Graphics Card question

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greenbags125

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My friend wants to purchase a graphics card for her computer. It would be an upgrade from integrated graphics in order to play games like Half Life 2 and World of Warcraft. The problem is, her computer only has PCI slots, no AGP/PCI-E. I have narrowed it down to a few. She is unwilling to purchase it online so it must be B&M. These are the final choices that match her criteria:

PNY Verto GeForce FX 5500 128MB
ATI RADEON 9250 256MB
VisionTek Xtasy RADEON 9250 128MB
BFG GeForce FX 5500 OC 256MB

Any comments/suggestions would be welcomed.
 
I'd for either the PNY or the BFG, preferrably BFG since it's pre-overclocked and it sounds like your GF is unfamiliar with PC's, let alone overclocking.
 
[quote name='Vegan']I would say that any PCI card is NOT going to have enough bandwidth for either of those games.[/QUOTE]

A PCI card could probably handle WoW, but I agree: HL2 is out of the question.
 
I would even hesitate on wow. A PCi only comp will most likely have a slow old processor from when she probably got it, and Sd ram. I dont know... maybe on 640x480 with all the settings down out in the forest where no one is.... I dont know... even if she got a $300 starter comp from pcclub or dell she would be better off.

ANd if your still going with this pci card, go with what Moxio said..
 
[quote name='greenbags125']The problem is, her computer only has PCI slots [and] She is unwilling to purchase it online so it must be B&M.[/QUOTE]

Ouch and double ouch.

Of the four the only logical choice is the BFG GeForce FX 5500 OC 256MB. If you're looking retail expect to pay around $155 (Best Buy) - not a great price for this "last generation" card.. but probably the best you'll do at a B&M. If you're a good friend however, get the cash from her and order it on your credit card from an internet retailer, like Comp-U-Plus shipped for $125. You'll save her about $30 overall.

If you want to save her tons of money and don't mind a bump down in graphical quality.. go for the PNY FX 5500 128mb, but still do it online. Ask her for the cash and order it for her. You can get it for $65 shipped at YesMicro.com.

Both of these are rated higher than the Radeon 9250, and from various web testimonials most customers say they can run Half Life 2 at 1024 x 768 with mid-settings at a decent framerate, so HL2 and WoW should be no problem.

Good luck!
 
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