I need suggestions on a video card, please.

[James]

I've got an old Dimension 4100 model, about 5-6 years old (technology about 6-7 years old)

If it matters;
833mhz Pentium 3 processor
384MB DDRAM(?) memory


Anyway, I need to get a new video card. Nothing top of the line, as I intend to get a new computer anyway. But I'm looking for something that's 128MB, maybe 256 if it's a good price. But I'm not sure what I should be looking at. All I know is I want it to use NVidia tech (GeForce).

My last card (the one that crapped out on me twice), was a Conquerer FX5200 Plus, GeForce FX, AGP 8x/4x 128MB card. The problem with it is the company who made the actual card makes pieces of shit (Mad Dog Multimedia - shut up, it was a Christmas gift).

Oh, and I only need this card for World of Warcraft. I won't have anything else really that I'll need the card for. So, does anyone have any suggestions for a card that is reasonably priced, has the tech I need, and isn't a piece of shit? It'll help if you can find the card on Best Buy or CompUSA's sites, because I intent to buy in store (in case I have another problem).

Thanks in advance, if I get any help.

[ziggytrix]

Whatever you decide make sure you get a card that uses the same slot type as your current one (probably AGP) and not one of the newer PCI Express ones. What's your budget on this?

[ziggytrix]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6366577&type=product&productCategoryId=cat01151&id=1077627694761


hmmm, lifetime warranty sounds appealing...

[James]

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=a-agp2-k1&cm_mmc=geekmail-_-newarrivals_html-_-6%2f11%2f2005-_-naproduct

Any idea on if any of these things are actually good? I need a new monitor too, so getting a bundle like this actually seems pretty decent. But I know nothing of the quality on anything offered in this bundle.

[ziggytrix]

well your old video card had an FX5200 chipset, and they don't tell you the brand of the card, so for all you know you could be getting the exact same card that you called a piece of crap! :O

the specs on the monitors look pretty good tho, but again they don't tell you the brand name. Plus the whole package comes with just a 1year warranty from the seller? hmmm... i dunno.

[James]

True enough. It'd just come up on another site I visit, and it sounded good. Apparently that card is a piece of crap, though.

The one you posted doesn't look half bad. But is there a 128MB card that's a little cheaper? I was hoping not to spend too much over $100, if possible. I'll look around myself in the morning, but I didn't know if there was something else you might know of.

[whoreable]

You should definetly buy some place localy with a good return policy(guess you where planning on that anyways), your current video card might come pretty close to maxing out your processor so you probaly wont gain much performance from a new video card.

Also keep in mind if you buy a brand new computer(dell at least) you will not be able to use the new card with it all new dells come with the pci-express interface.

so basically I would say. save your money and put it into a video card for the new pc.

[ziggytrix]

a cheaper 128 (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7049785&type=product&productCategoryId=cat01151&id=1108124982738) tho I wasn't really thrilled with the last PNY card I bought at Best Buy. But if you register it online, it has a 3 year parts and labor warranty, so maybe it's OK.

If you can't tell, I am of the opinion that a company that won't warranty their product expects it to fail.

[James]

Well, the card I had has a lifetime warranty. The fan broke, and I tried to get in touch with the company in regards to getting it replaced. It was, by far, the most aggrivating experience I ever had with a company. Long story short, I got a new - and correct (after sending me a physically mangled video card of a different model) - video card about a month-and-a-half after my first attempt to contact them. And now that card's fan is broken too.

So I'm more of the opinion that the movie, Tommy Boy, was right. They guarantee it, because they know they're just guaranteeing you a piece of shit.

What problems did you have with your PNY card that you weren't too thrilled with it?

[ziggytrix]

It'd get bluescreen errors or system shutdowns when running extremely graphics intensive games. And the fact that I paid too much for it compared to buying the exact same card from some place like newegg.com. :(

It prolly was more to do with being an "MX" version (low-end) of the old geforce chips than to do with PNY tho.

[whoreable]

most of those lifetime warranties are bullshit(including pny) The lifetime, is actually the lifetime of the product and when they stop making the card, they will stop providing replacments.

PNY's Lifetime Replacement Warranty
PNY Technologies, Inc. ("PNY"), supplier of your newly purchased PNY graphics card (the "product"), warrants the product to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for the life of the product as sold to the original purchaser ("purchaser"), subject to all the terms and conditions hereunder.Lifetime Replacement Warranty is given to all PNY® Verto® Graphics Cards. This warranty is for replacement for like items only. Lifetime Replacement warranty does not cover items out of production if PNY no longer stocks them. (Lifetime is defined as the lifetime of the product on the market. Outdated technology is not covered by lifetime warranty if the item is no longer available on the common market as a new product.) This warranty is not assignable. PNY's sole obligation under this warranty is to replace or, at its option to repair, with new or remanufactured product, free of charge, with like or similar product, all the product's defective parts.

[ziggytrix]

So 3 years parts and labor is actually >> lifetime when talking about video cards... good catch.

But I dunno, I'd stay away from PNY just cuz it seems to me like they've been mass-producing the fuck out of and stamping their label on everything. I bought a stack of PNY CDRs back when all I knew them for was memory, and they had a pretty high defect rate too.

I'd get a second opinion though, cuz I don't buy enough products to provide a very statistically meaningful sample. :P

[anDROIDdoNUT]

I have an ATI Radeon 9200

[ziggytrix]

hey that's great. maybe next time you can even add some sort of value judgement so that someone might actually give a fuck what card you have.

[anDROIDdoNUT]

hey that's great. maybe next time you can even add some sort of value judgement so that someone might actually give a fuck what card you have.

Well, I don't know shit about video cards, but maybe someone will take my advice on what video card i have and look at those fucking types of videocards :maul

[ziggytrix]

Go away and never come back. >:

[anDROIDdoNUT]

Go away and never come back. >:

Dude, you're cool and all, and I respect you, but your just afraid of . . .

1. :goth - my knife
2. :maul - my hammer
3. :puke - and this

Thank you for wasting my time making me post this

[executioneer]

android donut you are a terrible person and i think you should end your life

[anDROIDdoNUT]

android donut you are a terrible person and i think you should end your life

The only reason why I joined these boards are because I think you guys are cool. ZiggyTrix got me pissed off, and my last post was useless I needed a way to show my anger which turned out stupid. Other than that I am a nice 13 year old kid

[ziggytrix]

ok, look, since you are just a little kid i'll spell it out. i was trying to tell you that no one cares what kind of video card you have because you didn't tell us anything about it. had you said, "i have X video card, and Y video game looks so pretty on it" or "i have X video card, and Z video game won't even run" it would have meant something.

as it is you said "I have an ATI Radeon 9200"

well, fine, so we know you can run a web browser on it. that's not really very informative. do you see what i'm getting at?