Shopping for a Vid Card

[Tenko]

Its getting to that time again when I have to upgrade my graphics card but I'm a bit skint this time.

Couple of years ago I blew over £300 on a GF3 Ti500 and its served admirably but I reckon that sometime this year (like when Doom3 or Halflife2 hit town ) I'll need a new card.

I've got no more than £150 this time and I think the 9600 Pro Radeons look good bang for my buck.

Concur?

Or should I actually wait for a game to really need me to upgrade and do it then?

 

[SilverHood]

GF3 Ti500 should be fine I imagine... by the time Doom3 HL2 comes out, etc, you should be able to get a decent GFX card for 150 quid

 

[Jonty]

Hi Tenko

Usually the longer you wait, the lower today's prices will fall as newer and great products are brought out. Personally I'd wait, as Half-Life 2 won't ship for another 94 days from the time I'm posting this, and Doom 3 won't be released until after Half-Life 2, or so it seems. Furthermore, between now and then, there aren't all that many new games that will really require you to upgrade (e.g. Halo, Duke Nukem Forver, Max Payne 2, Jedi Knight 3 etc. are all late 2003/2004 products).

If you really want to purchase a graphics card now, though, then a Radeon 9600 Pro or GeForce FX 5600 Ultra are really your best bets. The latter tends to be a bit more expensive, but has recently been updated to marginally outperform the Radeon 9600 Pro. If you strictly don't want to go over budget, though, then the Radeon 9600 Pro is for you (make sure you get the Pro version, though, and not the normal Radeon 9600 (non-Pro)). You may also want to consider the Radeon 9500 Pro which is probably faster than both of the above cards, but uses now slightly dated technology.

Anyway, in brief, I'd say wait until closer the time when you can either purchase today's hardware at a lower price or splash out on the latest kit. If you really want to buy now, then the Radeon 9600 Pro would be a good choice, although if you're an nVidia fan, it may be worth saving up just a little more and splashing out on the GeForce FX 5600 Ultra, even if the performance boost is only minor.

Kind Regards

 

[Tenko]

Thanks lads

Will probably wait, a couple of months then (the GF3 is fine for Baldurs Gate and Civ III )

Must admit I was looking at some tests rating the 9500 Pro faster and if I find one going for a song due to its "Soo last season darling" technology I may even buy one.

Till then the kids can have food instead

 

[Sar]

Originally posted by Jonty
(e.g. Halo, Duke Nukem Forver, Max Payne 2, Jedi Knight 3 etc. are all late 2003/2004 products).

I like your optimism Jonty.

 

[FatBusinessman]

Originally posted by Jonty
Half-Life 2 won't ship for another 94 days from the time I'm posting this

Not that you're obsessing or anything...

 

[Greef]

9500pro cards have gone up to £166 inc vat (dabs) (due to rarity/ rep as better than 9600pro?). 9600pro is prolly your best bet at £141 inc vat (watford electronics). Although a Ti500 is probably fine, even for the latest games. I've still only got a MX400, even though I am looking aroun at new cards.

 

[Jonty]

hehe, being a Duke fan, I have to be optimistic, Sar As for the days to Half-Life 2, don't worry FatBusinessman, I'm not that obsessed, it's just Planet Half-Life is running a counter

As for Greef's point, it's true that the 9500 Pro is getting ever rarer. ATi have recently been suffering from undersupply of their card (or increased demand, however you look at it), which when coupled with their willingness to discontinue the 9500 Pro, means this rare card is getting ever rarer. Still, although not quite as fast, the 9600 Pro is still a very nice solution.

Kind Regards

Jonty

P.S. Having checked a few prices, it seems the GeForceFX 5600 Ultra isn't necessarily as expensive as I first thought. My apologies if my original comments were misleading.

 

[Greef]

Originally posted by Jonty
hehe, being a Duke fan,

Me, I loved duke nukem 3d. My first multiplayer experience was when my m8 brought his pc 'round and we linked up via a null modem lead. I even made a few maps for it, including the obligatory 'modeled on my place' map (quite spooky actually). Duketastic mate! .