Cheap best video card??

ts_aly2000

Hi, hope you can help here;

I'm trying to build up a reasonable machine out of bits I'm collecting. Wait for it, here's what I'm running at the moment; a Cyrix 266 with 128Mb of RAM with a 32Mb Creative GeForce 2 (about 5 years old), and a 3com 802.11b PCI card. It is an absolute heap.

This is what I've collected so far..

Socket 462/A ATX AMD Mothboard
AMD Athlon XP 2100
256Mb 2100 DDR stick

What I'm trying to decide on next is what sort of graphics card to go for??? One thing I'm definitely not interested in is something that generates alot of heat and draws 1,000,000 amps etc. I'm used to graphics cards such as a Matrox and alike with drivers being a few Mb to download. I also run Windows 98SE as being an embedded developer there's alot of my kit which runs through DOS (logic analyser, eprom burner etc.) and doesn't like XP.

Stability is a very important factor, such that I don't run any sound cards, modems, or anything unnecessary like multimedia. 98SE with the applications I run is totally rock solid, just slow when compiling 50,000 lines of RISC source code or visiting a web page with Flash in it.

My dream: I'd like to play Quake 3

I've seen a nice desktop case for £30 from Rapid with a 350w PSU in it, I plan to have this on it's side with one of those CD-ROM drives that will hold CD's sideways. Also on the heat subject, I like silence too and I guess power-v-noise is a balance. Ideally I'd like something that generates the noise of a Sinclair Spectrum.

Please would you be able to suggest a sensible cheap graphics card that would run something like Quake 3? I'm guessing something like a 128Mb Nvidea 5200??? I don't know what's in and what isn't in the current market, but certainly won't need something ultra modern, just respectable and modestly cheap. Ideally I'd like to spend ...wait for it ..about £30 tops.

Thanks kindly,

Aly x

Mark_LJ

I don't think you're far wrong with a passive 5200 - refurbished for all of £14 at Retek

hobo28

Perosnally I'd go for a GeForce 6200 or a ATI Radeon 9250. You can get both for < £30 if you shop around and both support DirectX9.

ts_aly2000

Thanks for replying you two. Noted. :A

If I had a choice I'd go for one of those VIVO cards as it'd be handy to view the logic analyser (test equipment with composite video out) on my 19" NEC Multisync.

What do you think to one of these at £25 odd all in? Leadtek Winfast 4200 on eBay Only problem I can see with that is it's not entirely clear what you're getting.

There's also this for £40 odd; Gainward GeForce FX5700

The main thing here is that I'm not going to be running anything graphics intensive (except Quake 3 now and then when I get it).

What do you think to those two up above?

Aly

ps. that little one you suggested Mark for £15 odd looks like it doesn't have a fan on it, that'd be good re: the points in the original post about heat.

movieman

Pretty much any card that's for sale today will play Quake 3 fine: the FX cards aren't much good for games more advanced than that, though. Cheapest card that can run modern games OK is probably the Radeon 9600 Pro, I think they're about 50 quid.

The Winfast card looks to be a Geforce 4, so it's probably a backward stop from the FX5700. May be faster than the FX5200 though.