Video card on a budget

[Captain Zappo]

Hi everyone. I need a new video card. I'm currently running on a 64mb Geforce 4 MX 440. I know, it's archaic, but come on, I'm 18 and on a serious budget. So my question is this: what's a great budget video card that will match up with the demands of some of the modern games (call of duty 2 in particular).

My budget is around $100.

Thanks in advance,
-Zach

[ranger]

You can enjoy Call of duty 2 with a Radeon 9200.
.http://callofduty.filefront.com/news/Call_of_Duty_2_System_Requirements;19792

You can get the 9200 for under $100.
http://ati.pricegrabber.com/search_attrib.php/page_id=5/popup3%5B%5D=120:371

The GeForce FX 5500 may also be able to run it.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp;jsessionid=LOLRH0UVBRXWTKC4D3DVAFQ?sku Id=7049785&type=product&id=1108124982738

EDIT: Best Buy has video memory for CoD2 listed as 64MB.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7334627&type=product&tab=4&id=1118845328567

If you want to change video cards, Radeon 9200 looks pretty good.

[franznietzsche]

You can get the 256 MB version of the FX 5500 from newegg.com for about $80 (its what I'm running currently).

[russ_watters]

Yeah, you can do far better than a 9200 for that amount of money. HERE (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?N=2010380048+4027&Submit=ENE&SubCategory=48) is what Newegg has in the $75-$100 range. HERE (http://www.tomshardware.com/2004/10/04/vga_charts_iv/page9.html) are performance numbers for most of them. The refurbished 9600xt 128 for $80 looks like a good deal to me. I'm not sure how that 5500 would stack up - it isn't on the chart.

However, for $112, they have the 6600 256mb, which will give you roughly double the performance of that 9600xt.

[Mariko]

If you dont mind it used or whatever try E-bay

[fargoth]

well, anything less then a 6600GT\x1600pro would not run modern games at more then minimum details.... the difference between 6600 and 6600GT is well worth 20$ (even 40$).

check this out, its the lowest price ive found for 6600GT:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1182887&CatId=880

[BryanP]

I'm using a 6600 as a budget video card. I would actually get the 6600GT if I were you. They're pretty cheap for the most part and can be used in SLI mode.

If you do not have an SLI capable motherboard, it's still a good card overall. It's a little bit over your budget but Newegg has a refurbished PNY Geforce 6600 right now (4/15/06) for 100 dollars if you want to stay close to your budget.

You can check Pricewatch for more information on the lowest prices.