Help On Purchasing A Video Card

[kooky_kramer]

i am just looking for some advice on which video card to buy. I have 2 in mind and i would like to know your opinions.

The 2 are :

Winfast A280 Geforce Ti4200 128 mb DDR 8x AGP My VIVO - $237
-or-
Winfast A340TD Geforce FX5200 128 mb DDR 8x AGP - $160

So what i would like to know is what you think of these, and why such big price difference considering the different technologies in the cards.

Although i have listed these 2, i am still open for reccomendations for cards in a similar price range. I wouldnt consider myself a hardcore gamer, but i do enjoy playing games and would rather pay a bit more for quality, then less for a card that only runs games made in the next month.

Thanks for your time

PS - My Specs are in my signature (not great i know, but i am 17 years old and paid for and built myself)

[3rd gen noob]

where are you getting those prices from?
they seem pretty high

try Newegg (http://www.newegg.com) for low price hardware in the u.s.

for example, there are a lot of fx5600's on newegg for $160-180

unless you really want a geforce card, maybe you should consider a radeon 9600 pro

edit: missed the price difference question. the difference seems to be because the first card here is a vivo card, which means it can be used as a tv in card

[kooky_kramer]

sorry, i forgot to mention that it is australian dollars (as i type this $1 AUD = 0.65c USD).

And we dont have any sites like newegg in australia (to my knowledge) thats why i need all you peoples help.

Thanks for your reply 3rd gen

[3rd gen noob]

things are pretty expensive over there

probably about as bad as the uk :(

i found this (http://www.eyo.com.au) site, seems to be pretty good.

however, what you have put in your first post seems to be all that you're gonna get for the money

[kooky_kramer]

should i go for the Ti4200 (DX8 and GL1.3) or the Fx5200 (DX9 and GL1.4) ??

[Pitbul]

the FX 5200 is has plenty of VRAM 128 and it has DX 9 Support also cheaper i am running a FX 5200 and i could run the Doom 3 Alpha Demo between 20 and 30 FPS

[G-Tzmax]

The Ti 4200 is better than the fx 5200 u should buy the Ti,
Look at nvidia.com for the specs!! :)

[G-Tzmax]

Look at tigerdirect.com or googlegear.com for another prizes :blink:

[Neo 721]

For that extra bit of performance why not consider a Ti 4400 or a 4600 as their prices have dropped considerably.

[Pitbul]

u want a card with Direct X 9 half life will run on DX 9 so will Doom 3 and most of the newly advancing games if u get a new one just make sure its uses DX 9

[reignking]

if you're doing gaming... the ati 9500 pro beats both those cards hands down... and is cheaper. the 9500 pro is the same card as the 9700 (not pro) basically...

it's hands down the best middle of the road video card you can get.

[kooky_kramer]

anymore support from the ati radeon camp ??

i only originally chose a geforce, because they are what i have had in the past and have served me well. (my 32mb 3D Prophet is still kicking :)

i consider the DX9 support to be important because i am dribbling over half-life and doom 3 as are the rest of the world, and i dont want my card to be outdated instantly because of games that arent DX 8 compatible

Dont get me wrong im not an idiot, but the 20 - 30 fps pitbul is getting out of the 5200 is good right ?? as in not choppy, nice and smooth ??

[mogadishu]

jeez. things are expensive up there.

[jkmatt]

I recently purchaced a Ati 9500 pro for 189.00 US and it runs all my games pretty well. I use to buy only graphic cards with nvidia chipsets but I saw the bench marks for the 9500 pro and I now believe that its a better card for that price range. It also has DX9 support so its ready for future games.

[DarthInsinuate]

the Geforce Ti4200 is faster than the Geforce FX5200 but GeForce has DX9 support - simpley put i can put it: Ti = wizzz, Fx = pretttyy


Originally posted by jkmatt
I recently purchaced a Ati 9500 pro for 189.00 US and it runs all my games pretty well. I use to buy only graphic cards with nvidia chipsets but I saw the bench marks for the 9500 pro and I now believe that its a better card for that price range. It also has DX9 support so its ready for future games.

i think the 9500 isn't being produced by Ati anymore so are hard to find and a tad more expensive then it should be

[Lamsey]

The best way to future-proof is to buy a card with DX9/OGL1.4 support.

---> Geforce FX5200



I have one, and it's sweeet. Very pretty graphics :)

[kooky_kramer]

thanks for all your replies, im pretty well decided on the FX5200 now, especially since there is a model to add remote control ability to your computer, which is excellent for me because i use my computer as a jukebox running through an amp and then an equalizer, so i have to get up to change the volume.

my last concern is how much life im gonna get out of the card, are we talking half life 2 and doom 3 ??

and are leadtek winfast a good brand or should i try something different ??