Video Card buyers help

[mateor6]

hey guys im looking to spend the absolute LEAST amount of money on a new video card......i want the most bang for the buck. i play counter strike and battlefield 1942 desert combat. so lets keep taht in mind when selecting one.

what is my best bet to save money but still get a TON of performance.....i want to spend under 100 FOR SURE! unless there is some super duper deal on the net for a slightly better card.

also keep in mind that a 8xagp is not needed....my mobo only supports the standard 4x AGP......(its the first HP P4 ever to come out HP 9795c).

also please provide a link of where it can be bought for the low low price im looking for......

thanks guys



LOVE THE SITE!!!!

[hockey man]

perhaps something like this?

http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102386

check with the gurues but i think it is compatible.

[mateor6]

sorry i just realized this is in the wrong subject.........im moving this into the buying and upgrading section........

hockeyman.....i would definitly think that is compatible......but its not a AGP its a PCI card.....i want to use the AGP slot at 4x.

i also would like a feature that will allow me to connect my tv or dvd player to the video card so i can record tv and movies.....

[hockey man]

it says its agp

[i an not a nerd]

Ah, ViVo or Tv Tuner for under $100... I'm not sure that you will find anything that can do that.

[mateor6]

ok well then give me a price of one that is the cheapest priced one out there.......

[Danielle198711]

Try www.newegg.com you can get alot of things from their for disccount prices

[mateor6]

thanks but im fully aware of the TONS of sites that price search for you....but you cant search for something unless you know what your searching for.....

well anyways i was inpatient and bought an xtasy 9600 256mb card.......i spent 150 on it and i would have to say its not worth it......it sucks

i really wish i would have gone with a 9600XT or similiar or even the all in wonder 9600.....

anybody want a like new video card for cheap?? ill sell it for 100 bucks!! just paid 149.99 at compusa :(
its not bad...but just doesnt get the FPS i really want.

[saphalline]

I'm not sure what you're looking for. You want to spend the least amount of money possible (under $100) on a smokin' fast vid card with a built-in TV tuner? My first thought is to laugh hysterically! No offense, but what are you thinking?? That is so unrealistic!

A vid card with a built-in TV tuner alone will cost you $100. Throw in high-end performance (better than a Radeon 9600?) and you can double that! Now, if you want a good quality vid card, add another 10%. Hardware isn't free! It's no wonder you ended up being disappointed - you were searching for a non-existant product!

So really, what do you want? Are you willing to spend the extra money, or cut back on your expectations?

[mateor6]

at first i just wanted a 4x agp card with tv capture......

now ive decided to go another route (obviously after purchasing a 9600)

i hope your flaming me made you feel better cause you arent helping me much with that post.

"hey guys im looking to spend the absolute LEAST amount of money on a new video card......i want the most bang for the buck."
after that i said under 100 for sure!...thats before i knew i wanted to get a tv capture card.....

read the ENTIRE thread before you try and help man.....all you did was make yourself out to be an a$$.....just my 2 cents.

for those of you reading along here........
http://apps.ati.com/ATIcompare/result.asp

what is the difference in the all in wonder 9600xt and the 9800pro all in wonder card? i know the 256bit memory in the 9800 and the ddr2.
the 9600 comes with a remote wonder II....the 9800 comes with the first version....whats the difference? thats basically the major difference.....oh and the engine clock speed on the 9800 is only 380 compared to 525 on the 9600.....

is the 9800 just an older model and the 9600xt is the newest model with the latest technology? can someone please explain the differences in these two?

thanks

[saphalline]

...all you did was make yourself out to be an a$$...Hahahaa! Maybe I did, but you still haven't told us what you want, or what your budget is.

As far as I can tell from ATI's website, the Remote Wonder II doesn't differ much from the first version. Perhaps the II has better RF range, and it does have a different design to the remote, but otherwise I can't find any specific hardware changes to the remote control being used. The reason the lower numbered 9600 XT has the new remote is because that VPU came out after the 9800 Pro. They also have a 9800 XT (newer version of the 9800 Pro) but apparently ATI didn't make an All-in-Wonder of that one.

The 9800 Pro version is a much better performer when it comes to games. The clock speed is slower than the 9600 XT, yes, but you'll also notice it has twice the pipelines (8 vs 4). To give a rough comparison of performance, do this: 8 pipes x 380MHz = 3040, 4 pipes x 525MHz = 2100. Obviously the 9800 Pro gives almost 50% more performance! Now compare this to what you have now, the standard 9600: 4 pipes x 325MHz = 1300 (yes, quite pathetic compared to either of the other two). RAM bandwidth on the 9800 Pro is also immensely better: 21.8GB/s vs 9.7GB/s (vs 6.4GB/s on the regular 9600).

So if you buy the AIW 9600 XT, you'll see a nice 50% boost in gaming performance over that puny 9600 you have now. If you go all the way to the AIW 9800 Pro (with the slightly older remote) you'll see an incredible 3-5 times the gaming performance!

The other thing to consider is that you don't have to buy a vid card/TV tuner combo. You can buy them separately. This has a few advantages: more options for both, better quality/performance for both, and you can upgrade one without having to upgrade the other. A quick look on Newegg brings up 36 different PCI TV tuner cards with remote. They range in price from $30 to $150. All of these will let you use your PC like a TiVo and record stuff, and they come with all the software, too. Just another consideration.

As per your other thread, PCI Express (PCIe for short) is an entirely new expansion slot. It has tons of bandwidth and a new slot scheme based on "lanes" - most slots for home computers will have 1 lane (called PCIe x1 cards), vid cards have 16 lanes (called PCIe x16 cards) and certain server cards will be 2, 4, or 8 lanes (called PCIe x2, x4, x8). A new mobo is required to take advantage of PCIe, so if you don't already have it (definitely not if you have AGP 4x right now) then you'll need a new mobo if you want it. Not really necessary quite yet as most expansion cards for PC's are still PCI, but if you intend to buy the top-end vid card next year, you'll probably need a PCIe x16 slot for it. AGP versions of the current vid cards are still being made, but there's no telling how long that will last.

Whatever you end up buying, though, I suggest you act quickly! A new DRM law just got passed (at least here in the US) that requires all TV tuners to not let end-users record whatever they want. The DRM signal will be broadcast with all TV signals (antennae, cable, satellite, whatever) that prevents people from recording off TV's for pirating. At least that's what they hope to use it for. TV tuners are required to be compliant with this by July, so of course a lot of the manufacturers are starting early. TV tuners already sent out don't need to be compliant with this, so buy now!

[mateor6]

Hahahaa! Maybe I did, but you still haven't told us what you want, or what your budget is.

As far as I can tell from ATI's website, the Remote Wonder II doesn't differ much from the first version. Perhaps the II has better RF range, and it does have a different design to the remote, but otherwise I can't find any specific hardware changes to the remote control being used. The reason the lower numbered 9600 XT has the new remote is because that VPU came out after the 9800 Pro. They also have a 9800 XT (newer version of the 9800 Pro) but apparently ATI didn't make an All-in-Wonder of that one.

The 9800 Pro version is a much better performer when it comes to games. The clock speed is slower than the 9600 XT, yes, but you'll also notice it has twice the pipelines (8 vs 4). To give a rough comparison of performance, do this: 8 pipes x 380MHz = 3040, 4 pipes x 525MHz = 2100. Obviously the 9800 Pro gives almost 50% more performance! Now compare this to what you have now, the standard 9600: 4 pipes x 325MHz = 1300 (yes, quite pathetic compared to either of the other two). RAM bandwidth on the 9800 Pro is also immensely better: 21.8GB/s vs 9.7GB/s (vs 6.4GB/s on the regular 9600).

So if you buy the AIW 9600 XT, you'll see a nice 50% boost in gaming performance over that puny 9600 you have now. If you go all the way to the AIW 9800 Pro (with the slightly older remote) you'll see an incredible 3-5 times the gaming performance!

The other thing to consider is that you don't have to buy a vid card/TV tuner combo. You can buy them separately. This has a few advantages: more options for both, better quality/performance for both, and you can upgrade one without having to upgrade the other. A quick look on Newegg brings up 36 different PCI TV tuner cards with remote. They range in price from $30 to $150. All of these will let you use your PC like a TiVo and record stuff, and they come with all the software, too. Just another consideration.

As per your other thread, PCI Express (PCIe for short) is an entirely new expansion slot. It has tons of bandwidth and a new slot scheme based on "lanes" - most slots for home computers will have 1 lane (called PCIe x1 cards), vid cards have 16 lanes (called PCIe x16 cards) and certain server cards will be 2, 4, or 8 lanes (called PCIe x2, x4, x8). A new mobo is required to take advantage of PCIe, so if you don't already have it (definitely not if you have AGP 4x right now) then you'll need a new mobo if you want it. Not really necessary quite yet as most expansion cards for PC's are still PCI, but if you intend to buy the top-end vid card next year, you'll probably need a PCIe x16 slot for it. AGP versions of the current vid cards are still being made, but there's no telling how long that will last.

Whatever you end up buying, though, I suggest you act quickly! A new DRM law just got passed (at least here in the US) that requires all TV tuners to not let end-users record whatever they want. The DRM signal will be broadcast with all TV signals (antennae, cable, satellite, whatever) that prevents people from recording off TV's for pirating. At least that's what they hope to use it for. TV tuners are required to be compliant with this by July, so of course a lot of the manufacturers are starting early. TV tuners already sent out don't need to be compliant with this, so buy now!

just when i thought you couldnt be a dumber, you go and do something like this and totally REDEEM yourself!!!

haha...thats from dumb and dumber.
thanks for the info.....now that helps!!!! ;)

i definitly like the idea you have about the two seperate video cards.....that way i can put the tv tuner in my good computer when i get rid of this one. but what would be a good choice for the video card then? get the 9600xt and then a tv tuner? if so what tv tuner would be equal to what is on the AIW 9800pro? sounds like pci express is not for me with my p4 1.4ghz PC.

$92 for the ati wonder tv tuner and $120 for a 9600xt. same price as a 9800pro AIW ($209).....and the AIW comes with a bunch of software that i could use.

if i bought seperate cards.....what would i get that would be better than the AIW 9800 pro??
i want to order a card ASAP so lets hear what you think.....

[mateor6]

btw, i think that 209 is the most ill spend on it.....unless i can get ALOT more performance for around 30-40 bux.....

also the AIW comes with a bunch of software i could really use....

hmm i think i might just go for the AIW.....unless you can give me a reason why it would be that much better to go seperate.....

[Orion]

In general, having the TV Tuner in the vid card itself may be convenient, but it generally get's really poor reviews-usually along the lines of "It's nice to have an All-In-Wonder, but the TV Tuner quality is worse than my old $40 separate TV Tuner." I personally would recommend going with a separate TV Tuner no matter what vid card you get.

As far as getting something to give you better FPS, I wouldn't imagine you'll be getting much better than your 9600 unless you upgrade beyond a 4X Mobo. If you're not seeing performance you want from a 9600, with 256 MB 128-bit memory, then you likely are either being held back by your motherboard, or will find yourself being held back by your motherboard if you buy something with more performance. essentially, the video card can only spit out images as fast as it's fed information, and you don't have a very large feeding tube there.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that the motherboard will be a consideration. you said you have the HP 9795c computer, and when I looked that up, it looks very much like several things are going to affect your decision. first, your Mobo only supports 4X. that rules out many of the 9800s, unless you're very specific about which one you want. also, with the stock Power Supply you got in there, you won't be able to support the power requirements of the 9800 Pro. Also, right now, you're probably being held up by the other things in your system too-have you upgraded your memory? It says you only came with 128 MB of PC600 RDRam. did you upgrade that? If you were talking about using the 9600 on Counter strike, then you were being held back by the system-with all the features on, CS should not get less than 50 or 60 FPS, which is fast enough to be invisible. As far as BF1942 DC, that would be more along the lines of something maybe being effected by the 9600, but given that on medium specs 1942 runs with no stutters on a Geforce 4 TI 4400, you should be fine on a 9600. I would say if you're not getting the performance you require, you're being held back by your mobo and the rest of your system, so going above a 9600 would be a waste.


This all being said, I would recommend this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102326. It's about the fastest you'll be able to support, and it's way cheaper than your previous one-honestly, you got hosed by whomever you bought your 9600 from...I think at that point you were paying for the brand name. an equivalent Sapphire Atlantis card with a more recent version of OpenGL is only $70 on Newegg. Anyways, the product I linked to above is also the fastest memory speed I've seen for less than 190 (and that one for the ATI AIW) on newegg. Good luck trying to sell that old 9600, I guess...there's no way to take it back and return it?

[Orion]

I would really recommend not going with the AIW unless you really don't have much running in your system. you're really going to be gambling on the power supply in your machine at that point.

[mateor6]

thanks orion...you hit the nail on the head with that reply.....exactly what i was looking to know.

heres the thing
the comp has 1024MB of PC800 RD ram.... soo i think that is PLENTY....lol
the power supply is a 350 watt. recently added.

i like your recommendation for that card but what im trying to accomplish here is to have a good card for my system at a low price and have a top of the line TV capture device is what im looking at....
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=320768
so what about the card you suggested and this tv tuner?

whats the deal with that tuner? i will eb able to get HDTV just like that?? you say that a AIW isnt good.....well what is the best tv tuner for the money? the one i posted? or is the ati remote wonder pro any good?

i really am still leaning towards the 9800 pro AIW for 209 bucks.

do you happen to know a mobo and processor combo that isnt too expensive and will let me use my rambus? i wouldnt mind just replacing the entire mobo and processor so i can get out of the stoneage with the 4x AGP.... any ideas?

thanks