there is a wide variety of cards u can get under 200 bucks now. I know a lot of people get their cards off newegg or zipzoomfly or other sites, but i seriously suggest Ebay. You can get the 5700FX 256mb card for like right around $100.
GeForce 5900xt. They go from 160's to 190 or so. Don't bother getting a card with 256mb on it. They have yet to find a game that actually utilizes that extra memory(over 128) - even doom 3 doesn't need it.
I told him 256 because that was the best one i could find sub 200 dollars, and i figure this could be a long term card. But your suggestion is just as good, GeForce makes good, long life cards.
Yes, the ATi Radeon 9800 Pro has a great price. Especially for its performance and quality I currently have the 9800 Pro and currently awaiting news of a maybe new X800XT A great site for computer parts in the US is www.newegg.com
Agreed on the 9800 pro. Most of my friends have this card, and it'll handle just about anything you could throw at it right now. Ignore the Geforce FX series. I've heard they're having problems with some of the newer game engines. The 9800 will probably last you longer.
Incorrect, Doom3 at high detail with 8xAA and 8xAF and at a resolution of 1600x1200 actually requires 512mb of graphics power. Therefore the only card(s) that can power it are the dual 6800 Ultras or GT's, at those settings at least. As for buying a card, your picking the worst time to buy one. I would save up my money and wait a while till PCI-E and SLI technology becomes cheaper, and until AMD 64 becomes cheaper, then upgrade my whole set up. $200 is a lot to be spending on something that will be WELL outdated next year.