need a budget graphics card

Fluffy Bunny · 25 Sep 2007 at 10:49

budget graphic card is needed to see me by until the new system in a couple of weeks. Currently got a x800xl pci which artifacts any game ie vista chess !!!!!!!
ok for desktop and such. This is not ideal and the kids will be having the old system when the new one comes ....any ideas?

Thanks

easyrider · 25 Sep 2007 at 10:50

whats your budget?

mattyj1085 · 25 Sep 2007 at 10:51

how about a 7300GT cheap and still reasonable performance

Fluffy Bunny · 25 Sep 2007 at 10:55

about £80 pounds or so

melbourne720 · 25 Sep 2007 at 10:56

x1950 Pro

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-063-OK

Fluffy Bunny · 25 Sep 2007 at 10:58

is that a good card

melbourne720 · 25 Sep 2007 at 11:00

yep, best new for 80 quid.

What res are you running at?

Teaf · 25 Sep 2007 at 11:01

If your budget is £80 I'd pick up the 512MB model of the x1950 pro which is £82.

Fluffy Bunny · 25 Sep 2007 at 11:02

1280x 1084 is the best my lcd will do

semi-pro waster · 25 Sep 2007 at 11:12

Either of the X1950pro cards would do since the tft is pretty small, they are the best cards for the budget.

Fluffy Bunny · 25 Sep 2007 at 11:12

will that card play directx 10 games?

Fluffy Bunny · 25 Sep 2007 at 11:14

if it was you and you had to get any card what would you have? Say up to £100ish

Fluffy Bunny · 25 Sep 2007 at 11:19

are we all agreed then that the x1950 pro is the best card for under £100

semi-pro waster · 25 Sep 2007 at 11:22

Fluffy Bunny said:
will that card play directx 10 games?

It is a DX9 part so no it won't handle DX10 but then the chances of DX10 only games being released in any significant numbers for the foreseeable future is slim. Any games manufacturer unless stupid or owned solely by Microsoft would not choose to cut off probably 80-90% of the available market and not make the games have a DX9 option.

The next step up in graphics card for me would be an 8800GTS which is £160ish upwards so upping the budget slightly doesn't make a lot of odds I wouldn't have said.

melbourne720 · 25 Sep 2007 at 11:23

Fluffy Bunny said:
are we all agreed then that the x1950 pro is the best card for under £100

If you could find a x1950 XT, then that would be faster still, but under a ton, unlikely.

So for sub 100 quid, I'd say the x1950 Pro is your card.

edit: I'd echo what semi-pro has said there, and add that the DX10 effects seen so far have been 'welcome' rather than 'spectacular'. Bioshock et al look pretty good in DX9

Fluffy Bunny · 25 Sep 2007 at 11:26

thanks guys going to buy later today

manic111 · 25 Sep 2007 at 13:22

The X1950PRO is immense, put it in my build last month and it runs Oblivion beautifully at good settings on 1400x900.

Fluffy Bunny · 25 Sep 2007 at 14:28

ok just brought the card and I have a cable with a six pin socket (black) with 2 molex connectors do these molex connectors need to be connected?

semi-pro waster · 25 Sep 2007 at 14:37

If you don't have a PCI-E connector from your PSU then yes you will need to connect one or both of the molex plugs to the adapter - some need one and act as a pass-through while others use both.

rjk · 25 Sep 2007 at 14:56

you wont get amazing dx10 for below £150

i used a Sapphire Radeon HD 2400 XT
for a month until my new system arrived and it did the job to a good standard

played most 2yr old games and a couple of newer ones quite well and only cost £50

plus this card dosent need a pci express connector on your power supply!!