A friend wants to buy a low-priced card (sub $150 cad) which is kinda’ between two classes.
I have looked at the MX440, FX5200, 9200, 9000 Pro and have come to the conclusion that the best buy would be a 9000 Pro 128mb for $110 cad.
The fx5200 is $150 and is said to be slower than the 9000 pro, but it’s a Dx9 card whereas the other is a Dx8.1 card.
The 9200 is only a 9000 w/ agp 8x.
And the mx440 is just weaker than the 9000 pro, plain and simple.
Any other suggestions ?
How much is the 9600 non pro?
I have been looking around at cards… the 9600 np seems to be the same price as those cards above, but is faster.
I personally think im gonna go back to getting a 9500 and modding it. There is some guy on ebay who reckons hes got 32 cards guaranteed to mod for £100. Even if it doesnt its faster than any other card for £100, plus hes a shop so I can send it back 
what about a Geforce Ti4200 64MB or 128MB version? they are pretty powerful cards!
dx 8 though… I personally haven’t got a clue about the difference between dx8 and 9, or 1 and 9!
No-one ever really benchmarks the two, or compares the quality of images… I suppose your less prone to small glitches by having the dx9 card. Not that glitches bother me!
Zeus: No it’s impossible. A 9600np is pricier than those. Keep in mind those prices are in cad. You gotta’ divide by 1.4 if you wanna’ obtain us dollars.
Sniper: A Ti4200 is $190. It’s way too much for him.
He wants an upgrade from his Gf2 MX400 but nothing too expensive since he wants to change his computer completely for doom 3 (in a while I know).
Id go for the fx5200 out of that bunch then.
I said the 9600np cos its about the same price as a 9000pro and 9200, depending on where you shop. Some places charge more for a 9000pro and 9200 than the 9600. But the Ti 4200 is the same and less than most of the cards you picked. Try shopping around more… if England can manage to sell decent cards cheap surely a shop in america or canada can manage.
Is it practicle to buy stuff from America?
fx5200 = £65
Mx 440 = £40 - £60
Ti4200 = £70
Ti 4800 = £110
9000 pro = £75 - £95 AIW = £150-£160!
9200 = £60 - £100
9600 = £90
I’d agree on the 9600 np. It’s got the DX9 support, and looking around, it can be found for sub-$150 USD. I’m not sure if they’re still available, but the 9500’s have been discontinued and you might find a good deal on those as well.
well 150 usd is just too much, unfortunately.
Might wanna look at something used then if you can or if not, the Radeon 8500 is still good and a tad faster than the 9000 or 9200’s, which are essentially a rebadged 8500. You’d be in Ti4200 territory for a bit less to boot. They’ll handle UT2003 and stuff pretty well with any decent CPU.
He has a GA-7VTX-P w/ a T-Bird 1.4