recommend a graphics card second hand AMD 3200

Psygnosis

Currently I have a ati 9600pro 128mb and Oblivion Elder Scrolls plays but on lowest detail level can you recommend me a decnet card my mobo has AGP x 8

The rest of the specs
Socket A amd 3200
1024 MB Ram
200GB HD
Home built machine
also fan has stopped on graphics card so will need replaceing.
http://cgi.ebay.ie/Powercolor-ATI-Radeon-9800-Pro-128MB-AGP-Graphics_W0QQitemZ8818753916QQcategoryZ27387QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
This is what I am looking at is it much better

conzy

The 9800 pro is very out dated and wouldnt be a whole lot better than a 9600pro

A 6600gt 256mb or a X800GTO 256mb would be a lot better

heres a 6600gt on ebay

Psygnosis

Anything a bit cheaper thats around 150 or so anything in the 100 euro bracket. Or there any that you can open the extra channels on like you used to be able to do with ATI cards.

8T8

€136 ATI X1600 Pro should run Oblivion okay on your machine.

The days of unlocking disabled hardware and such are in their twilight as the manufacturers have implemented new ways of locking down the GPU but more often then then not these days the disabled bits actually are defective or there is actually nothing to unlock.

TerrorFirmer

I would have though a 9600pro, old as it is, would have managed a bit getter then lowest settings?

8T8

If you look at the specs the 9600 Pro isn't that suited to a game like Oblivion which is very shader heavy so that's probably explains it's performance, then again it may run just about okay on his machine but just with all the details turned off.

With the X1600 Pro he should be able to crank the details up to medium settings or thereabouts.

Khannie

I used to have a 6600GT 128MB. It's a great card and should be nicely suited to your machine. I'd check performance of 256M cards with your kind of spec. Not sure that they'll make much difference (even in oblivion).

Dev 17

Personally I would go with a 6800 GS if I were in your boots. You can pick them up on Komplett.ie for a reasonable price. I have a 6600 GT at the moment and I feel it lacks the power needed for newer games. I know its not in your budget but it would be worth your while to save up the extra whatever is needed.

SouperComputer

The 9800 pro is very out dated and wouldnt be a whole lot better than a 9600pro

Im surprised at you conzy! The 9800Pro is "almost" twice as fast as the 9600!

Like the other guys said though for oblvion you are probably looking at a 6800GT or thereabouts.

Anti

8T8 wrote:

€136 ATI X1600 Pro should run Oblivion okay on your machine.

The days of unlocking disabled hardware and such are in their twilight as the manufacturers have implemented new ways of locking down the GPU but more often then then not these days the disabled bits actually are defective or there is actually nothing to unlock.

agp x8 fool thats a pci-e card. ( x1600)


Ati x800gto2 is the best agpx8 card on the market for that money, but good luck finding one. ebay will be your best bet, or try a pcworld near you, they should have them in stock.

8T8

Take another look anti : )

I think you'll see it is AGP.

The Real B-man

6800gs

Psygnosis

Thinking of buying this one what do you guys think

http://cgi.ebay.ie/Brand-New-Galaxy-6800-AGP-128MB-256Bits-16pipelines_W0QQitemZ8820759342QQcategoryZ27387QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

conzy

SouperComputer wrote:

Im surprised at you conzy! The 9800Pro is "almost" twice as fast as the 9600!

Like the other guys said though for oblvion you are probably looking at a 6800GT or thereabouts.

Bah who cares! They are years old and im too young to remember:D

Thinking of buying this one what do you guys think

http://cgi.ebay.ie/Brand-New-Galaxy-...QQcmdZViewItem

It only has 128mb of vram......., but it is allegedly unlocked to the full 16 pipes, so it would perform very well

But 256mb would help a lot in games like oblivion.....

Psygnosis

Ok, point taken
this one is 256
http://cgi.ebay.ie/GeFORCE-6600-8X-AGP-256Mb-SVGA-DVI-TV-OUT-NEW_W0QQitemZ8820135382QQcategoryZ67864QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Also can AGP work in PCIE at a later date when
I uograde fully

8T8

Psygnosis wrote:

Ok, point taken
this one is 256
http://cgi.ebay.ie/GeFORCE-6600-8X-AGP-256Mb-SVGA-DVI-TV-OUT-NEW_W0QQitemZ8820135382QQcategoryZ67864QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Also can AGP work in PCIE at a later date when
I uograde fully

That is a 6600 not even the GT variant that is a step down from the 6800. As for AGP in a PCI-E motherboard in short no.

Long answer there are some novelty motherboards that feature an AGP and PCI-E slot for graphics cards that would allow transition but they are not easy to acquire as they are a bit of an oddball item. Edit: Lucky you it seems Komplett sell such a beast but the twist is it's for socket 939 only which is the AMD Athlon 64 platform your Athlon XP uses the socket A so unless you buy a new CPU it's no good.

Go for a NVIDIA 6600GT or ATI X1600 Pro which ever you can find cheapest if all you play is Oblivion it wont give you max details but it will bump some of them up from what you currently have.

If you do want more processing power try to track down a 6800GT or a 6800GS in AGP form (both are the same performance wise), if you can find one cheap go for it.

conzy

That card is even worse:p

I meant get a 6800 with 256mb ram if you can find one:)

Or a 6600gt with 256mb ram......

And an AGP card will not work in a PCI- express slot, there are S939 motherboards that allow you to put an AGP card or a PCI-Express in the same board.......

But when you upgrade to AM2 or whatever, by that time a 6800 or a 6600gt will be worthless and struggle to play games om miniumum settings.

It would be like putting a nissan micra engine in a Ferrari:D

Psygnosis

Thanks for the help guys OK the story is I have 100 - 120 euros to spend cant afford anymore can one of you guys give me a link to what you think would give the best bang per buck the price will also have to include shipping.
mick

Darwin

I have the agree with the other posters - track down a 6800GT (or GS) on ebay. You should be able to find one to fit your budget. Try searching for cards available to UK to broaden your search - often UK sellers who say 'UK only' will ship to Ireland if you ask.

Sengoku79

Psygnosis,

If you can wait might be worthwhile to take a look at these

http://www.vr-zone.com/?i=3634

Psygnosis

ATI X1600 Pro going to purchase this, what do you think and what is the best deal

8T8

Psygnosis wrote:

ATI X1600 Pro going to purchase this, what do you think and what is the best deal

For remaining close to your €120 budget then yes the X1600 Pro (256MB version) is probably the best you can get at retail.

Psygnosis

Ok on ebay what is the best value. I would appreciate it guys if you could do some scouting for me

8T8

Psygnosis wrote:

Ok on ebay what is the best value. I would appreciate it guys if you could do some scouting for me

There are too many GPU's to be combing eBay for so I'll knock it down to two. If you want to try and get the best bang for buck through eBay look for an AGP NVIDIA 6800GT or AGP 6800GS, you "might" get lucky and find them around your price range.

If you don't get the X1600 Pro & overclock it, you really don't have an awful lot of options around the €120 mark & it being AGP.