Good Pci Graphics Card

[deadlychicken22]

I have never really played many computer games (besides emulating old systems ) and have decided I would like to try some of them but my computer has a "intel® 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphics Controller" which means I don't have an AGP port. My computer is a dell demension 2400 with 512MB RAM and a 2.7ghz celeron. What is the best PCI graphics card I can get that is about $100-$180? Also, when I am looking for a graphics card, what determines if it is better? I have seen 128MB ones that are much more expensive than 256MB ones so I'm sure its more than just that but I'm not sure what. I'm not planning on playing these games at great quality, I just want it to look OK and not have any slowdown (my current one slows down in morrowind and I have the graphics as low as they go which means I can't see further than about 50 feet ). The one really new game I would like to play is half-life 2 but I don't think that will run well on any pci card so i've given up on it. Please help me.


EDIT: is this good?

 

[DemonStar55]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList....Submit=Property just a search on newegg.com

that should be fine, the one you showed

EDIT: for goodness, Memory size, clock frequencies and stuff like that, resolution, and frequencies of the gfx card like 85Hz like the one you picked out

 

[deadlychicken22]

Will that be able to play half-life 2 without much lag (I don't mind medium-low graphics) or should I not consider half-life 2 at all?
Thanks for the quick reply.

 

[DemonStar55]

I'm pretty sure that should be good enough fro HL2

edit: my friend has a nVidia Geforce FX 5200 128 mb and he says it's good for HL2/CS:S so that card should be good

 

[deadlychicken22]

Ok, thanks for your help and your quick replies. I will probably get that one, I'm just going to look around at a couple different websites and see what the normal prices are ($100 seems pretty good to me).

 

[aapje89]

or get an x300 there not expensive and you can play hl2 and css with it:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16814240025

 

[Steve-O]

or get an x300 there not expensive and you can play hl2 and css with it:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16814240025

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Thats PCI-Express......

I would get this one -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16814139166

 

[Vimacs]

i doubt pci is fast enugh to play any recent game, sorry

 

[Steve-O]

If you must stay with PCI go for the Geforce 5700 but like Vimacs says, Its slow.... PCI is very old now

If possible I would look for a Motherboard with AGP and that supports all your other hardware (CPU, Ram etc) and transfer it all over and get a good AGP card like the 6600GT

 

[aapje89]

If you must stay with PCI go for the Geforce 5700 but like Vimacs says, Its slow.... PCI is very old now

If possible I would look for a Motherboard with AGP and that supports all your other hardware (CPU, Ram etc) and transfer it all over and get a good AGP card like the 6600GT

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why not use pci-e, all the new cards are pci extreme for example the 7800gtx

 

[deadlychicken22]

well, I would get a new motherboard but my dad would kill me (He thinks I'm going to break the computer every time I take it apart.)
How would this be?
(its also available at best buy but its $150)
HERE is a review of a similar one


to aapje89: I DON'T HAVE PCI-EXPRESS!

 

[DemonStar55]

just buy a anti-static wrist band and put a new mobo in then basically nothing can go wrong

 

[aapje89]

well at I would get a new motherboard but my dad would kill me (He thinks I'm going to break the computer every time I take it apart.)
How would this be?
(its also available at best buy but its $150)
HERE is a review of a similar one


to aapje89: I DON'T HAVE PCI-EXTREME!

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YES I KNOW!!! but if ur getting a new mobo get 1 with pci extreme