Video Card advice

[FUS1ON]

I've got someone that is going to buy the GF2-GTS 32mb card out of my 2nd/bot machine, so I need a replacement. On the old card, Catacombs is almost unplayable even on the lowest visual settings and the max res I run on the machine is 1024x768 w/17" monitor. The specs on the machine are AMD 1.4ghz w/512mb ram.

I'm looking at this ATI Radeon 9600Pro @ Newegg for $94
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-121-539&depa=0

Like I said the max res only needs to be 1024x768 and i'd like to stay near or under $100 so can someone recommend a better or cheaper card?
Is anyone using a 9600Pro now and if so, how is it working for you?

[Grimmy]

I am using a 9600xt on my third rig and it displays fine. I can't remember the resolution, but it was around 800x600 or something close to that. Things were taking for ever to load and it was very laggy for a while and I thought it was the card, so that's what I replaced. It still does the same thing, so soon I am going to bump it up to a gig of ram (pc2700) and see how that does. Catacombs works well for me, just zoning in and out takes some time every now and then.

Don't have another rig laying around that is DAOC playable do ya? Looking for a 4th rig :D

[OUTLAWS Jag]

I use the 9600 pro in both Sep's and my machines.. never have any problems with either. They are going on 2 years old now. Might replace them sooner or later but runs good now so why change..

[V98ci]

9800 pro, 9600 pro, Ti 4200 and 5200 here. All run great, you should be good to go with the 9600.

[FUS1ON]

Thx y'all! :thumbs:

[Maer]

PCI express is the way to go. Only thing with that is you will have to replace your motherboard and then you are getting into alot more money. They do rock though seen low end ones that out perform my 128mb AGP card.

[JIMINATOR]

a pci express card is going to have the same performance as the same agp card, there
is no inherent benefit to having pci express. that being said, if you have globs of cash you can run two of them. also more and more of the high end cards are coming out pci express only. pci express has a wider bus, but current games cannot fill a agp 8x bus, so this is not currently a benefit. as for buying for the future, you will be able to buy better, cheaper, more reliable boards in the future so that is not recommended either....

[wolfsangle]

As my first post here, I will chime in and say a 9600pro will work fine.
I use it on my main computer (incidentally to replace a GF2 card that wouldn't run catacombs, just like you). I got mine from a forum I have frequented for years for around $75 (although used), forums.anandtech.com. I just searched the forum and someone has one for $70 right now if the used thing doesnt scare you off. (forums.anandtech has craptons of good deals that beat the pants off ebay, in fact I used to refresh the forum all day a few years ago my freshman year in college finding insane deals and dumping them on ebay).
I hope anything I have said helps, I read this board a lot and your posts are always very helpful (specifically the post with the high util items and your template suggestions); now if I can get a toon up to 50 I'll be in business!

[FUS1ON]

First off, welcome to GameMecca Wolfsangle. Yeah hurry up and get to 50, /level is awesome! :D