Page 1 of Which is the best graphics card?

I realize you`re all probably sick of answering this question but I need a little advice please.

I currently have a NVIDIA Geforce FX5200 128mb and I want to upgrade to a 256 card, just because I can basically, have a bit of spare cash and feel like getting one.

I have around £70 ish to spend maybe a little more. I went to my local PC fair to se what they had and this is pretty much all I saw I my price range

Radeon 9250 256mb £49
Geforce FX5500 256mb £49
Geforce 6200 256mb £65
Radion 9600 pro 256mb £69

That was pretty much it, so which of those is the best? or is there another one in that price range I should consider. I`m not a gamer or anything, just feel like beefing up my pc a little.

Any advice is greatly appreciated, thanks.

Rev

If you arent a gamer then a 256MB graphics card is just a total waste of money. If you want to beef up the PC why not get some more RAM? Then you will be more likely to see some real benefit.

This item was edited on Thursday, 11th August 2005, 07:59

very true. All of those cards, bar possibly the 9600 would be a waste of money.

If I were you I would either spend the cash on more memory, as sashenden says, or case silencing. If you arent a gamer, then memory is the only cheap upgrade to make a difference to your pcs performance.

Case silencing is another worthwhile upgrade if you have cash burning a hole in your pocket. A silent CPU fan and a quiet case fan mean that you can start moving your pc towards the living area and start using it as a media center. Failing that, you could get a decent set of 5.1 speakers for 70 quid.

Ive got a pc with silent fans and a 9200 with a passive heatsink as a media hub. Its replaced my dvd player and can also play divx, MP3s, surf the net and so on from the comfort of my armchair on my widescreen telly.

Thanks for the replies

I already have the maximim 3gig of ram, the silent CPU fan and quiet case fan and 5.1 speakers. Hence me wanting to upgrade the graphics card as its the only thing left.

Is there a 256 card thats decent for under £100?

Rev

I`m dubious that any game is actually using the full 256 MB of video ram that wouldn`t require a more powerful card or PC anyways. Any card that will make a difference is still going to cost the low end of £100 I reckon since under that its budget cards
Have you tried running the 3d mark software to give a benchmark score for your pc then check the values given on their database for similar setups with different graphics cards ?

I wouldn`t even know where to start with that. With me not being a gamer i`ve never taken an interest in graphics cards. I`m only getting it because I can, I have a bit of money to waste and I`d like a 256 card. So there`s no card that I can get for under £100 that`s decent for usual run of the mill stuff. My nephew uses my pc for some graphics he does at collage but thats about it.

Any recommendations at all???

Rev

If you want a recommendation get the one that you like the sound of or has the best sounding numbers for it. You wont be utilising it to anything near its capacity . Get the Geforce 6200, it has a higher number so sounds better.

Thanks for the sarcasm. It`s greatly apreciated. Especially when all i`m looking for is a little advice.

Just because I`m not going to be utilising it to its full capacity doesn`t mean I shouldn`t have one. You don`t have to be a gamer to want a top of the range PC. I don`t want it just because it sounds better, I` trying to improve my PC, but I have a budget.

My apologies for asking.

Rev

9800 all in wonder pro. its 128, but is far better than any of the cards you mentioned (better quality DVD playback and so on).

Plus it gives you video editing facilities, a tv tuner, PVR facilities and a neat little remote. 93 quid from overclockers

Either that or a pimping case for it.

Thank you. Its much appreciated.

Rev