will still have allm that stuff dell puts in there?) i think i may try reinstalling it anyway.

any help ASAP would be GREATLY appreciated

 

[Chipa66]

You should have a recovery disk from Dell that contains Windows XP. I'm not sure what Dell might put on there in addition. If you do decide to reinstall, make sure that you have the drivers for all of your components ready to go on a zip disk or have the links written down somewhere handy. Personally, I like to totally reformat my drive before I reinstall Windows so as not to have duplicate copies of XP. I also think that it's much cleaner and safer. At any rate don't forget to load the drivers for your motherboard FIRST before loading drivers for your soundcard or video card. I made this mistake recently and was getting terrible performance until I figured out(with the help of others here) what I had done. The name and make of your motherboard should be included in your documentation. This is an extremely important step that many people forget when reformatting their systems. It may be worth a shot to start fresh and see what happens. Make sure that you don't get too impatient and forget to back up any important files before reformatting your drive.

 

[compu-dude]

ok thanks alot 4 ur suggestions. i am definitely going to back up my .doc's and other important stuff. i think i am gonna try to reformat just bcus i might as well try b4 going out and buying a whole new card. thnks alot chipa and everyone that replied. if i run into any more glitches and need suggestions i will definitely post again. thanks!