Getting a new Video card need an opinion

[JoshM22]

I just looked at this video card on the Fry's website. I need to know if it is any good for emulation of PSX and high quality 3D gaming? The EVGA 9400GT 1GB PCI-Express Video Card . Advice will be much appreciated.

[onewecallgod]

That's a piece of crap. What's your budget? The best bang per buck is probably an 8800GT for about $120.

[retroguiden]

That's a piece of crap. What's your budget? The best bang per buck is probably an 8800GT for about $120.

It may not be as good as the 8800GT, but it's hardly 'a piece of crap'. And it probably costs about half of what the 8800 costs, so maybe $120 is out of the question?

JoshM22, I'm using a 8500GT (and here it's cheaper than 9400GT so i just assume the 9400 is a better card, don't have the time to google it now) and play PSX without a problem. Also, I'm capable of nice fps in PCSX2, but that is more dependable on the processor so maybe that don't say too much.
Maybe someone else can give you further opinions...

[JoshM22]

I am not looking to do any major gaming on my PC. At the most play Quake 4 and DOOM 3 for now. My budget is about $150.00 for a gaming dedicated video card. I mainly use my PC for decent quality movies in other words compressed movies to preview, email,emulators nothing above a MAME or PSX for now. This should give ppl a little more info so you guys could help me decide. I do want the best i can get for about. Advice will be much appreciated.

[onewecallgod]

It may not be as good as the 8800GT, but it's hardly 'a piece of crap'. And it probably costs about half of what the 8800 costs, so maybe $120 is out of the question?

Even if it was half the cost of an 8800GT, at $60, it's still garbage. You can get a 9600GSO, 8800GSO or even a older 7900GS/GT for $60 that will all run circles around it.

If you can afford it, get the HD4850 for around $160-ish plus shipping. If that's too much, get the 8800GT or the 9800GT, which both are the same card with different names. If you search thoroughly, you can get 8800GTs for less than $100.

Come to think of it, what does the rest of your system look like, specifically your CPU, ram, current video card and monitor resolution?

[JoshM22]

Well to give a little more insight as to how old my computer is it was built in early 2002 or mid 2003. My Dad built it, so i know twas built with the best hard ware from that era of PC's. Anyways The monitor is a Dell M781 I guess. Resolution is 800x600 pixels. Video Card Nvidia Geforce MX 4 420. Processor: AMD Athlon XP 1800 plus 1.53 GHz and 256 MB of RAM.

EDIT: Fry's and Electronics is having a sale on video cards and other goodies, so i will see what they have to offer.

[onewecallgod]

Alright, so your system has only an AGP slot, which narrows your search and makes good cards more expensive. You should get more ram first, but it's going to be more expensive as your system is DDR1. But if you're at Fry's, get what you can afford; just know it'll disappoint you (and make sure it's AGP).

I know you don't want to hear it, but you're best off getting a whole new system. Getting the Fry's low end motherboard CPU combos are a great way to get a highend system for cheap. I got an E2200 with motherboard for $80 plus tax, so it's very reasonably priced.

[JoshM22]

I had a feeling someone would say just get a whole new system. I am glad you told me that cause it just might detur me from forking over the hard earned cash for a video card that isn't going to do much.

What your saying is there is no way for me to make emulator graphics a little sharper by getting a new video card? I have used all the emulator filters, but really still aren't satisfied. Surley there is a better card out there than the Geforce 4 MX 420 (current video card) that I can use.

[retroguiden]

What your saying is there is no way for me to make emulator graphics a little sharper by getting a new video card?

That is not true. Almost any new card you buy will be better than the one you have. From Wikipedia: "There are two different GeForce4 families, the high-performance Ti family, and the budget MX family. [snip] The MX420 was designed for very low end PCs".

I think that if you find a new card for AGP you will definitely see some increase in performance.

[onewecallgod]

What your saying is there is no way for me to make emulator graphics a little sharper by getting a new video card? I have used all the emulator filters, but really still aren't satisfied. Surley there is a better card out there than the Geforce 4 MX 420 (current video card) that I can use.

If the highest end game you're looking to play is Q4 for Doom 3, then an x800 or 6800 you get off eBay for like 30-40 bucks will be the best in terms of performance you need and price. But if you're interested in playing something like CoD4 or Crysis, Rainbow Six Vegas...etc, then you're best off overhauling your PC and getting a higher resolution monitor.