cheap video card advice

[Project86]

Well, I talked some family members into combining my bday and Christmas presents to get me a new system. It will be ecs k7s5a with 512mb pc133 (for now) my old 40 gig 7200 HD, nice case w/400 watt psu, XP1600+... but the budget doesn't allow for a new video card. I have been using a TNT2M64 in my old P2-450 system. Will this be OK to run for a few months, or should I have them buy me a cheap card? There's like $35 left before I hit the limit of how much they will spend... would like a GF2 or lower end GF3 be worth the buy (and can I even find one at that price?) Or would my current card do just as good for the time being? I do plan on saving up and getting a very nice card later, so I do want to skimp for now.

 

[funnyperson1]

i will tell you that in newer games (GTA3, UT2003) the TNT2 falls flat on its face....really....try to see if you can find a GTS or Radeon LE on ebay for like 30$....but if youre gonna get a new card soon then maybe try to stick it out

 

[cursor]

Try to get somebody to give/sell you a piece of crap (maybe a 4m PCI card) and save your money until you can get a good one. I am buying a 4m AGP trident off a guy from the forums for $5 for a folding rig!

 

[funnyperson1]

Try to get somebody to give/sell you a piece of crap (maybe a 4m PCI card) and save your money until you can get a good one. I am buying a 4m AGP trident off a guy from the forums for $5 for a folding rig!

a TNT2 is faster than any 4mb card

 

[deez]

you can get an OEM Radeon 7500 or cheapo Geforce2 for around $50 but personally I would keep the TNT2 a bit longer and put that $50 towards a better card like a Geforce4 Ti4200.

 

[Project86]

How about the Visiontek GF4 420? I found it for $48 shipped.

http://www.target-sale.com/tusa/items/videoagp/i03359.html

That's a few dollars over budget, but it's also a pretty good card right?

 

[tripwire]

I would suggest just sticking it out, and buying a cheap OEM ti4200 from Newegg.. thats what I did, I got a wonderful RETAIL MSI for the price of an OEM. But, one thing to add, avoid the k7s5a like the plague.. I had it, it sucks! Nothing but problems came from it, there are many other boards that off better performance, considering ur not even gonna be using the DDR slots.

 

[cursor]

Whoops! I didn't read that right, did I?! Thought your old card died. Yeah, there's not much better than a what you've got for $50. Prices should drop just after xmas (maybe Gf3 ti200?) when nVidia's new chip is widely available.

 

[Project86]

http://forum.oc-forums.com/vb/showthread.php?threadid=132437&goto=newpost

That mobo was highly reccommended by many overclocker.comers, and several other people I know. The newegg reviews seem overall very good, with just a few people who had bad experiences. I will be getting DDR maybe after christmas. Can you reccommend a comparable mobo for the same price, with the same features?



Is that a negative on the GF4 MX420? I thought it was a good deal, then I'll get a ti later.

 

[Cisco Kid]

I would suggest just sticking it out, and buying a cheap OEM ti4200 from Newegg.. thats what I did, I got a wonderful RETAIL MSI for the price of an OEM. But, one thing to add, avoid the k7s5a like the plague.. I had it, it sucks! Nothing but problems came from it, there are many other boards that off better performance, considering ur not even gonna be using the DDR slots.

The ECS board isa actually very good I ran one for a period of time while my 8K3A board was rma'd. It is very stable and reliable plus it accepts both sdram and ddr.

Itnis not the most overclockable but it is a good chipset. For value it is great plus you get onboard sound if needed and onboard lan to boot for a low price. Reviews show it to perfom well for the cost.

I think he has a good system together , and to hold off on the video card but before I would buy the G4MX 420 I would get a R7500 or a G2 Ti200 or an Ultra.

Cisco KId

 

[Cisco Kid]

http://forum.oc-forums.com/vb/showthread.php?threadid=132437&goto=newpost

That mobo was highly reccommended by many overclocker.comers, and several other people I know. The newegg reviews seem overall very good, with just a few people who had bad experiences. I will be getting DDR maybe after christmas. Can you reccommend a comparable mobo for the same price, with the same features?



Is that a negative on the GF4 MX420? I thought it was a good deal, then I'll get a ti later.

Keep with the ECS K75SA it is good. Yeah pass on the G4MX420 get an oem or G2 Ti based card or a used Ultra if you can find one. To find a mobo with same features for similar cost would be hard there really is not anything, a DFI AK76-SN (761 chipset) would be a decent choice if you can find a refurb off newegg as I did for $31 but it is only DDR based so the ECS is your best bet.

Cisco KID