Looking for new card to replace dead 7600GT

[Demolition Man]

After much diagnosis, testing, and what not I discovered that the 7600GT that I installed in my current PC is dead. The PCI-E 16x slot obviously works since the fan still does spin on it plus it shows up on Everest.

So my main question is what card should I get to replace it? I need to have 2 DVI ports on it - one for the LCD monitor while the other is fed to my HDTV for movie viewing and what not. I don't do much gaming on this rig but I'd like to have something powerful enough to handle... say... World Of Warcraft at 1920x1080 with all the effects on and an nice frame rate. I would also like to stay with $100 or so.

Thanks in advance CAG for any info provided.

[Vinny]

I'm guessing it's out of the question as you have no graphics card meaning your PC is useless (unless you're using a back up or your mobo has on board video) but if you can spare another $50, then an 8800GT would be killer.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?nm_mc=AFC-SlickDeals&cm_mmc=AFC-SlickDeals-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA&Item=N82E16814150252&Tpk=PVT88PYDF4

Otherwise, a 320MB 8800GTS might be a better option but it's still $28 over.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?nm_mc=AFC-SlickDeals&cm_mmc=AFC-SlickDeals-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA&Item=N82E16814130082

Both should be able to handle WoW well though I can't say if they'll be able to do 1920x1080 with very high effects.

[Demolition Man]

System has an onboard card which is in use right now. Shitty ass GeForce 6100 using 128 megs of my system RAM. As far as WoW I was able to get 1920x1080 with very high effects on my 7600GT with very few problems.

[InuFaye]

8800 gt 256mb version.

[Demolition Man]

Alright looks like the XFX PVT88PUHF4 (8800GT 256mb) will be my choice. Very comparable with my dead 7600GT - has an slightly better core clock and a LOT more stream processors. Now in terms of cooling the included cooling unit on the card should be fine or should I look to upgrade that?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186016

That's the one I'm looking at in particular. Any recommendations if I need to go down this route?

Again thanks folks. Always helpful to get extra opinions on stuff like this. :D

[Genocidal]

FWIW, I just picked up an 8600GT for $40 after GCO and MIR at buy.com a couple of weeks ago. A little less powerful than the card you're looking at but I have no complaints with it whatsoever. Also, with the 8800 you're looking at you'll need to make sure you've got the ability to externally power it (as opposed to the PCIe slot providing enough power).

Edit: This (http://www.buy.com/prod/pny-geforce-8600gt-540mhz-256mb-pci-express-x16-video-card/q/loc/101/204450333.html) is the card I picked up, and it looks like there's a new rebate available.

[Demolition Man]

Right now I'm running an 550 watt power supply that has an power cord dedicated for an graphics card. How well does that 8600GT work for videos and what not - namely HD quality stuff?

[Genocidal]

Can't say I've tried any HD videos yet, although it's advertised as supporting PureVideo HD. My old 6800 did 720p just fine though. In all honesty, the 8800 is a better card, but it's all in how much you're willing to pay. I wasn't, so I went with the 8600GT and have been enjoying some good looking TF2 and CoD4 since (caveat: at 1280x1024, my monitor's native res).

[InuFaye]

All 8800gt cards run HD content extremely well.

You will see a huge difference in performance between the two, and the 550watt power supply should be just fine.

[Vinny]

An 8800GT should be just fine using a 550 watt PS. If it doesn't work, you can always return the card via Newegg's terms. Don't get an after market cooler unless you're not happy with the stock one... I don't think I've heard any complains about the stock coolers.

As for the 8600GT, when they originally came out, the 7600GT outperformed them in gaming. I'm not sure how new driver updates have changed that though so you might wanna do a bit of research on that.

[Demolition Man]

I shouldn't have any issues with using these cards with XP and DirectX 9 right?

[Demolition Man]

I shouldn't have any issues with using these cards with XP and DirectX 9 right?

Bueller? Bueller?

[Genocidal]

Correct.

[Vinny]

You just can't use DX10 features... which only slightly improve graphics in most cases from what I've seen.

[Hybrid5006]

If you really want "HD" quality and need to play new release game on high graphics, go with the 8800GT (note: not the GS)

If you want a stable card that plays most games (like WOW) and is relatively cheap, go with a 7800GTX. It's better than your old 7600GT by a lot, and it is factory overclocked!