I need a Graphics Card... Recommendations.

[TS2Master]

I am getting a new PC and I have chosen some of the parts but I need to choose a graphics card, I want a good but relatively cheap one. Probably aroung the ?80 - ?100 mark.

What do you suggest?

The rest of my PC
New Motherborad
AMD Athlon XP 2800
120 Gb Hard Drive
512Mb DDR RAM.

The PC will mostly be used for my COmputer Games Programming Course I am starting at Uni in september, but I'll be playing some games on it too.

[superkully]

I'm after a graphics card for that price... well asked!

One comment about your processer, get a Barton XP2500+, you can easily overclock this to a 3200+ by increasing the FSB from 333 to 400Mhz and upping the voltage a bit. You'll need a good M/B (Abit AN7/NF7 with 400Mhz FSB support).

[MartyG]

You can pick up 9800 Pros for ?120 ish now, I'd really stump up the extra and go for one of those.

The 9600s and FX5700 go for around ?80.

Regards
Marty

[Super Stu]

Or, just buy a 3200 barton (will save cost of NF7).

Given the rest of the spec, it would be well worth your while spending that little bit extra on the 9800pro, as Marty alluded to.

[pscl227]

where are you starting the cgp course? go for a nvidia 5700 256Meg good performance at a relitivly low cost!

[Rushy]

9800 pro no doubt, massively better than anything else around the ?100 mark. Can be found as cheap as ?115 shipped, its worth a little bit extra.

[superkully]

Or, just buy a 3200 barton (will save cost of NF7).

But a XP2500+ & a AN7 are cheaper than the 3200 alone!

[TS2Master]

I have changed the processor to a Barton XP2600+ now, and how much is the M/B you mentioned?

I'm going to Huddersfield Uni btw.

Thanks for all your suggestions guys. Keep them coming and I'll let you know how I get on.

Current chosen specs:


Asus A7N8X-VM nForce2 (Socket A) Micro ATX Motherboard (MB-032-AS)
This nForce2-based motherboard comes with dual-channel DDR400 memory for great performance. AGP 8X standard and integrated GeForce4 MX graphics elevate your video experience. Together with onboard LAN and audio, the A7N8X-VM is a quality solution you can count on.

- 2 x 184pin DDR-SDRAM ports (Supporting up to PC3200)
- 3 x PCI slots
- 1 x AGP (4x/8x) slot
- DDR400 support (Requires AGP Card installed)
- 2 x UDMA133 (supports upto 4 device)
- 6 x USB 2.0 ports
- 10/100 LAN
- 6 Channel Audio
- Onboard GeForce 4 MX GPU Onboard
- Dimensions: 245mm x 245mm


Full Specification

Price: ?46.95 (?55.17 Including VAT at 17.5%)



AMD Athlon "Barton" XP2600+ 333FSB (Socket A) CPU - Retail (CP-065-AM)
A new generation of AMD CPUs the AMD Athlon "Barton" XP2600+ features a total 640KB of full-speed cache memory - 128K L1 cache (64K instruction and 64K data) and 512K of L2 cache. Increased cache memory allows more information to be stored closer to the processor, leading to greater performance on software applications such as digital content creation, 3-D gaming, media encoding and office productivity. Featuring QuantiSpeed? Architecture for Rapid Execution of Applications.

This retail boxed product is supplied with an AMD heatsink and fan and has a 3 year warranty.

By purchasing this CPU you agree to the AMD Warranty Guidelines.
If you are installing a new CPU with a new heatsink you must follow the AMD installation guidelines
If you are installing a new CPU with a previously used heatsink, you must contact support first with make and model of the heatsink.


Full Specification

Price: ?56.00 (?65.80 Including VAT at 17.5%)


Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 160GB ATA-133 8MB Cache - OEM (HD-012-MD)
Maxtor DiamondMax? Plus 9 drives are designed for mainstream PC, consumer electronics and emerging markets. These 7200 RPM hard drives offer a 2MB or 8MB buffer, ATA/133 or SATA interface and capacities of 60, 80, 120, 160 and 200GB. Their combination of performance and capacity makes them an excellent choice for performance PCs, gaming systems, network attached storage, home networking devices, digital video editing and entry-level RAID applications. DiamondMax Plus 9 drives are equipped with fluid dynamic bearing motors for acoustic sensitive applications. This allows the drive to operate with extremely low sound output, an important feature for many applications.

- 160GB capacity
- ATA-133 interface
- 8MB cache buffer
- Fluid dynamic bearing motors for quiet operation


Full Specification

Price: ?54.95 (?64.57 Including VAT at 17.5%)



Corsair 512MB DDR Value Select PC3200 (MY-042-CS)
Corsair Value Select line provides quality, tested, compatible desktop memory at competitive prices. The Value Select line is qualified for major current desktop systems.

- 512 MB - DIMM 184-pin - DDR
- Storage Capacity 512 MB
- Upgrade Type Industry standard
- Technology DDR SDRAM
- Form Factor DIMM 184-pin
- Memory Speed 400 MHz ( PC3200 )
- Manufacturer Warranty Lifetime warranty

Price: ?56.00 (?65.80 Including VAT at 17.5%)


Sony CRX320E 52x32x52x16 CDRW/DVD Combi Drive (White) - OEM (CD-019-SO)
The new Sony CRX300E 52X32X52X16 CDRW/DVD Combo drive Bulk, Beige Color. Fantastic performance from this award winning drive.

Price: ?25.50 (?29.96 Including VAT at 17.5%)



I already have this Monitor, and a spare case and P/S

[TS2Master]

I just found the M/B you were talking about and it does look rather impressive at a reasonable price. I think I will stump for that then; along with the Barton XP2600+.

[Super Stu]

But a XP2500+ & a AN7 are cheaper than the 3200 alone!

oem 2500 barton - ?52
abit AN7 - ?70

oem 3200 barton - ?109

Bear in mind you'll also need to sell the 333ddr you most likely have and replace it with 400ddr, unless it overclocks in a stable fashion. Will need a heatsink capable ensuring stability, too.

Don't get an AC97 based nforce2, it's a sack-of-****e for games. I just replaced a KT400 board (ac97 included) with the NF7-s2.

That maxtor drive you mention is lovely. I have a 40gig of the same line, utterly silent.

edit - nevermind, I thought you had some of these bits already. Above cpu comparison doesn't apply.

[superkully]

If you're going to overclock to a 3200+, why spend the extra on a 2600 when the 2500 is fine? I'd spend the extra on a good quality heatsink and a heatsink rather than fan for the motherboard chipset.

[Super Stu]

Agreed.

ThermalRight SP-97 (Socket A) Cooler (HS-013-TR) (?37)
Zalman ZM-NB47J Northbridge Cooler (SY-007-ZA) (?7) (damn thing cost ?11 a couple of weeks ago)
Zalman ZMF2 92mm Silent Case fan - 3 pin (FG-001-ZA) (?8)

Just fitted that lot. cba to work out if it was cheaper, as I was going for quiet not clocking. But it would clock anyway.

[TS2Master]

I doubt I will overclock it to be honest. I just need something that is faster than my current 900Mhz processor. With the 2600 and all the other stuff mentioned before, the total cost comes to 297 quid (not including the graphics card).

What sort of performance difference will there be between the 2600 and the 3200? And please dont say 600Mhz!

[mid]

I've got a Barton 2600+ myself. Am I right that you can only mess with the FSB and not the multiplier, though? Not that I'll be particularly clocking it; I'm on the retail bundled HSF and wouldn't dare.

[Super Stu]

IIRC, it's closer to 300mhz difference :P AMDs don't do it exactly how it's written on the tin :P

Your best bet is to go to somewhere like Tomshardware and look at the massive graphics card comparison in the graphics section. I'm fairly sure they did some multi cpu testing of 40 odd cards. Will give an idea like.

Ensure you've got the non AC97 nforce2 in mind and spend owt saved on the 9800pro.