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best gfx card for $200

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element

element

Member
so my 9800 crapped out. I'm going to RMA it, but not 100% sure that they will accept it.

So I need a backup plan. What is the best card I can get for $200?

I like the MSI RX9800PRO 128, which is a under clocked 9800 XT. But what else is there?
 
A

ArcadeStickMonk

Member
I'm going to get my use out of this pic, appropriate or not. I vote against 9800 Pros

Monks98-1.jpg
 
P

pestul

Member
Cold Shadow said:
Wait for the 6600 serie to come out
Click to expand...
Check that.. wait for the X700XT to come out. ATI is rumoured to have dropped the price to $199 to counter the 6600. Preliminary benches put it a good bit faster (just synthetic so far though) due to an extra vertex shader. Both PCI-E variants should have a bridge making them AGP compatible too.

I think the 9800 line will be phased out soon.. especially with no room for the over price 9800XT. X700XT is over 8000 in 3DMark03.
 
Phoenix

Phoenix

Member
Play Sims2 for a little while (which runs well on anything including a crappy 5200FX) and then see what the 6600s and X700s look like when they come out.
 
B

Bregor

Member
Considering the time it took for Nvidia and ATI to get their last releases to market, asking him to wait might not be the wisest idea.

I still think that the 9800 Pro is the best choice right now, but that WILL change once the 6600 and X700 reach market.
 
Phoenix

Phoenix

Member
Bregor said:
Considering the time it took for Nvidia and ATI to get their last releases to market, asking him to wait might not be the wisest idea.

I still think that the 9800 Pro is the best choice right now, but that WILL change once the 6600 and X700 reach market.
Click to expand...

Throwing down big money for a known outdated and soon to be replaced card, on to do it again in a couple of months is silly. Just get something cheap and sit on that till the new cards arrive. You can get a Ti4200 for a song or a 5200Fx or something equally 'good' and just sit on that till the new stuff arrives.
 
B

Bregor

Member
Phoenix said:
Throwing down big money for a known outdated and soon to be replaced card, on to do it again in a couple of months is silly. Just get something cheap and sit on that till the new cards arrive. You can get a Ti4200 for a song or a 5200Fx or something equally 'good' and just sit on that till the new stuff arrives.
Click to expand...

Who says he will do it again in a couple of months?

And besides, any card he gets will become obsolete within six months.

It really depends on when he needs it. I've always said, don't upgrade your card until you have to- you get better tech and prices. But when you have to, don't worry about whether it's going to become obsolete soon or not. Because it WILL become obsolete, no matter what.

If he needs a card now, the 9800 Pro is still an excellent choice for around $200. If he can wait, the 6600 and X700 will be better.
 
Phoenix

Phoenix

Member
Bregor said:
Who says he will do it again in a couple of months?

And besides, any card he gets will become obsolete within six months.

It really depends on when he needs it. I've always said, don't upgrade your card until you have to- you get better tech and prices. But when you have to, don't worry about whether it's going to become obsolete soon or not. Because it WILL become obsolete, no matter what.

If he needs a card now, the 9800 Pro is still an excellent choice for around $200. If he can wait, the 6600 and X700 will be better.
Click to expand...

I personally find that silly but to each their own. I'm waiting on two pieces of technology (Treo 650 and X700) because they are relatively right around the corner. Its not like you don't know their release isn't imminent. Its different if you have no word of the next product that's about to come out. Most people in that 'prosumer' $200 price point are trying to make their cards last as long as possible and the 9800 Pro is on its last legs as a desirable card whereas the X700 and 6600 are likely to carry you for at least the next 18 months of releases.

When it comes to computing technology you can almost always wait - you just choose not to :)
 
W

Winged Creature

Member
element said:
so my 9800 crapped out. I'm going to RMA it, but not 100% sure that they will accept it.

So I need a backup plan. What is the best card I can get for $200?

I like the MSI RX9800PRO 128, which is a under clocked 9800 XT. But what else is there?
Click to expand...

I used to work for ATI one summer, i dealt with the trade up offers and RMA's, did u modify ur card, cause if u didnt im sure they will repair it for you.
 
element

element

Member
well im kinda either stuck with a card that can't play games. Since everytime I launch something I get artifacts on my screen.

Which is why I am looking now. The 6600 GT looks awesome, but I can't find a timeline on when it will be released for PCIE, let alone AGP/HSI bridge solution. And since the X700 is around the corner, yet not offically announced. Who knows when that is going to come out in the retail chain.
 
mashoutposse

mashoutposse

Ante Up
The X700 Pro will cost the same as the 6600GT ($199). The X700XT is $249 ($50 more than both), but is merely on par with the GT. The plain 6600 is $149.

6600GT is still the best buy.
 
M

marsomega

Member
mashoutposse said:
The X700 Pro will cost the same as the 6600GT ($199). The X700XT is $249 ($50 more than both), but is merely on par with the GT. The plain 6600 is $149.

6600GT is still the best buy.
Click to expand...

Show me proof..
 
T

tedtropy

$50/hour, but no kissing on the lips and colors must be pre-separated
Honestly, both Doom 3 and Far Cry run fine on my 9800 Pro. Can I run at uber high-res with all the features cranked up? Nope, but I wasn't expecting that from a 200 buck card. I'm sure better cards will be along in a few months at that price range, but then again, you can say the same thing everytime you buy a videocard no matter when you buy it.
 
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