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Biggus Doggus
08-12-07, 08:09 PM
Hey all...

I currently have:

80GB IDE HDD
1gb DDR 333 RAM
1.8ghz P4 CPU
Asus 9550ge video card (256mb, AGP 8x (but only working @ 4x because of my cruddy mobo)
Asus P4S533-MX mobo

I am looking to upgrade to:
160gb SATA HDD
1 gb DDR2 800 RAM
AMD Athlon 3600 Dual core cpu
ASUS M2N-MX MicroATX mobo

And here, finally, is my question. What card to get? I will be on a very tight budget, so just looking for one to see me through until I can afford a higher spec one.
I am looking at:

GeForce 8400GS
GeForce EN7300GS or
Radeon HD 2400Pro
(all PCI-E)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but any of these cards is far superior to what I have now.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Velocity
08-12-07, 09:50 PM
Why not a HD2600? Also 2GB of ram should be standard in you new system.
Biggus Doggus
08-12-07, 10:35 PM
Why not a HD2600? Also 2GB of ram should be standard in you new system.

HD2600 is outside my price-range. They go for around $NZ150.00 ($112 US). I'm talking *very* limited budget!!

To give you an idea about the prices:

8400GS = $NZ100.00 ($75 US)
EN7300GS = $NZ80.00 ($60 US)
HD 2400 Pro = $NZ95.00 ($71 US)

Thing is, I don't neccessarily want to pay extra for DirectX 10, when really I only need DirectX 9.
shirker
08-12-07, 11:27 PM
what will you be using this card for?

If you want pure gaming performance, you should really take a look at some older and cheaper DX9 cards that will outperform any of the ones you've listed above. you probably won't need the DX10 compatibility just yet, because with that kind of budget you can't afford a good DX10 card that will handle upcoming games anyway; you'll probably have to upgrade to a newer and more expensive card later.

If this card is for a HTPC or the equivalent of one, you'd want a HD 2400 for its full h.264 and vc-1 acceleration.
Biggus Doggus
08-13-07, 04:18 AM
what will you be using this card for?

If you want pure gaming performance, you should really take a look at some older and cheaper DX9 cards that will outperform any of the ones you've listed above. you probably won't need the DX10 compatibility just yet, because with that kind of budget you can't afford a good DX10 card that will handle upcoming games anyway; you'll probably have to upgrade to a newer and more expensive card later.

If this card is for a HTPC or the equivalent of one, you'd want a HD 2400 for its full h.264 and vc-1 acceleration.

Nope, not for a HTPC. It will be for gaming, but not very "hard-core". Company of Heroes, Medieval Total War 2 kind of thing. As far as games soon to come, World in Conflict...

You're dead right - I don't need DX10. Just a good solid DX9 that will see me right for the next year or so. For around $60 - $70 US. Not to much to ask for, is it? ;-)
AzAzEl656
08-13-07, 05:08 AM
Why go for an AMD X2 3600? With the price drops in AMD processors I would expect more people would buy the 5600 and up.
Biggus Doggus
08-13-07, 05:14 AM
Why go for an AMD X2 3600? With the price drops in AMD processors I would expect more people would buy the 5600 and up.

It's all about budget, and the wife factor. I want to get something that's better than what I have, for as little as possible. Thus, a 3600 (or maybe a 3800).

Another thing - would I necessarily be losing much by getting a 128mb card rather than 256mb?
JamesXP
08-13-07, 06:16 AM
Depends on which resolotion you game at.


i'm pretty sure the 7300GT is an okay card. The GS isn't (has one)
Biggus Doggus
08-13-07, 06:28 PM
Depends on which resolotion you game at.


i'm pretty sure the 7300GT is an okay card. The GS isn't (has one)

When you say the GS isn't, it would surely still be better than what I currently have?
shirker
08-13-07, 06:47 PM
When you say the GS isn't, it would surely still be better than what I currently have?no doubt about that. it's just that the 7300gs performance is absolutely dismal compared to even cheaper cards
Biggus Doggus
08-13-07, 06:51 PM
no doubt about that. it's just that the 7300gs performance is absolutely dismal compared to even cheaper cards

What about the LE?
shirker
08-13-07, 07:05 PM
What about the LE?not even sure what card you're talking about. Where will you be buying your parts from? If you have a website in mind, someone here can easily find a good card for your particular budget. it's much easier than back and forth questions like this ;)
Velocity
08-13-07, 07:20 PM
It's all about budget, and the wife factor. I want to get something that's better than what I have, for as little as possible. Thus, a 3600 (or maybe a 3800).

Another thing - would I necessarily be losing much by getting a 128mb card rather than 256mb?

Don't let the wife rule you. Your the man of the house, and if I want a high end gaming pc then god dammit, thats what I'll get. Besides the pc you want will be old in a year with those spec. spend a G and get something kool.
Biggus Doggus
08-13-07, 07:23 PM
not even sure what card you're talking about. Where will you be buying your parts from? If you have a website in mind, someone here can easily find a good card for your particular budget. it's much easier than back and forth questions like this ;)

It's a 7300LE.

http://www.tastech.co.nz/details/100454.htm

But thanks for the advice shirker - there's a number of sites I'm looking at and once I settle on one I'll post it. cheers
DanFraser
08-14-07, 08:23 AM
It's all about budget, and the wife factor.

LIE TO HER!

:p

Just kidding.

For the gfx card, hunt around, go second hand for a 7600-7800. For the system you're building, anything better is going to be slowed down by the rest of the build. But for nvidia cards, anything lower than a *600 card is a waste of time, as they are really only built to display office and play films. 8600 is the exception to this rule, they just suck.
AzAzEl656
08-14-07, 08:30 AM
8600 is the exception to this rule, they just suck.

Oh come on. I have one and it's not that bad. I actually kinda like it. Stop with the hate Mr. 8800

:santa:
DanFraser
08-14-07, 09:06 AM
True, it's not that bad, but in comparison to the rest of the 8*00 range, the *600's are very poor offerings. There seems to be a trend with nvidia cards on what was previously a decent card now gets developed as a budget card outright. Remember 4600's being the top range? 6600's being fairly decent, and on.
White_Pawn
08-14-07, 08:28 PM
7600GT?

8500GT?

2600pro?

x1600pro, x1650pro, 6600gt, 6800xt (don't really recommend it, but they might be in the price range you are looking for)
striker920
08-15-07, 10:43 AM
the 7600gt might do the trick. they are around 70us dollars
Biggus Doggus
08-19-07, 04:50 PM
Still on the topic of upgrading (and I know this is technically the video card forum, but better than starting a whole new thread!) - is there much between these (low-end) mobo's that I'm considering?

http://computers.pricegrabber.com/motherboards/m/30069225/details/
http://www.nfc.co.nz/ProductDetail.asp?ItemID=M0002080&v=MS&c=Motherboards+%2D+AMD+SOCKET+AM2+mATX

again, any advice is greatly appreciated!!!
Velocity
08-19-07, 08:09 PM
How about this.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138061
Biggus Doggus
08-19-07, 08:21 PM
How about this.
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138061[/url
]

Looks nice, but unfortunately it's probably out of my budget. And a quick search of online stores in New Zealand suggests Biostar is not sold in NZ. Thanks though.