Video Card Prices = Suck

[Matt]

Has anyone ever looked at buying a new video card? Seen the prices?

A GeForce FX 5900 Ultra is like 400 dollars. ATi's new Radeon 9800 XT+ is like 500. For that price you can buy a computer almost. It is rediclous.

If you look down to a GeForce FX 5600 or 5200, it is still like 200+ dollars.

I think it's rediculous. What's everyone else think?

[NickTheGamer]

Wow, that is overproced! Are they really that much? umm, where did you get those prices from? That is overpriced verymuch so...

[JustUsOwls]

I just bought a Radeon 9600 PRO 128 for 175 bucks.

DO NOT GET THE GFORCE FX SERIES, especially if you want to run Half Life 2 with decent FPS!

go to www.newegg.com and they have great prices and deals. That's where I get all off my computer stuff.

[CronoEdge]

I bought a 128 meg geforce fx 5200 for 60 bucks last july its not great but its hella better than the on board card my comp came with, and i can play halo on my pc without too many problems, so im happy. :P

Pricewatch.com has great prices on pretty much anything that goes in or on a pc, just make sure the site u buy from is reliable.

[Jog DMC]

That's why I'm not much of a PC gamer... or at least that's one of the reasons.

[Just Gabriel]

Originally posted by CronoEdge
I bought a 128 meg geforce fx 5200 for 60 bucks last july its not great but its hella better than the on board card my comp came with, and i can play halo on my pc without too many problems, so im happy. :P


I have the exact same card. For Halo, it will run at 60fps as long as you turn some of the detail down a little.

[Googol]

Yeah, they've been overpriced since the days of Voodoo, but that's the price you pay for being a hardcore PC gamer.

Frankly, I used to be a hardcore PC gamer, but the associated costs and lack of Nintendo titles I switched over to consoles. However, usually the prices drop down significantly every 6 months, but for some reason this generation hasn't seen a massive price drop. I probably won't upgrade until Doom3 or HL2 comes out.

[CronoEdge]

Originally posted by Gabriel
I have the exact same card. For Halo, it will run at 60fps as long as you turn some of the detail down a little.

Cool :)

Im thinking about buying a cheap cooling kit so i can over clock it a lil.

[Messiah]

Originally posted by Jog DMC
That's why I'm not much of a PC gamer... or at least that's one of the reasons.

Same as me. Upgrading the computer is too damn expensive. Thats why i prefer console gaming. Its more user-friendly.

[Professor Go]

For the price of one graphics card you could buy a pS2, X-Box and Gamecube bundle with like four free games. Although PC Gaming is fun I'm sure, I think you just have to be a computer type of person to care.

[Cory2K6]

I agree video card prices are overpriced. It's the reason I don't play that many computer games that I used 2.

[prime_timer]

My friend got a Radeon 9000 for about $90. But he got it at Walmart, and now its broke. feel sorry him. he now knows why i stick with consoles: no CD key code or video sound compatability bull crap

[pythonfan]

You want to know why the prices on video cards are so high? Its because the companies know that there are some nutty people out there who will shell out what is probably half the cost of their computer on a graphics card just so they can have the fastest one. Sure there are the budget 5200s and the like but let's be honest, they aren't very good or fast. you either have to wait untill the next generation comes out and therefore, the older generation becomes cheap or settle with a mediocre graphics card if you're on a budget.

[Matt]

Half-Life 2 is designed for ATi and Valve is a bunch of idiots not following nVIDIA's Optimal Code Path. Thus, near equal cards, a GeForce FX 5950 and ATI Radeon 9800 XT+, make the GeForce FX 5950 look 50% worse.

Overall, though, the GeForce FX series is nice. The 5200 is available for lower-budget people, and the 5600/5700 are nice. The 5950 Ultra pwns, but the ATI Radeon 9800 XT+ gives it a run.

The problem with nVIDIA/ATi is both keep trying to top each other and stuff. That means new cards keep coming.

nVIDIA's drivers and control panel options are better than ATi. ForceWare rocks, and owns Catalyst.