Shopping for new video card.

eyethoughtso wrote on 4/16/2006, 9:32 PM
Unitedmicro is advertising AMD Athlon 64 / X2 DUAL CORE SC939
ASUS A8N-SLI NVIDIA nForce®4 SLI™ 2xPCI-E X16,SATA,8-CH.AUDIO,IEEE1394,GIGABIT LAN Case ASPIRE X-PLORER SILVER SAMSUNG 512MB PC3200 Memory, barebones for under $400. Boris Graffiti will not recognize my integrated to mobo intel graphics. I saw a few good suggestions. I'm sure this configuration should last a few years before it's outdated. I plan to bump up the RAM. What video graphic configuration is everybody using for dual Video monitors?

Comments

Wes C. Attle wrote on 4/17/2006, 5:33 AM
The nvidia 7900 GT is a great high performance, "medium" cost option. (Medium cost is relative to each person).

I have a 7900 GTX that is really fun. But I actually tell others to wait until summer to upgrade to a high-end card. The nVidia G80's will probably launch by August. They will support DirectX 10 with Windows Vista SP1. Thus all old video cards become obsolete with regards to DirectX software about a year or so from now.

It's all relative though because DirectX 10 software won't become popular until next next summer or later.... so you decide. :-)

PuppyDogMom wrote on 4/17/2006, 5:58 AM
Is there a suggested amount of video memory for using this software? I have 128 now.
Wes C. Attle wrote on 4/18/2006, 5:37 AM
Well, 256 mb memory on video cards is pretty standard now, does not really cost much extra. But 128 mb is probably just fine for almost anything. I have 512 mb on my video card!
Dach wrote on 4/18/2006, 6:12 AM
I upgraded last fall to the Geforce 6600 GT. It replaced my then two plus years old ATI. I have been pleased with it.

I would suggest asking yourself how much you want to spend. Compared to your onboard video... a 6xxx or 7xxx card will be an improvement.

DirectX 10 is going to provide a great evolution in PC gaming, which will justify a new card for any serious user. (once the games began to be published) For that reason I would suggest choosing something under $150.00
birdcat wrote on 4/18/2006, 9:38 AM
I just got a GIGABYTE GV-N52128DS Geforce FX5200 128MB 64-bit DDR AGP 4X/8X from newegg.com - Love it - it is now at $37.50 plus $1.50 for three day shipping.

It has DVI out, composite out, plus XGA out - it's fast enough for my needs and you can't beat the price!