Well I was able to get a new computer and I'm very very happy with it (and thankful) except for one small thing.....it's using integrated graphics.

I'm thinking that my maximum price would be around $100. And no rebates which means those nice 9600GT's are out.

My monitor has got a resolution of 1440*900 but I have absolutely no problem scaling that down---most of previous gaming experience has been at 800*600.

Most likely I'll be playing UT3. I'd also like to try out FEAR, World in Conflict, Company of Heroes , COD4 and Rainbow Six Vegas. And I'd like to be able to get by with at least medium graphics.


So far here's what I'm considering:

3650/8600GT---These are dirt cheap on Newegg, starting about $50 which would be really nice as it would leave me money for some other stuff I've been wanting.

8800GS/256mb 8800GT --- I've found some decent deals on Amazon for these and since I still have some left over gift cards I could probably afford one of them. From what I can tell the GS would be better than the 256mbGT but considerably worse than the 512mb version. And both would be a significant step up over the 3650/8600GT right?

Any opinions on which would be better for me? Would the extra money make that big of a difference? I'm not a hardcore gamer anymore (Damn you school!!) but I'd still like to have some fun once in a while.


Thanks

Well with the games you are wanting to try I think you would be better off waiting a little longer to get some more cash. The 512MB 8800GT is going to give you your best price per performance ratio in my opinion.

But if you choose a different card try to get one with at least 512MB. At least it will be able to store most of the texture graphic's in memory. I think you be dissapointed with any of the 256MB cards.

As Slaymate said, the 8800GT 512 is the sweet spot right now. But if you really can't stretch that far, the 8800GS is a pretty good card. Make sure your PSU is up to the job though.

One nice aspect of the HD3650 as opposed to an 8600 is that you get the HD video decoders for free, while nVidia charges you $20. That was why it was my upgrade, even though it's not galactically superior to the 7600GS I had.

It's also a much more "polite" card than an 8800 of any stripe-- fanless is a realistic option (it runs very cool with a $20 Arctic Cooling Accelero S2), it fits in any case with no cramming, and it makes no special PSU demands.

Maybe this--- if you feel like gambling about $45....

Priority Computer Parts Extreme AH3850/G/HTD Asus
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What am I missing here? These two appear to be HD3850s for $31 plus postage. The shops are weird though-- they seem to insinuate, although not explicitly say, that the items are refurbished, and the model number is a little odd (the only listings I can find are on non-English-speaking sites), so I have this subtle feeling you might be buying something other than a video card. If it's legitimate, I could seriously see ripping the Accelero off my 3650 and swapping one in.