Video Card Tips Needed

[ikellen]

OK since I have finally realized that overclocking my TNT2 will not help me out in the long run, I am now trying to decide which card to ask for on my christmas list I have been looking at a couple of cards already, give me your thoughts on them:

-ATi Radeon 9000 or 9000 pro
-Nvidia Geforce 4 Ti4200
-Nvidia Geforce 4 MX440

All of these are pretty high range cards, but not the best on the market, as I'm not looking to spend more than $150. If people have reccomendations and like what manufacturer or place to buy, I'm totally open for suggestions. Im just looking for the following features so to speak:

-Overclockable
-One of the chipsets listed about
-AGP duh!
-TV out if possible
-Comes standard with both fan and heatsink installed on the board

Mostly Im looking for suggestions on which card, where to buy, why, etc. Help me out here

 

[Ecniv]

with all the requirements you listed I would DEFINITLY go with an MSI Geforce 4 Ti 4200, overclocking capability is great, have fans and heatsinks pre-installed. And I believe that version comes with a TV out. Very bada$$ card!

 

[þÄ®âÐÖx]

Definately go with the MSI Ti4200. I have this card, and it has brought me nothing but joy since the day it arrived. I keep it overclocked all the time (with stock cooling) and it runs completely stable, and very fast. TV-out is also a standard feature, and TV-in is optional.

 

[ikellen]

Geforce reccomended the same card. What experience have u had with the ATi card? I have found that card very inexpensive at multiple retailers. Anyone else got something to add?

 

[þÄ®âÐÖx]

A friend of mine has a Radeon 9000.. he's been very impressed with the price/performance, but ATI has always had problems with drivers. If you want good stable drivers, go with Nvidia.

 

[Martin]

ATI has cleaned up their act with drivers nowadays; but haven't released the full potential of the card. The Radeon 9000/9000 Pro don't perform as well as a GF4 Ti 4200 or Radeon 8500 in most games, but for now it's a great value card. It may not be a good idea to purchase now, since it will eventually be phased out by the Radeon 9500.

 

[ikellen]

Hmm............that shines new light on why retailers have been selling the 9000/9000 pro for $60-$80. I agree with the driver thing..........I'm running the latest detonators and I do get better performance (although not huge) on my card. What is the 9500 like in terms of performance, etc?

 

[ikellen]

Anyone got any more opinions? I really need some advice, as my family is not very tech oriented, so I need to know what to ask for

 

[Sparda_X]

Here are some nice Benchmarks for ATI 9500 and Ge Force 4 TI 4200:
http://www6.tomshardware.com/graphic/02q4/021024/ati-03.html

Benchmarks For ATI 9000:
http://www6.tomshardware.com/graphic/02q3/0207181/radeon9000-03.html