graphics cards

[Nitestick]

i know absolutely crap all about graphics cards, i've never really bothered learning anything because i haven't been interested in pc games until recently and am planning on building a new pc. basically what im hoping for with this post is a debate from all here about graphics cards and what the bare minimum is that can be used with most games without problems. all i am looking for is reasonable quality graphics not high because i don't have much money.

 

[Calzinger]

It really depends upon your budget.

If your budget is virtually non-existant, then you should look into nVidia's 7800 GTX in SLI. That would surely make a dent in your wallet. You would probably end up spending +$1000.

If you really value graphics quality but you don't have all the money to spend, then nVidia's 6800 GT is the best possible choice. It brings you the best possible performance for your money and will last you a good long while. I bought my eVGA 6800 GT PCI-E for around $380.

If you're on this super-budget or something and you can't spend above $300, you should look into nVidia's 6600 GT. It won't bring you leading-edge performance, but you can run basically any game, but not at full blast settings. The 6800 GT can run at full blast settings with nearly any game, including Doom 3.

Now why don't I mention ATI? Hell, I don't know. Maybe someone else can bring you ATI's point of view.

 

[Apokalipse]

the absolute bare minimum you should get is the Geforce FX-5200 (if you're on a really small budget)
the next up would be the Radeon 9600 Pro or XT
then the Radeon 9800 Pro or XT
but you may as well get the 6600 GT over the 9800
then the 6800 GT is a really good card
then the 7800 GTX is a beast of a card

you should probabbly get at least a 6600 GT for best price/performance, but the 6800's and 7800's are really good cards. get the 7800 GTX if you have the money

 

[zygomatic]

I've heard bad stuff about the FX cards. As far as ATi, they used to be better, so NVidia's really your only other option. I used to be a die-hard ATi supporter, but the new GeForce cards are really good, I'm pretty much sold on getting one for my next computer. If ATi ever gets the R520 to work, it'll just go back and forth between who has the best card, so it's pointless to stick to one brand for the name's sake.

 

[str8lazy]

yeah man, it is pretty much an opinion thing. You should just surf the net and look up some benchmarks on some cards that you think might be cool, and then compare prices. I hear that the 6600 is pretty good with a decent price, and if you dont have a limit for when you plan on building a new system you might want to get the 7800 SLI style. That would make nice for an awesome rig. Hope this helps some.

 

[PP Mguire]

I've heard bad stuff about the FX cards

Unfortunately its true cause i have one. Instead of an FX card i suggest a 9600XT and then a 6600GT after that, then a 6800GT then for the most money a 7800GTX. I put those in price order from lowest to most exspensive.

 

[Qwert]

Well he says he has a small budget so I would imagine a 7800GTX or a 6800GT is out of the question. It depends what his budget it. A 6600GT is something like 200-250 USD. (I don't know how much that is in AUD, I'll let you do the conversions)

Why not say what your budget is so people can help you better.

 

[timmer]

get the 6600gt for about 170$ from newegg evga preforably ive heard many many good things about the card and ohh yea i have one it is great and i love never given me any problems and its a really sharp card under 200$ get it!!!
and i think the 6800gt's are down to around 280 but ill have to check up on that for i dont know for sure.

 

[timmer]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150102
this one aint bad

 

[gaara]

Do not get the 7800GTX (yet). It's $600 and I haven't seen enough extensive benchmarks to convince me it's worth that. I really won't be satisfied by benchmarks until I see some HDR thrown in there.

Biggest mistake people can make is buy an expensive card that appears to be impressive the first few months, but then the newer games and graphics engines come out, and yeah...