Video Cards

James_H4xwell

<div class="IPBDescription">help!</div> First off lemme start by saying that i really dont know much about the building and parts of a computer. Usually everything is moderately fast with minimal lag, but sometimes I run into a game that i really want to play that lags on my sytem or has some kind of graphical error. On a recent game i purchased (NFS underground) I get the graphical error that makes the game look like im on an acid trip and has the added effect of making all the font unreadable. Im sick and tired of this. Right now im running on an ATI Rage 128. The first thing i need to know is if switching the video card even WILL fix this problem (like i said im a bit wierd when it comes to certain things... i learned most of the things on computers backwards like i knew all about i.p. adresses before i even knew I could delete things off of C drive, which brings me to a really funny story about how i had 12 k/b of free space and my computer was crashing all the time but thats another story <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo--> . The second thing i need to partake from peoples wisdome here is "What is the best bang for my buck in a video card? Im looking for something fast but cheap. The third thing i need to ask is what is needed to install the new video card, can i do it myself, or should i get off my cheap butt and have somone install it for me?

Thx in advance guys. (please dont flame me <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'><!--endemo--> )

[WHO]Them

I would make sure that you tweak with your driver settings before replacing your video card. A lot of times people will set their direct3d setting to something like "Best Performance" but don't realize how severely that can affect textures in some ways that they are used.

If all else fails and you need to get a good card, you'll NEVER get an answer as to what's the best to buy. If I were you, I'd set a firm budget for your video card before you even look at them, then go to newegg.com and peruse the top end of the cards that fit into your budget (and whatever you do, don't let your budget waiver by even a dollar).

James_H4xwell

Believe me... ive tried EVERYTHING short of buying a new card. My poor computers been to hell and back because of it.

I dont really know what i should be looking for is the problem. I know little about video cards and what i should be spending on them. All i need is just some people who run games like BF1942 and NFS U on their computer to give me their card so i know what to look for. I have 400 $ spare cash right now but i want to use as little as possible (trying to save money for car).

Daedalus

Well my video card is a Geforce 4 Ti4800 and I can run BF1942 and NFSU and assorted other games without any lag to speak of. If you want a newer and much better card that will last you well into the future I'd recommend the ATi Radeon 9600, 9700 or 9800. Those cards do get quite pricey though but they're well worth it.

Talesin

The Radeon 9600XT runs for about $200 USD and comes with a voucher for Half-Life 2 (meaning, cut off $50 assuming you already were going to buy it). It's fast, stable, and is one of the best bang-for-buck cards out there with the voucher. Careful though... the XTs may not have the voucher in for much longer. IIRC, they were going to be discontinued either sometime in early January, if not on the new year. Though the card'll cost the same, you'll no longer get the game.

At that point, if you let it slip for that long, a Radeon 9800 Non-Pro will prolly be your best bet for price versus performance.

What kind of machine do you currently have? AGP slot, I assume? What speed of CPU? How much, and how fast of RAM?