Graphics Card Help

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edmn61

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I've been working on a PC with integrated graphics for awhile. It's been really annoying, having to set games on lowest quality and resolution and praying that they work. I've been looking around and found some good cards, but my parents won't get one for me, so I plan to buy one myself. I'm a kid, with a tight budget, but I still want to get something pretty good that would let me play games on high settings now, and maybe on medium in the future. It should last me about two years.

I've been thinking about the GeForce 7600GT 256MB AGP OC, which I can get for the non-overclocked version for about $130 off of shopping.com (though I'm willing to wait a little for a sale or a price drop). And, according to hardware secrets.com (is it trusted and accurate?), and http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/344/9, the card got 59 fps on Far Cry, very high quality, at 1280x1024 (my resolution). That sounds pretty good.

But I'm wondering about some things. I don't know much about computers aside from the basics, and I wonder; should I get the OC version or the normal version. I have two cooling systems which work well, but my house is pretty warm. The OC version got about 5 fps more on Far Cry, but how much extra heat would it make?

Also, I would appreciate if someone found me a good deal somewhere trusted. I don't shop online so I'm not sure where's a good place.

And I'm not even sure if I should get the GeForce 7600GT 256MB AGP OC at all. It seems like a great deal, but since I probably won't buy another graphics card any time soon, (I'm very stingy with money) I want to get a great card where I get a lot for my dollar.
Oh, and I have an AGP slot, so no PCI.

So basically, I'd appreciate answers to any or all of these questions:

- At medium and high quality levels, how long would the GeForce 7600GT 256MB AGP OC or a card you recommend last me for FPS and RPG's?
-Does hardwaresecrets.com give accurate info and does it accept bribes?
-My house is pretty warm, and though I have two cooling systems, is the OC worth the extra heat?
-Is $130 a good deal for the GeForce 7600GT 256MB AGP? Can I get it for less from a trusted store? Is the OC one avaliable in AGP?
-Is the GeForce 7600GT 256MB AGP OC (or not overclocked version) a good deal for me? Or could I do better?
-And, what are your personal experiences with the GeForce 7600GT 256MB AGP (OC)?

I'm confused, :( so I'd appreciate all responses and advice.

Oh, and I'm not sure if my poll will post.

EDIT: Yay, my poll posted. Oh, and please post and vote, and try to answer as many questions as possible. Also, my budget is at max $150-$160.

2nd EDIT: I decided to get the Radeon X850 Pro. Looks pretty good, and $140 off Newegg, $130 off Amazon. But my parents don't like buying directly from people, so I'll probably go for the reputable Newegg.
 
I have never heard of hardware secrets before....
I stick with the following sites for hardware reviews & info:

Tom's Hardware
AnandTech
[H]ard|OCP

For online shopping, I use ONLY NewEgg. I actually have 2 500 Gig hard drives being shipped right now... ordered EARLY friday morning, shipped out at 10:00am that day, just waitin on UPS.

As far as your video card choice, I would go with SAPPHIRE Radeon X1650PRO. Same amount of pixel pipelines, higher memory clock & core clock speeds....

BUT... upon further review, it looks like the 7600GS out-performs the x1650 PRO, so I would go with the 7600 (7800 GS if you can swing the extra dough.... mow some more lawns or somethin...)

HERE are the available 7600's that NewEgg has...
 
7600GT would pull in some fine performance. There are some good PCI-Express motherboards on www.newegg.com, which would give you much better performance. Check this one out.

I have been buying from newegg for a while now, and i can trust them with my credit card number.

Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1681312830

AGP Card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130051

PCI-e Card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814141044

If you spend the 80 bucks on that motherboard with the PCI-e card you get better Core and Memory Clock speeds.
 
Thnx for the help.
Don't think I'll update my motherboard though.

EDIT: I'm gonna get the Radeon X850 Pro. Please give your opinion on my choice before I order and it's too late!
 
Radeon X850 Pro is good card, but not good as 7600GT and it doesn't support SM3.0

If you can't get 7600GT, then go with X850pro
 
Ethereal Dragon, Can you give me a link to a good site to learn about like pixel pipelines, i know nothing about that..

Plus, I don't know too much about overclocking either :\


but... I would go, if you can, the GeForce 7900GT. It's one of the best cards out there for it's price, you can get it from newegg.com for about $99 bucks after a mail-in rebate.


But the x850 pro isn't that bad.
 
Well, if I'm not mistaken, isn't the X850 Pro better than the 7600GT, which I found out was only PCI (there was a typo).

And Ephexx793, could you give me the url, I only found $200 PCI express versions.

Oh, and does anyone have a site that compares the X850 Pro to many other cards in all kinds of tests? I've been looking around and haven't found too much.
 
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