PCI Graphics Card for Gaming Under 70 Euro - Recommendations?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the feasibility of purchasing a PCI graphics card for gaming within a budget of 70 euros. Participants explore whether such a card can run modern games like Oblivion and Battlefield 2, and they share recommendations and experiences regarding different graphics card interfaces and their performance implications.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested, Technical explanation, Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires if a PCI graphics card can run games like Oblivion and Battlefield 2, seeking recommendations within the budget.
  • Another participant asserts that a PCI card would not suffice, suggesting that at least an AGP card is necessary, specifically recommending a Geforce 6 series or higher or ATI xXXX series or higher for better performance.
  • A participant shares personal experience running Battlefield 2 on an AGP version of the NVidia FX5200 and questions whether the performance of the PCI version would be impacted by the slower interface compared to AGP.
  • Another participant strongly argues against the viability of running modern games on a PCI card, stating that AGP cards still have relevance and can handle current games, while emphasizing the importance of texture memory for Battlefield 2's performance.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express disagreement regarding the capability of PCI graphics cards for modern gaming. While some suggest that AGP is necessary for acceptable performance, others share personal experiences that challenge this view, indicating a lack of consensus on the topic.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention specific performance factors such as texture memory and the implications of different graphics card interfaces (PCI vs. AGP) but do not resolve the technical details or assumptions underlying these claims.

Doc G
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Hey everyone- a friend of mine is looking to buy a new PCI [not PCI express] graphics card- he justs wants something that will be able to run most new games - though not at any great quality.
Does anyone know if a graphics card ~70 euro would be able to run games such as Oblivion and Battlefield 2.. etc? and also could anyone recommend a card that would fit the budget?

Thanks very much
 
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Not on PCI. You'll need at least AGP. and a Geforce 6 series or higher or ATIxXXX or higher. Obliviion is only really playable on anything less with some extensive hacking (someone has in fact done it and released an executable that works on older cards). Don't know about Battlefield 2.
 
Many thanks for the reply.
I myself have been able to run BF2 on the AGP version of NVidia's FX5200 256mb graphics card.
NVidia also produce a PCI version of this card but will the performance be the same or is it affected by the slower interface [PCI vs AGP]?
Thanks again..
 
No chance of running any remotely modern game on a PCI frisbee. :)
AGP still has life in it and if I'm not mistaken, ALL modern games can be played on AGP versions of current cards.

BF2 uses a LOT of texture memory, often reserving DRAM space for textures. You gameplay (fps ) with BF2 is directly proportional to the amount of DRAM and VRAM. Ofcourse, you can turn off AA and AF completely and try 1024 x 786, but that would load the CPU. Not to mention that your gameplay would be severely impaired.
 

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