I got burned when I bought a my first graphics card a
- NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GS, 256 mb, AGP
but I before that I got a computer from my brother it had a
- Ati Radeon 9200, 128 mb, Vivo, PCI express
but it had a slow processor Intel Pentium 2, 1.7 GHz it ran all the games but really slowly. Now with a completly new comp I need a new graphics card so I asked the clerk at the store that I want a graphics card for gaming so he showed me 2 radeon cards (I don't remeber what) then he pulled out the GeForce 7300 and said that it's more expensive but better so I belived him and bought it, then I find out that half the games I bought dosen't support the GeForce 7300 (Battlefield 2, runs but crashes) so now I need a new graphics card that runs smothly.

Can anyone help me find a good graphics card?
(I kinda lost faith in GeForce so look for a Radeon)

Well its kinda hard to tell you wat to get but it comes down to how much ur willing to spend. So hes something to look into because u meantioned u play bf 2. would be an idea to use one of the following cards as it is supported . THe more u pay the better ^^

ATI RAdeon 9500 series
ATI Radeon 9600 series
ATI Radeon 9700 series
ATI Radeon 9800 series
ATI Radeon X300 series
ATI Radeon X550 series
ATI Radeon X600 series
ATI Radeon X700 series
ATI Radeon X800 series
ATI Radeon X1300 series
ATI Radeon X1600 series
ATI Radeon X1800 series
ATI Radeon X1900 series

I got burned when I bought a my first graphics card a
- NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GS, 256 mb, AGP
but I before that I got a computer from my brother it had a
- Ati Radeon 9200, 128 mb, Vivo, PCI express

What's the specifications of your new computer? (CPU, memory and motherboard) If I read correct, your last computer has PCI express slot whilst your new computer has an AGP slot. Sounds very odd that you've "downgraded" with your new computer, unless the motherboard of your new computer has both AGP and PCI express. Hopefully your new motherboard supports PCI express video cards, they're the latest technology and PCIe cards tend to be cheaper.

Buying that 7300 GS wasn't such a good idea, I guess you've now learnt a lesson - to never let the salesman decide what components you buy. Always, always, always do your research on what computer components you intend to buy. Same goes with all electrical products you buy.

Can anyone help me find a good graphics card?
(I kinda lost faith in GeForce so look for a Radeon)

Don't be dissuaded by your last purchase to avoid nVidia's GeForce range. Both ATi's Radeon and nVidia's GeForce range of cards perform well, it's a matter a of choosing the right card for your purpose. It's not easy though, with so many different models and confusing model numbers.

Here are some of my suggestions:

For the GeForce 6 range aim to get ATLEAST a 6600 GT, and in the GeForce 7 range don't go any lower than the 7600 GS if you want decent BF2 performance. It's important to identify the numbers (*200 - *950) then the letters afterwards (GS, GT, GTS, Ultra, etc.) but they're too complicated for me to detail here now.

Same applies for ATi cards but with slightly different numbers and letters. I'm not up-to-date with ATi video cards but I'll say lowest end card you want to get is the 9600 PRO. Any lower and you won't experience acceptable frame-rates in BF2.

Do lots of research. To start you off check out Tomshardware.com. They have a great, constantly-updated graphics card chart that compares every card that's available. Check it out at: http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html

Hopefully the above cards I've noted are within your budget since ultimately that's what drives your puchasing decisions. If they are not then you'll need to save up or find a job. As always, the more you pay the better your video card will be if you are a smart informed buyer.

last edited by Mr.Bumpy at 14:37:08 01/Nov/06

This should be a good guide as well:

The Best Cards For Your Money November 2006

Thanks for the help.

The specs for my current computer

Processor - Intel Pentium 4 DuoCore 3.4GHz
Ram -1 Gb ram
Motherboard - Gigabyte S-series GA-965P-S3 P965 Express Chipset
Hdd - 2x 250Gb

And i'm not looking to spend more than $300 on a Graphics Card
My new computer is PCI Express my old computer I got from my brother is AGP
I'm thinking about getting one of the ATI X series but i'm not sure which ones better and I might get a GeForce if it costless and has the same/better proformance as the x series.

There are Radeons and GeForce cards in all price ranges. From a paltry $100 all the way to $1500, and they all perform very similarly at the same price points. So far nVidia have been more competetive with their cards, which is why the 7800GT and newer 7900GT have been very popular with gamers looking for mid-range cards.

Had a quick look through staticice.com.au. You can find a 7600GT for around $200. If you shop smart you can even find a 7900GT for $340. If you really can't stretch that far with your budget then I'd suggest a 7900GS, which goes for around $280. It's known to perform as fast as the 7900GT in some benchmarks and faster in rare cases.

I'm not very familiar with the latest Radeons, maybe another AusGamer member will be nice enough to help out here? Oh c'mon...

Oh and it's probably a good idea to bump your RAM upto 2Gb.

last edited by Mr.Bumpy at 12:34:11 03/Nov/06

Thanks again Mitch and Mr Bumpy

I think I'll gust get a Radeon X1900XT or GeForce 7900GS which ever I find it's going to be one of these 2, A special Thanks goes to Mr Bumpy for reviving my faith in NVIDIA

Thanks, no worries. Glad to be of service with graphics cards decisions.

Hmmm, an x1900XT or 7900GS. Did you mean x1900GT? The x1900XT trounces the 7900GS with a price difference to match - $280 and $415, respectively (According to staticice.com.au). But if you can find an x1900XT at a similar price to a 7800GS then by all means go for the x1900XT!

The x1900GT and 7900GS are quite evenly matched. The price for both are equal in Australia, though the x1900GT might be harder to find. You'll find that in certain games one will be faster than the other and vice versa in other games, but that's the nature of games. Even so the margins are barely noticeable.

Goodluck with your purchase and let us know how you go!

last edited by Mr.Bumpy at 23:00:30 03/Nov/06