So, it's been what, like 3 weeks since I've been able to post . . . Never knew how busy one could get and yet still feel like nothing of any importance got completed . . .

This sitch started about a week and a half ago when my vid card on my primary pc started randomly just 'powering off' during usage. The monitor simply went into powersave mode as if the card stopped sending signal.

I tried a few tricks and ended up discovering that as long as I used both output heads, the signal would stay on . . . Or so I thought . . . One night, it just up and died . . . VNC couldn't even translate a video signal to send to the secondary pc.

So, I pull my BFGTech TI 4600 that has served me faithfully (Sometimes SHOCKING me with how good it handled the new games like Doom 3 and HL 2) and replace it with the Riva TNT I've got kicking around . . . And weep . . . (I called BFG, and they were awesome about helping me determine it was the card and not the pc . . . however, since the orig GPU fan died, and when I replaced it a year ago, I tossed the orig . . . They unfortunately can't RMA it . . . Stupid mistake that will NEVER be repeated . . . But, to the tech's credit, he did speak to his supervisor for me to see if they could sneak that through.)

Granted, I haven't been playing any games lately (Same reason that I haven't been posting . . . RL keeps tossing new tasks at me), so it's not a HUGE loss, but the performance hitches in Windows are enough to be noticed . . .

Now, I'm on a MAJOR budget, so I can't just run out and buy the biggest and baddest card like I want . . . Searching on the Egg, however, and I find a wicked looking budget card for $89: CHAINTECH SA62A-256 Video Card.

So, can I get a Pimp's opinion on this bad boy? From what I'm seeing, I can't find any reason NOT to buy it (Other than it's gonna cost me a month or two of waiting to scrimp the bux together).

Thanks in advance!

D

I'm not sure how it compares to a 9700 pro, especially with a clock speed of 380mhz. But if I were you I would save my pennies and get a 6600GT, that's the card I'm getting soon, even though I can afford a whole SLi rig with a +4800 Athlon 64 X2 and dual 6800 Ultras and a LanParty NF4 with all the money I have saved for y next Probe GT, but I have no need to upgrade yet, my xp2600 and 9600 Pro serve me well

The 6600GT is a card that suprised me, can run every current game out 1280x1024 or higher with everything maxed out, in some occasion with AA and AF. I really thought it was abotu as good as a 9800Pro, but in truth it blows it out of the water.

I play source @ 1280x1024 HIGH detail on everything with 16x AF with perfect FPS.

Thats with a 3000+ 64.

yeh the 6600GT is what im aiming for...unlockable pipelines, good OCs, the works...with a zalman cooler, should be able to get some decent OC at the same time

The 6600GT has unlockable pipelines??? I thought that was just the 6800 vinilla card. At anyrate, the Zalman vf700 does not fit on my 6600GT .

Och, if only . . . . Love the looks of the 6600, but at our current rate of saving, I wouldn't be able to play any games for . . . . about 10 months. Tight budgets are teh suck.

But, if things change and we CAN dump the bux, oh yah, I'll definatley keep an eye out . . . any particular brand you suggest?

My suggestion for a "budget" video card. Put one in my roomies comp, it handles CS:S and HL2 just fine... Plus i believe it comes with those for free.

Iv'e had many a good experience with MSI and Gigabyte.

I have the MSI 6800GT 256Mb top card

that 6200 has that new turbocahce crap, it actually has only like 32 or 64mb of onboard ram and uses your computer ram for the rest (thus the 256)

Actually, Dr3w, it's only TC if they SAY its TC, otherwise it's a huge false advertising suit waiting to happen. Add to this that TC only works on PCI-Express x16 cards, not on agp, like that card is. Trust me, I'm staying away from the 6200 TC's like the plauge.

I've checked the specs on both the Egg and Chaintech's site, and this card's full 256 meg. The way I see it, it's a great chipset, fantastic brand name, and helluva lot of ram for the price . . . three winning points . . .

Not the best that's out there, but for the fiancial shape I'm in, it's the winner from all that I've seen.

You have to understand the 256mb of ram in a slow card is a marketing stratagy. Ment for people that see "256" OMFG!@!@#11ONOENOENBBQ..But really the card is so slow that it cant even run the high resolutions to use the extra texture memory(1280x1024 or higher). So the extra memory is useless. Thats why the 9800Pro 128mb out performs the 9800Pro 256mb. The card isnt fast enough to use the ram, in the case of the 6200, its really pointless.

Quote: Originally Posted by j-dogg Iv'e had many a good experience with MSI and Gigabyte.

Same, Gigabyte makes solid products, msi has a good price to quality level.