I just found a PC that I totaly forgot about. It is one of those Gateway 700s. It has a P4 (I think 2.4Ghz) and 512MB RAM with a 250 watt Power supply. I do not remember, but I think it has AGP 8x slot. It was made in October of 2002 if that helps.
What it does not have is a video card. The thing is that I do not need one of those crazy 7900's and such which would cost more than the PC is worth!!
I am looking for a video card under or around $50. I found a couple on Newegg, but I do not know anything about consumer grade Video cards...
I am not expecting it to be able to run the most recent games at high res, but I would like to be able to play games and do some 2D graphics (animations) and minor 3D animation.
Also, I will try to take a picture of the the inside an post it to show the GPU slot, but that will be later on or tomorrow.
I'm gonna say go with the Geforce 6200. It will handle what games/apps you are wanting. NVIDIA's FX series was a big dissappointment. Terrible grade cards. And the Raedon's are good, but I wouldn't reccomend the 9XXX series, it will be outdated faster than than the 6200.
Thank you for the response. I will look for some more nVidia 6xxx series then. I can maybe find one that is in a similar price bracket. I will post some results.
BTW, what about this Radeon. I know you said that 9xxx might not last, but this one is 128 bit with 256mb GDDR2 (radeon 9600XT):
I have no idea what order these cards are produced. I am guessing that the 9xxx are older than the Geforce 6200s.
Also, what is the comparitive Radeon card to the 6xxx series. It seems like Radeon cards are cheaper. For example, what does a Radeon X700 compare to for nVidia??
Is this correct? If this is the case I see the choices as 1 or 5 or possibly between 1, 4, or 5.
However, will I have to upgrade my PSU if I get a 6200? What type of overclocking (unlocking of pipes) would I be able to do with my possiblities.
Thanks
Edit: it looks like the Radeon is no longer an option. I looked at the connector and my motherboard only takes the universal connector, so my decision for now is between the Arcafe FX and the PNY.
Could someone please help me out in making a decision or come up with an additional choice. For instance I would like to know if the DDR2 and 128 bit memory will make a difference in the performace and if this difference is worth the extra $20.
I am also considering a Radeon x700, but I have to see if the connector is compatible.
It looks like this is compatible and from what I have read this is similar to a Geforce 6600. Is this correct? I have noticed that the 6600 has smart shader 3 and the x700 does not though.
I can get the x700 for roughly $65-$75 shipped. Is this a good price for it?
Thank you for all of your help. Your suggestion lead me to do lots of research on the 6200 and I stumbled on to an x700 Pro for $70. I looked at some reviews and and it seemed to be very similar to the Geforce 6600GT, so I bought the x700 Pro. I know it does not have Smart Shader 3, and full Direct X 9c, but I think it will be more than enough for what I need and it was less than the 256MB Geforce 6200 would have cost.
Just one question though. I need one more of those clamps that hold down the Heatsink to the CPU. The CPU is a Pentium 4 2.53 with 512kb Cache and 533Mhz Bus. I found out when I put new thermal paste on it. Do you know anywhere that I could get one of those??
