Outdated? help

[con safo]

Hey I'm thinking about getting a new video card. Ive had my eyes on the ATi Radeon 9800XT. As I know, This is pretty outdated (I think it came out in 2003). Im looking to play things like cod2, bf2, half life2, or any other game with a "2" at the end of it. The reason I'm thinking about getting this is because it's pretty cheap as of now. I don't really know anything about computers or video cards, so any advice on what to get for a pretty cheap price is welcome.

 

[Hairy_Lee]

i would consider at least an ATI X700 or a nvidia 6600 for the games you mention

 

[con safo]

Hm...the ATI X700 is actually cheaper than the one I mentioned.

actually, both of those are cheaper...

 

[Hairy_Lee]

if you go to the video card and monitors section you'll find a faq about video cards, its very helpful

 

[con safo]

The reason I was looking at the 9800xt is because I read the system requirements for cod2:

Minimum Requirements

1, 4 GHz Prozessor (Celeron / Duron)

512 MB RAM

ATi Radeon 9200 / GeForce 4


Optimum Requirements

2, 5 GHz Prozessor (Athlon XP / Pentium 4)

1 GB RAM

ATi Radeon 9800XT / GeForce FX 5900

and then i searched it and noticed it was relatively cheap. And Im not a graphics whore, I dont care for the best of the best, but I just would like something that would run those games well at atleast the medium setting. Will that cut it?

 

[Hairy_Lee]

i think you might have a hard time trying to play BF2 with that card. thats why i recommended the other cards

 

[con safo]

Well on the bf2 site Here's what it says:

VIDEO
Video card must have 128 MB or more memory and one of the following chipsets:

* NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 or greater
* ATI Radeon 8500 or greater

wait, did you mean the ATI X1700? you said ati x700

 

[Hairy_Lee]

true, if thats the choice you want to make thats entirely up to you. you may struggle with further games releases though

 

[con safo]

Yea thats what I was thinking...But I dont know if I care. I'm not that big of a pc gamer anyway. I just wanted some opinion before I get it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ATI-Radeon-9800...ryZ40158QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I mean look at that. $150 bucks without shipping. Thats damn cheap. Ofcourse it will be outdated for anything in the next several months, but, it's good enough for me.

 

[ckfordy]

heres a good card. just make sure you have a 350 watt powersupply before you get it if you want this card. its 159 then a 20 rebate so its 139 plus free shipping.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130220

 

[34erd]

Thats really expensive for a 9800XT. Go with the 6600 or 6600GT, it will be better than the 9800XT and will be able to play games longer than it. Or for ATI the X700. (X1300 pro's not worth it).

 

[con safo]

wow thanks. I'm looking into the eVGA Geforce 6600GT, I think I will get it. thanks everyone!

 

[con safo]

This may be a stupid question, But how can i find out how many watts my power supply is?

 

[34erd]

Open up your case, it should be written on a sticker on your power supply.

 

[con safo]

okay.

 

[maroon1]

get the new 6800GS, it has the power of about two 6600GT and it is not very expensive.

 

[con safo]

And how many watts does that one need?

the 6600gt needs 350 watts and mine is only 300 watts...is that close enough or will i need to buy a new power supply?

and if i need a new one, what do you suggest?

 

[4W4K3]

300 watts is pushing it, realy running the bare minimum 350watts is pushing it for me.

look for a 420watt or higher, and make sure it's not a $10 cheapo. jsut cuz its cheap doesnt mean its good, cheap power suppplies blow up and fry, often damaging your PC. Seasonic, OCZ, and silverstone are my top 3 PSU brands.

 

[con safo]

I just bought the 6600 gt
How is this for a powersupply? : /

http://cgi.ebay.com/Antec-SmartPowe...820329268QQcategoryZ42021QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem