First of all, I'm new here, it's good to be aboard, despite not being a real smarty pants tech guy. I'm pretty nice, and I help out when I can.
Now, on to real matters, can I get some assistance with video card selection?
I used to be an avid PC gamer, but I quit for some odd reason a little while back. My PC was quite shiny, and good stuff...when I finished working on it three years ago!
Anyhow, I'd like to play Final Fantasy XI for the PC.
My current specs are
P3 1.1ghz, 384 PC133 RAM, Geforce 2 GTS (overclocked to 240/360)
Now, I'm not looking to melt the game. I'd simply like to run it quickly. I'm not really keen on a full system upgrade until I grab the extra dough next year, money's tight now, but with gaming, it's mostly about the video card.
For those also interested in said title. I scored a 2215 on the Benchmark.
(http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/benchmark.html)
Which works for me, since I'd like to play on my television screen through video out.
But, I'm still partly too much of a nerd just to let it go, I'd like to upgrade my card, to get that extra "oomph" out of the game. And run it smoother.
So, here's (finally, I know you're saying) my question.
I have a smallish budget (130 bucks or so) and I am looking to buy a card at the end of the month.
Now, everyone tells me to get the Radeon 9600 Pro. A quality site (checked resellerratings) on Price Watch sells one for $135, shipped.
Now this seems good to me, but I'd also like your opinions. I'm looking for a speedy PREFORMANCE card, image quality, FSAA and filtering are not chief concerns of mine.
Are there any other cards you could suggest? And with the new announcement of the XT cards, should I wait for a price drop? How would the 9600 XT effect the price of the standard 9600 PRO.
Anyhow, thanks for reading my lengthy, long winded post.
Now, on to real matters, can I get some assistance with video card selection?
I used to be an avid PC gamer, but I quit for some odd reason a little while back. My PC was quite shiny, and good stuff...when I finished working on it three years ago!
Anyhow, I'd like to play Final Fantasy XI for the PC.
My current specs are
P3 1.1ghz, 384 PC133 RAM, Geforce 2 GTS (overclocked to 240/360)
Now, I'm not looking to melt the game. I'd simply like to run it quickly. I'm not really keen on a full system upgrade until I grab the extra dough next year, money's tight now, but with gaming, it's mostly about the video card.
For those also interested in said title. I scored a 2215 on the Benchmark.
(http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/benchmark.html)
Which works for me, since I'd like to play on my television screen through video out.
But, I'm still partly too much of a nerd just to let it go, I'd like to upgrade my card, to get that extra "oomph" out of the game. And run it smoother.
So, here's (finally, I know you're saying) my question.
I have a smallish budget (130 bucks or so) and I am looking to buy a card at the end of the month.
Now, everyone tells me to get the Radeon 9600 Pro. A quality site (checked resellerratings) on Price Watch sells one for $135, shipped.
Now this seems good to me, but I'd also like your opinions. I'm looking for a speedy PREFORMANCE card, image quality, FSAA and filtering are not chief concerns of mine.
Are there any other cards you could suggest? And with the new announcement of the XT cards, should I wait for a price drop? How would the 9600 XT effect the price of the standard 9600 PRO.
Anyhow, thanks for reading my lengthy, long winded post.