Which Video Card?

Hi guys. It has been awhile since I've posted. It's good to see the forums are still going strong.

At any rate, I find over to a freinds house today and determined his video card was bad (popped mine in and it worked, so I stopped there). He needs a new one and is willing the spend 150 bucks max.

He has..

x2 4200+
1gb Ram
Some Asus motherboard (PCI-e x16)

It is an HP, so I could not tell much more, but the card that needs replacing is a 7500LE. He mainly plays WoW and C&C 3. I was thinking maybe a ATI 2600XT or an 8600Gxx, but I have not really been keeping track of video cards in the past months, so I have no clue was is considered mid-range now. Any thoughts?

X1950 would be a good bet for him.

Immortal_Hero said:

X1950 would be a good bet for him.

Click to expand...

Agreed! They've consistently gotten great reviews/benchmarks and are very affordable. Here's a link to a great single-slot 512MB x1950Pro that should easily suit your friend's needs.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102075

Btw, its an AM2 system if that matters any. Are there any other good bets for under $150? Would there be an advantage to getting the DX10 card?

Not for gaming. The 8600 cards are bunk That x1950 is a solid performer. Great card for the money

Just a heads-up re: the card linked: The stock cooler is awful. It's passable for gaming, but it'll run hot even with the fan at 100%. We're talking 65-70+ temps with good case cooling.

The card itself is pretty nice (just ran mine through the Crysis demo), but it's worth looking into a slightly better cooler (Accelero S1's are ~20bux).

The previous link seems to be dead - just gives a list of open box cards.

If'n ya don't mind open box products, here's an X1950XT for 155.89. Blows the doors off that X1950PRO. Yes, it's a 256MB card, but that's plenty for his system and games.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102067R

If it's a firm budget, the next best bet is X1950PRO for 104.99 after rebate.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814241038

x1950pro for cheap.

Otherwise, get a 8800GT.

Okay, I was figuring this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102061

Would this cooler be better, though?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161088

Same card except for the better cooler, right? I am cautious of big looking stock coolers.

Yeah, the HIS card is dual slot. Blows the hot air out of the case. Better cooling.

Too bad you can't get the X1950XTX anymore. Great OC'er, gddr4...