Curse

Eskimo Bob · May 02, 2005, 06:34 AM // 06:34

Currently I cannot play guild wars because my video card is crap (I think it is one of those basic ones). And I do not have alot of money. So does anyone know the cheapest video card that meets guild wars minimum system requirements, and where it can be purchased. Currently the cheapest one I have found is $95 and it is a eVGA GeForce MX4000 128mb. I also found a PowerColor Radeon 9250 128mb AGP for $95. I do not know much about video cards or stuff like that so please help me. Remeber these prices are in Canadian.

My computer specs are:

Intel Celeron 2.6ghz
512 mb
120 gb
Video card: I think it is a basic one.

Thank you for your time.

beJames · May 02, 2005, 06:40 AM // 06:40

GeForce MX4000 128mb; I hear alot of bad things about the MX series.. so I think you shouldn't even think about getting that.
The Powercolor 9250 is the better card of the two imo, but you might be able to get better deals with used video cards.. If you would like a URL to a Canadian Selling Forums I'll PM you a very good place. *It's called RFD, if you would like to find it yourself*

Eskimo Bob · May 02, 2005, 06:46 AM // 06:46

Ok pm me, but are used video cards safe? Because if anything hapens to my comp I will have tons of moody girls ringing my neck. If you are wondering the girls are 3 sisters and my mother. I am also convinced my one sister is the spawn of satan. Come on, red hair, biggest b!tch I know, you see the picture.

Hamster of Doom · May 02, 2005, 11:26 AM // 11:26

Try using newegg.com Arguably some of the best prices on anything.

funbun · May 02, 2005, 11:59 AM // 11:59

I'm running a 9600 Pro. You can get those at a good price now.

Unik · May 02, 2005, 12:15 PM // 12:15

I suggest if you are going to go towards Nvidia that you go for the 5200 FX series, the Ultra if you can. They are getting to be fairly cheap and you can find one for 95$ i'm sure I paid mine 75$.

No not the most powerfull card around but i can run GW at max settings with no lag and i find it very stable.

Just my 2 cents.

Unik

Draznor Brightflame · May 02, 2005, 12:49 PM // 12:49

I bought my Radeon 9250 at New Egg for 40 bucks.. it is a great little card I have everything maxed in Guild Wars.

Jesso · May 02, 2005, 02:51 PM // 14:51

www.pricewatch.com

EnDinG · May 02, 2005, 04:44 PM // 16:44

A card I had no issues with for almost 3 years is the GeForce Ti 4200 128M. Ran a lot of games very smoothly and it should be fairly cheap now.

Just upgraded to my new beauty:
WinFast PX6600GT 128MB GDDR3 TDH PCI-Express 16x (Retail) SLi Ready - $249 CND.
4 gigs bandwidth up and down.
1.5 DDR32
P4 3.2 PCI-E
Running at max res on a 21" LCD w/ full settings. Nothing quite so beautiful to highlight the wonderful art they used in this game.

Look at www.tomshardware.com to see what cards you might be interested in. I suggest if you plan on playing any future games, go the distance and spend a little more. It pays to have a card that you can run at max resolution with full settings that lasts for 3 years (and you can buy a lot of them for about $200 USD), compared to a card that is years behind the competition. If you do buy an old model, think before you spend the money as to when you could upgrade again in the future. (Months, years, etc etc...)

*EndEdit #2*

Heck, here you go, this one is pretty decent (should last another 1 1/2 years). Sapphire Atlantis Radeon 9600 AGP 8X 128MB DDR

Its even ATI (which I'll guess is the suggested VC since those are the junk mail that came with the game :P).

Eskimo Bob · May 02, 2005, 05:37 PM // 17:37

Ya I found out about newegg.com last night. I found a saphire 9200se for about $50 Canadian ($41 USD). I am going to see if I can get a better quality one though.

Does the maker of the card have anything to do with its quality? I mean like is there a difference between a Saphire raedon or one made by someone else?

EnDinG · May 02, 2005, 05:53 PM // 17:53

There are differences yes. I am a fan of Sapphire since they have never messed up really. Pretty solid product.

Don't buy a 9200, they are almost the same quality as that GF TI 4200 I was talking about (except the 4200 is actually better then it, haha). They are about 3 years old on the product line. Try and find something about a year old and pretty decent. 128m should last you a while, don't buy anything less. - My suggestion.

Eskimo Bob · May 02, 2005, 06:08 PM // 18:08

I found a GIGABYTE Radeon 9550 128MB 64-bit DDR AGP 4x/8x video for $71 Canadian at newegg. It has good reviews so I think I am going to get it.

swaaye · May 02, 2005, 06:08 PM // 18:08

I would recommend a Radeon 9550 or 9600. They are far faster than 9200/9000, and are comparable to top end Geforce FX cards in pixel-shader-enabled games. You also have to be careful not to buy a LE card or a 64-bit bus card. They have crippled memory busses to make them cheap.

And personally I really only buy from Newegg. They ship very fast and very cheap. And they have awesome customer service.
http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Produ...82E16814127154
http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Produ...82E16814121511
http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Produ...82E16814102305

beJames · May 02, 2005, 08:56 PM // 20:56

looks like you can post different forums, so I'll just post it here instead of a PM.
www.redflagdeals.com
Very popular Canadian website for local/non-local deals.

*If you only need a card to run GW 'averagely' and on a budget, you can get a 9200 VERY cheap, or even a 9600(PRO/XT) for less then 100ish (new) maybe even cheaper.. Just make sure the seller has a good rep, and have high "heatware" or something that shows how well their transactions went -OR- post on the LF deals section asking for a good computer store in Alberta.*

PS- Always get a Telephone Number that works, Name, and Address.

Eskimo Bob · May 02, 2005, 11:17 PM // 23:17

About the card in the first link in Swaaye's post. One of the reviews says that it has no fan, and the person suggests going strait to a ATI. Is a fan a necesity, and what does the "go strait to a ATI" comment mean, is it something other than a ATI to start with, does it cost anything extra to make it an ATI, and how do you make it a ATI? And is there a major difference between a 9550 and a 9600? Is that difference worth spending an extra $10 over?

EnDinG · May 03, 2005, 02:07 PM // 14:07

A fan built into the video card keeps it from overheating and causing graphic problems. Unless your igloo comes with a real frozen location, or your computer has a lot of fans, I'd avoid ever buying a card without a fan. In the summer it could cause major problems if your not a heavy air conditioner user.

Eskimo Bob · May 05, 2005, 01:53 AM // 01:53

Well it doesn't get all that hot here, compared to the southern states such as Florida. It reaches about 20 degrees Celcius at an average high. My computer is in the basement wich is unfinished so it is quite cool down here. Lastly, I do not like the word "igloo" I preffer "frozen abode", "Ice palace", "home sweet Ice cube", and so on.

But I think I will still spend a little extra to get a fan.

Does that saphire 9600 in the last link on swaaye's post include a fan? I cannot tell.

AEROPAIN · May 05, 2005, 02:51 AM // 02:51

I`ll sell you myfx5700 ultra for 100$,its the new revision=http://www.bfgtech.com/5700u_redux.html.
Its already overclocked from factory for a little extra boost DDR2=high core speeds=awesome performance.Its not fiction its fact!

Serafita Kayin · May 05, 2005, 03:33 AM // 03:33

the 9600s will hold you well, as would the 9550.

Fanless? In your application, why not? It just means it won't make noise.

And never, EVER mention Tom's Hardware Guide as a serious place for anything.

Tom's in anybody's pocket that'll pay him. I know, I used to work for PimpRig.com. Long ago, but used to.

Eskimo Bob · May 05, 2005, 04:04 AM // 04:04

Aeropain I will send you a pm about that video card. I do not have anymore questions for now, but I thank all of you for your help.