Sparkle GeForce 9600 GT Video Card for $59.99 Shipped

I have no idea...

I desperately need a new or newer video card to replace the ancient artifact buried in the ol' PC. This looks tempting, but I'm very wary of anything under $100 - good bang-for-your-buck or not, I just can't get past it. I have heard the lowest one should go in the PCI-realm is a 9800, but I've been so out of the loop the last 2 years, frankly I have no clue.

So, if you feel like helping me, please do so....otherwise I'll get around to reading some review comparisons on Tom's or NeoSeeker or [H]ardOCP or something like that. Have a nice day everyone!
 
This is pretty tempting. Newegg's site has been weird lately though. cant find any reviews etc regarding this card. but i am also skeptical of a card this cheap.
 
Proboscis said:
I desperately need a new or newer video card to replace the ancient artifact buried in the ol' PC. This looks tempting, but I'm very wary of anything under $100 - good bang-for-your-buck or not, I just can't get past it. I have heard the lowest one should go in the PCI-realm is a 9800, but I've been so out of the loop the last 2 years, frankly I have no clue.

So, if you feel like helping me, please do so....otherwise I'll get around to reading some review comparisons on Tom's or NeoSeeker or [H]ardOCP or something like that. Have a nice day everyone!
Click to expand...

It's difficult to recommend a card without knowing about your power supply, monitor resolution, and processor. Also, it would be helpful to know your price range and whether you are more of a casual gamer or an enthusiast gamer.
 
answers...sort of...

jephrules said:
It's difficult to recommend a card without knowing about your power supply, monitor resolution, and processor. Also, it would be helpful to know your price range and whether you are more of a casual gamer or an enthusiast gamer.
Click to expand...

Hi jephrules - I'm more of a casual gamer, but when I play I prefer to not lag, if that makes any sense. I play FPSs and RPGs mostly. Currently I have a 500-550w p.s. powering an Asus M2N32-sli deluxe and AMD AM2 4000 processor with 2-3 gb (can't remember) PC5400. My monitor is a 5 year-old 19" CRT, which will be upgraded in the coming months as well.

Thanks for any advice you can offer - I really do appreciate it. I'd like to spend under $160, if possible, but I'd just assume wait if that money will be spent in vain because of coming price drops and/or a sub-par performance upgrade from what I have now (nVidia 7300 GS - the 'GS' stands for 'garbage sack').

Oh, and I'm partial to nVidia because of less-than-pleasing results from Radeon drivers in the past.
 
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Sorry it took me so long to reply. I sympathize with you about the Radeon drivers. I recently purchased a GTX 260 instead of a Radeon 4870 for that very reason.

Your computer isn't too terribly old, but any big investments will probably be bottlenecked pretty significantly by your CPU. If you get a new monitor, make sure you factor in your new monitor resolution with the power of your video card (I wouldn't get a 9600GT if you plan on going to a higher resolution).

I don't know how much you know about NVIDIA's card naming system, so I'll explain it real fast to help you find what you want. The first number is the generation series (9000, 8000, 7000, etc). Higher is newer.

The second number basically tells you it's overall performance. x8xx is generally the highest performing (9800GT), x6xx is generally a good price-performance budget gaming card (9600GT), and anything lower is going to be quite weak for gaming purposes.

Note that the newer generations do not automatically equate to more performance; a 9600GT is not better than an 8800GT.

For reference, a 9800GT is almost the exact same as an 8800GT, and I was able to max out Team Fortress 2 with everything on the highest settings, 16xAA and 16xAF, at 1680x1050 resolution, with no noticeable slowdowns on my factory overclocked 8800GT. 9800GTX+ (note the +) is a faster, more efficient 9800GT.

Also, some noteworthy companies to look into: EVGA (Step-Up program allows you to upgrade to a newer card if you register it within 90 days, where you only pay the difference of price and shipping), BFG (similar program, but I believe it's for 100 days), and XFX (Double Lifetime Warranty - meaning you get a lifetime warranty, and anyone you sell the card to will also have a lifetime warranty, effectively raising its resale value). I don't know much about the other companies, unfortunately.

Here are my recommendations for current sales (this could easily change within a couple days):

For raw power and an excellent deal: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187052

For good power and a couple free games: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150316

Also, there are some good GTX 260's can be had for a little over $200.

On a final note, make sure you have adequate space and cooling for a new video card.

Let me know if you have any questions. Also, I apologize for the long read. :)
 
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