Reasonable Graphics Card

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by Boycie, Jun 15, 2006.

  1. Boycie
    Honorary Member

    Boycie Senior Beer Tester

    6,281
    85
    174
    Can anyone recommend a reasonable graphics card for someone who does a little bit of graphics and games. Nothing to wild. Their current one's fan has fallen off and died in the heat.
    Personally, i always thought ATI were good, but i have heard some people say they aren't....
     
    Certifications: MCSA 2003, MCDST, A+, N+, CTT+, MCT
  2. hbroomhall

    hbroomhall Petabyte Poster Gold Member

    6,624
    117
    224
    I find my ATI Radion 9600 perfectly good for the few games I play, while not being too expensive.

    Harry.
     
    Certifications: ECDL A+ Network+ i-Net+
    WIP: Server+
  3. Boycie
    Honorary Member

    Boycie Senior Beer Tester

    6,281
    85
    174
    great, thanks :thumbleft
     
    Certifications: MCSA 2003, MCDST, A+, N+, CTT+, MCT
  4. Phoenix
    Honorary Member

    Phoenix 53656e696f7220 4d6f64

    5,749
    200
    246
    what kind of graphics? most graphics programs are memory intensive not video card intensive
    do you have AGP or PCI-E?
    Radeon 9600s are nice, the 9600XT are even nicer, but both are over 2 years old now i think and might be hard to aquire..

    Radeon were ahead of nvidia last generation but nvidia has the crown at the moment hands down
     
    Certifications: MCSE, MCITP, VCP
    WIP: > 0
  5. elli5on

    elli5on Kilobyte Poster

    340
    0
    33
    i have an ati rad x1800xt a very good card but i think i may wanna get a nvidia
     
    Certifications: A+ N+
    WIP: Thinking of MCDST
  6. Boycie
    Honorary Member

    Boycie Senior Beer Tester

    6,281
    85
    174
    thanks for the input guys.
    Phoenix- glad you are back! Just still graphics.
     
    Certifications: MCSA 2003, MCDST, A+, N+, CTT+, MCT
  7. Kitkatninja
    Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    Kitkatninja aka me, myself & I Moderator

    11,140
    555
    383
    Hi,

    I have the ATI 9600, while for about 99% of programs it was an excellent card, on a few games though it crashed. If you just want a basic average card (by todays standards), pick one of those up or you could go for the nVidia 6600 (both AGP & PCI-express) which is about £50-£60 from ebuyer (the 6600 card produces higher benchmarks than the ATi 9600 Pro). But then again "Just still graphics" means different things to different people :biggrin

    -Ken
     
    Certifications: MSc, PGDip, PGCert, BSc, HNC, LCGI, MBCS CITP, MCP, MCSA, MCSE, MCE, A+, N+, S+, Server+
    WIP: MSc Cyber Security
  8. Phoenix
    Honorary Member

    Phoenix 53656e696f7220 4d6f64

    5,749
    200
    246
    do you use photoshop and the like mate? if so Memory is the main factor and your card choice has little impact

    id go with the 6600 as well if you cant find a 9600, nvidia drivers are generally more mature than atis and are more open source friendly (although not open source)

    I think i have a 9600XT sitting on a shelf at the mo waiting for me to build a new rig for it, LOL
     
    Certifications: MCSE, MCITP, VCP
    WIP: > 0
  9. Boycie
    Honorary Member

    Boycie Senior Beer Tester

    6,281
    85
    174
    The card isn't for me, but they don't use Photoshop, just the odd picture crop with Picassa and game. 9600 XT 128 Ordered.
    Thanks for the input :thumbleft

    Phoenix- Are you back? :)
     
    Certifications: MCSA 2003, MCDST, A+, N+, CTT+, MCT
  10. noelg24

    noelg24 Terabyte Poster

    3,334
    26
    139
    Well like a few of you I have 9600XT AGP...and I have been in love with it since I got it...so u will be pleased mate...:biggrin
     
    Certifications: A+
    WIP: my life
  11. Boycie
    Honorary Member

    Boycie Senior Beer Tester

    6,281
    85
    174
    thanks. I am sure they will.
     
    Certifications: MCSA 2003, MCDST, A+, N+, CTT+, MCT
  12. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

    3,661
    106
    167
    I just installed a 6600 in a new computer, and a couple of weeks ago installed an ATI 9200 in another machine. Of the two I'd say I liked the 6600 the best. As to the ATI Linux drivers they can be an absolute pain to install some times. The last problem I had with installing them was that the ATI installer window is not resizable and at the low resolutions available it would not fit on the screen. The entire bottom of the ATI window was cut off and I couldn't get to the OK and CANCEL buttons once I had made the choices of how and what to install leaving me without the ability to install drivers as just hitting enter would not work.

    I also have to say that the nVidia installer for Linux drivers, in the latest release, has improved a lot. It works very well and runs very fast.

    For me, any machine I'm building from now on will have a card with an nVidia engine.
     
    Certifications: MCSE, MCDBA, CCNA, A+
    WIP: LPIC 1
  13. Modey

    Modey Terabyte Poster

    2,397
    99
    154
    Boyce, I tried to PM you about something, but your inbox is full. I used the 'send email' feature instead, could you let me know if you got it please.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+, MCP, MCDST, MCSA 2K3, MCTS, MOS, MTA, MCT, MCITP:EDST7, MCSA W7, Citrix CCA, ITIL Foundation
    WIP: Nada
  14. Baba O'Riley

    Baba O'Riley Gigabyte Poster

    1,760
    23
    99
    Why go for an out-of-date GeForce 6 when you can pick up a 7600 (possibly GT) for sub 100 quid? That will do all the jiggery pokery they need for a while yet.
     
    Certifications: A+, Network+
    WIP: 70-270
  15. Gaz 45

    Gaz 45 Kilobyte Poster

    404
    4
    39
    Seconded Baba and the 7600GS (I think) is passively cooled so nice & quiet!
     
    Certifications: MCP (70-229, 70-228), MBioch
    WIP: MCDBA (70-290)

Share This Page

Loading...
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.