I need a cheap graphics card for new computer

[treadlelady]

Ok, my first time here, so don't beat me up if I do something wrong!
I need a video card for a computer I am going to build. It has been a long time since I've built one, and everything has changed so much...
Here is what I am going to build it with;
motherboard
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch.hmx?&scriteria=BA23347
cpu
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch.hmx?&scriteria=BA23444
case
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch.hmx?&scriteria=BA23184
memory
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch.hmx?&scriteria=BA20349

I will be using Windows 2000. I am not a gamer, I play the radio on the computer, and would like to watch movies on the computer. I do use some graphics programs, but nothing intensive. I will be using an office suite and Microsoft FrontPage and uploading to my website.
I will be using a copier that I can print from, Canon image class D320, an HP all-in-one, and a Konica Minolta magicolor 2400W Laser printer. I may be using an iomega zip drive, +??? in the future.
$$$ are very tight, this wasn't a planned purchase, as my computer retired without asking me first... so I need a graphics card that will do all this, and still be able to handle anything I might add later, but my budget (what budget! ) won't handle more than a $50 range. It also needs to be something that won't fight with my motherboard and cpu. I am only going with 512mb of ram right now, but hope to extend to 2gb later.
Can someone recommend one that will fit above criteria?
Thanks for any and all help,

 

[treadlelady]

Oh, forgot to add; I have a habit of having 10-20 tabs open in my browser, which seems to drag my old computer down. Don't know if that affects the graphics card that much...

 

[emp]

Do you need it to clean your living room too? or bake cookies?

Now seriously, if you need HD playback, then maybe this.

SAPPHIRE 100203L Radeon HD 2400PRO 256MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102100

MSI NX8400GS-TD256E GeForce 8400GS 512M (256MB onboard) 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127296

It wont do any graphic intensive work, but it's the best you can get for the price, especially if you want to watch HD movies

 

[treadlelady]

Hey, no, but if you know of one that would do dishes, make coffee, and bring me breakfast in bed, I'd scrounge up the extra $$$ from somewhere to get it! :lol:
I like the sound of the MSI card, and it has good reviews plus, I should not have any compatibility problems with it, since it comes from my motherboard maker...
Another question, it says it is a low profile card, and people were talking about needing a bracket for it. How do I know if I would need it with the above motherboard?
Hmmmm... can you bake cookies?

 

[emp]

Yes, I can bake cookies. The bracket has to do with the case, not the motherboard. If you go to newegg.com and search for XFX bracket you can find it.

 

[treadlelady]

[]Wanna get married? I love home baked cookies! :lol:
Oh, right, wasn't thinking...it has been a long and frustrating week!
I will probably need it with this case? http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch.hmx?&scriteria=BA23184
All I can say is, it was a lot simpler building computers way back when... and, I knew a whole lot less then.
Thanks sew much, your choice sounds like a good one.
[/]

 

[jaguarskx]

Oh, forgot to add; I have a habit of having 10-20 tabs open in my browser, which seems to drag my old computer down. Don't know if that affects the graphics card that much...

No, that eats up a lot of system RAM.

 

[toasty2]

Sorry to be off topic, but FrontPage isn't a very good HTML editor (not very standards-compliant and produces very messy HTML), I would recommend NVU or Dreamweaver instead.

Also, I wouldn't get 512MB ram when you can get 1GB so cheap (also, a better use of a single RAM slot). I don't know about Mwave, but many people use Newegg which has good prices.

Edit: Looks like Mwave has good prices.

 

[Solariscs]

You can try this board as well:

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspec.hmx?scriteria=BA23402

It seems to be better than the msi one, but its mATX which shouldn't even be a problem for your system. With the little money saved you can get bump up the processor to a 4200+ 😉.

 

[Joe_The_Dragon]

get ddr2 800 and at least 1gb you can also get 2gb 2x1gb for about $80 or less

 

[treadlelady]

No, that eats up a lot of system RAM.

I know that, but I am doing so many things at once, and I get agrravated if I have to open pages over and over again. In fact, I love Firefox for that reason, as I don't close my browser when I am shutting down, and when I reboot, it comes up and tells me it shut down unexpectedly, and do I want to restore my tabs I had open when it closed. So guess I had better figure out how to get 2GB of system memory!

 

[treadlelady]

Sorry to be off topic, but FrontPage isn't a very good HTML editor (not very standards-compliant and produces very messy HTML), I would recommend NVU or Dreamweaver instead.

Also, I wouldn't get 512MB ram when you can get 1GB so cheap (also, a better use of a single RAM slot). I don't know about Mwave, but many people use Newegg which has good prices.

Edit: Looks like Mwave has good prices.

Toasty2, I started out using notepad, then found Arachnophilia, which was a free (free is good) HTML editor, and thought I had really arrived. I used it for quite a few years, and was happy with it, then someone gave me (free is GREAT) a brand new copy of FrontPage, and I started using it, and got spoiled with not having to do raw HTML! I'm not sure what NVU is, but if someone has it or Dreamweaver they want to give me (free is WONDERFUL!, I will happily take it! :lol: Unfortunately, my budget (what budget!) doesn't run to expensive extras, so I make do with what I've got. I use KISS to build my website, so I am not bothered a whole lot by the deficiencies of FP to much.

 

[MoNeY3865]

I would agree with getting a motherboard with an integrated graphics card. I run one and it does everything you describe just fine. You could then use the money saved to buy more ram for you browser tabs.

Plus it's less hardware you have to mount and configure and you could always get a better add-in graphics card if you need it in the future.

 

[Onus]

Coffee Cup has a reasonable HTML editor and a bunch of web site tools that I think are either free (http://www.coffeecup.com/).

I like those Elite cases; tool-free and they'll take another 120mm fan in the front if you want it.

Hmmm, someone else likes to sew . My grandmother had an old treadle Singer machine. I just bought a new Singer CB-5 for my wife last month (hey, if I could afford to build a new rig, I thought she might like a new sewing machine to replace her old mechanical one). Oh, and she bakes cookies too, good healthy ones with added fiber and no industrial waste (i.e. margarine).