Need your help computer techs! Vid card

[Mölders]

S!, since my old nVidia is going, I would like to select a half decent card that will last me for a few years. I am not a rich person, otherwise I would get a 9800 pro ;D. Anyway, here is the card I am looking at.

Connect 3D Radeon 9550 256MB DDR AGP8x TV Out DVI

Graphics Controller ATi RADEON 9550
Memory Configuration 256MB DDR/128-bit
Connectors 1 x VGA(D-Sub)
1 x TV-Out(S-Video/Composite Out)
1 x DVI
Bus Interface AGP 4X/8X
Max Resolution 2048x1536
TV Tuner N/A
VIVO N/A
System requirements Intel Pentium 4/III/II, Celeron, AMD K6/Athlon or compatible with AGP 4X (1.5V), 8X (0.8V) or Universal AGP 3.0 bus configuration (4X/8X)
128MB of system memory
Installation software requires CD-ROM drive
DVD playback requires DVD drive
3D Acceleration Features * SMOOTHVISION 2.1
Allows for 6x gamma sampled MSAA
High Performance 16xAF
Adds 6:1 colour compression
* SMARTSHADER™ 2.0 - For improved programmability and performance
Provides up to four ALWAYS ON full precision DX9 Pixel Shaders
Allows for up 3.9 Billion Shader Operations per second!
* HyperZ III+
Now with double the Z compression (8:1) for improved memory compression
Operating Systems Support Windows XP
Windows 2000
Windows ME
Windows 9x

Hunde mentioned that all ATI cards are near to the same performence. The only thing you really pay for is the over clocking that you can perform. (Hope I remembered it right Hunde). It goes for $110.00 CDN. What do you think? WHat about those "SE" cards?

[Spinne]

Don't buy the SE cards. They have thier memory buses chopped in half, degrading performance. You may wanna consider the Radeon X700 series, the GeForce6600 series. Give me a budget, as well as a list of other uses that you may wanna put your card to e.g. TV watching.

[Mölders]

Thanks Spinne. Right now, my budget is very limited. I am looking ata Sapphire 9550. I know what I have heard about them, but honestly, my video card right now is starting to go, it froze while trying to load up today, and I am not sure it will load next time. My budget is $120 max since I do not have a job yet. I would like to be able to play IL2 FB near to full settings, but I can make some sacrafices. PF I don't expect to play on near to full settings. Hopefully by then I will be able to afford a 9600 XT but I am not sure.

[Spinne]

Let me see what I can find.

Edit:

Try this
www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=190872&Category_Code=VC-ATI

It's a bit above your budget, but it saves you buying something cheaper right now, and then another expensive graphics card later on. Here's a review. I trust the website.

www.beyond3d.com/reviews/sapphire/9600xt/

Keep me updated.

[Mölders]

S! looks like a good deal for what I am getting. I heard Sapphires are bad, that they melt after you use them for to long. Is this true? Also is this site USD ?What does mainstream, and value mean ?

[Mölders]

S!, I found a Sapphire Atlantis Radeon 9600 128 MB DDR for $124.99 CDN. I took a look at the image and the heatsink had no fan on it ? I took a look ata 9550 Radeon and it had a heatsink and fan. Now I am wondering, wouldn't the 9600 have more of a chance of overheating then the 9550? They both offer the same specs but there is a big price gap, about $50. An abreveatinos that oth have is "OEM". WHat does this stand for ? Both cards supprt DX 9. The 9600 supports OpenGL 2.0 but the 9550 supports the "lastest version of OpenGL". THe difference in look is that the "things" that stick of the video card (big and round) are not covered on the 9550 but are covered on the 9600. BTW I must be getting really annoying, sorry for being a newb every1

[Shrike]

Molders,

I have to upgrade my entire CPU if I want to fly PF. I will need to buy a mother board, CPU, memory, video card, case and power supply. Im looking at about $600.00 to $700.00 in upgrades. I know I could get off cheaper but I want my upgrade to last for at least 3 years.