AGP Card under $100?

I'm currently looking for a decent video card for under $100. I've been out of the PC game for a while now (switched to Mac about 5 years ago), but I've got a PC now that I'd like to use for gaming. It's nothing special - just a 2.6ghz P4 - but I just want to play HL2 now anyway, so I don't need state-of-the-art hardware.

I don't want to upgrade any of the rest of the hardware, just the video card. It only has an AGP slot, so I need to stick to that. Also, it'll be driving a Dell 2407fpw.

Anyone have any suggestions?

It's about $20 more than your listed price point, but you still aren't going to find any decent AGP cards for that money. Unfortunately PCI-e has quickly removed AGP from the market, making them hard to come by, and carrying price premiums. At $119, this is about as good a deal as you can hope for.

http://shop.ati.com/searchresults.asp?dept_id=39

Thanks for the suggestion. I found a deal on a GeForce 6200 for pretty cheap - is that a crappy card?

Yes, 6200 is a very crappy card! Stay away! :eek:
Look for a 6600GT at the least! ;)

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Originally Posted by proxops-pete

Yes, 6200 is a very crappy card! Stay away! :eek:
Look for a 6600GT at the least! ;)

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Good to know. ;) I'll probably just go for that ATI Un4given suggested. Thanks!

The 7300gt is supposed to be really decent for the price. Here's a link to a review: http://www.ngohq.com/home.php?page=a...read&arc_id=86

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Originally Posted by Boneycat

The 7300gt is supposed to be really decent for the price. Here's a link to a review: http://www.ngohq.com/home.php?page=a...read&arc_id=86

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Yup, the 7300GT is faster than the 6600GT but it's PCI-E.:(

That X800XL looks really good for the price. It competes with the 6800GT.:)

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Originally Posted by soupnazi

Yup, the 7300GT is faster than the 6600GT but it's PCI-E.:(

That X800XL looks really good for the price. It competes with the 6800GT.:)

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Doh!!! I'm a moron. Sorry about that.

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Originally Posted by soupnazi

Yup, the 7300GT is faster than the 6600GT but it's PCI-E.:(

That X800XL looks really good for the price. It competes with the 6800GT.:)

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I didn't click the link that Un4given provided! Yeah, grab that X800XL!! That thing sure beats 6600GT anyday!! :eek:

Well, I ended up snagging that X800XL. Now I just need to order that Dell 24" monitor and I'll finally get to play some HL2! :D

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Originally Posted by trippinbillie82

Well, I ended up snagging that X800XL. Now I just need to order that Dell 24" monitor and I'll finally get to play some HL2! :D

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Actually, no. 24" LCD's native res. will be at the least 1900x1200! :eek:
And we all know that X800XL can't drive HL2 at that high of resolution! If anything, get a 32" LCD TV w/ native 1366(?)x800 res... that IS very playable for X800XL. ;)

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Originally Posted by proxops-pete

Actually, no. 24" LCD's native res. will be at the least 1900x1200! :eek:
And we all know that X800XL can't drive HL2 at that high of resolution! If anything, get a 32" LCD TV w/ native 1366(?)x800 res... that IS very playable for X800XL. ;)

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What about 1680x1050? I was trying to decide between the 24 and the 20, and since the 20" is much cheaper I may just go for that...

The card Un4Given linked to is the best bang for the buck for AGP unless you can find a steal on e-bay

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Originally Posted by trippinbillie82

What about 1680x1050? I was trying to decide between the 24 and the 20, and since the 20" is much cheaper I may just go for that...

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That resolution is basically the widescreen version of 1600x1200. Will the X800XL drive HL2 at that res, maybe if you turn everything off or way, way down.

Really? According to this review it gets over 100 FPS at 1600x1200:
http://www.hothardware.com/viewartic...&articleid=616

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Originally Posted by trippinbillie82

Really? According to this review it gets over 100 FPS at 1600x1200:
http://www.hothardware.com/viewartic...&articleid=616

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Yup, but look at the rest of their testing rig. A64 4000+ 1gig RAM. That being said, HL2 is a very well coded game and isn't too dependent on your vidcard. (relies more on CPU) 1600x1200 should be doable as long as you don't crank up all the eyecandy. (AA & AF)

HL2 is a game that will push a CPU hard, but with the updates that have been made, such as HDR, I don't think you'll get that much. Yes, they have on AA/AF in those tests, but what about lighting/shadows, texture detail, reflections, etc. I highly doubt that once you get into the settings that really show off the graphics in this game that you will be pumping 100 fps.

A constant 30fps is playable enough for me. ;)

Also, I'm not too concerned with putting all the graphics options to the limit. I just want to play the game because I enjoyed the first one so much. I have a feeling I'll be able to do that now.

If > 30 fps is all you require, I'd guess that 20" WS LCD is ok...

x800xls going for 80$ a lot. I'll be selling mine for about that much in another month (conroe)

Just a quick update, if anyone cares. I ended up with the 24" monitor and HL2 runs like a dream. At 1920x1200 I get a constant 45fps, and sometimes (in enclosed areas) I can get up to 100. That's with everything set to high and AA at 8x.

So thanks for the video card recommendation, it's working perfectly!

glad to see it worked out...at the price point I didn't think I'd see an x800xl on there

Congrats! Good to hear things are well. Did you get a Dell 2407FPW?:)

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Originally Posted by soupnazi

Congrats! Good to hear things are well. Did you get a Dell 2407FPW?:)

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Sure did. It's massive and quite beautiful. :D

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Originally Posted by thrawn86

x800xls going for 80$ a lot. I'll be selling mine for about that much in another month (conroe)

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$80?! :eek: where?