What's the best video card for under $250 (preferably under $200) for games such as Doom 3 and Half Life 2?

I am using an MSI Ti4600 and whenever I play any games all the textures on the screen become full of rainbow colors. Is this from lack of cooling?

NOTE: I have had 3 Abit Ti4200 cards & an Abit Geforce FX 5600 card die on me but I believe that's from faulty cards being sent from RMAs and not cooling.

ATI 9800pro is a good card.

I think the 6600 GT might be one of your best choices. It goes from $190 - $230.

Albatron
MSI
eVGA

And so on..

Okay great. What about the problems i'm having with my current card?

I got a 9600xt 256mb and I can run Doom and Half life 2 on high and there only about $160 at newegg

If the rainbow colors progress or become progressively worse after a cold boot, then it is probably cooling. Try placing a desk fan blowing onto the video card with the case open

thats an overclock\cooling problem. And for 250 on www.outpost.com u can get a geforce 6800oc which will smack around a 6600 or 9800.

I would vote geforce 6600gt, it has more feature than 9800. 9800pro is good but it's kinda last generation although it can keep up with the 6600gt speed but for tomorrow's game 6600gt is a better buy.

WooDesigns: Make sure AGP and FSB Spread Spectrum options are disabled in your BIOS and ensure that
your AGP bus is at the default clock of 66MHz, to see if it will help. Otherwise I expect this is a cooling issue.

Get any sort of large fan blowing on your video card and see if the abnormalities decrease, or cease to occur.

here is what i was talking about before

geforce 6800OC


its a geforce 6800 overclocked, nice speed and will destroy the 9800 or 6600gt.

Okay guys thanks for the feedback. Seems as if the fan on my card has died

In the meantime, what should I do for a fan replacement?

I use this cooler on my 9600xt and it works great and is silent


Note: Dont use this If your Pc is shaked alot or moved alot beacuse its weight

I strapped 2 antec 34 cfm fans together and strapped them onto the metal plate you remove to install video cards or pci stuff and it's better than any slot fan you can buy. It looks pretty cool and it pushes 68 cfm in all. I plan on using it with my BJG 6800oc.

Quote: Originally Posted by mot19 here is what i was talking about before geforce 6800OC its a geforce 6800 overclocked, nice speed and will destroy the 9800 or 6600gt.

well the 6800 OC only has 128mb memory which isnt best for games like doom3 with alot of shaders...and the clock isnt as high as the reg 6800 for 50 more......but yes itll kill a 9800pro 128mb...but a 256 with slight tuning..they get prty even and trust me.....256 of onboard ram is a GOOD thing now for newer games....Ur best bet is to go for a 6600GT......if u have pcie...the AGP version will come out soon so we will se how that stacks up...

the 6600 gt agp has 128mg too, and fora 6800 50 bucks less its FASTER then the regular 300 dollar 6800, the 6800oc stands for OVERCLOCKED, meaning higher clocks then the regular. ITs better then the 50 dollar more one, and it kicks ass even with 128mg, get it, dont get the 9800 or 6600 it isnt worth it

Quote: Originally Posted by mot19 the 6600 gt agp has 128mg too, and for 50 bucks less its FASTER then the regular 300 dollar 6800, the 6800oc stands for OVERCLOCKED, meaning higher clocks then the regular. ITs better then the 50 dollar more one, and it kicks ass even with 128mg, get it, dont get the 9800 or 6600 it isnt worth it

Wrong. The 6800 NU is faster than the 6600 GT in almost every benchmark/game/whatever.

Quote: Originally Posted by gorked Wrong. The 6800 NU is faster than the 6600 GT in almost every benchmark/game/whatever.

Wow i wasnt talking about t6he 6600 i was talking about my 250 dollar 6800 hbeing faster then the 300 dollar 6800, sorry u misunderstood me

Quote: Originally Posted by gorked Wrong. The 6800 NU is faster than the 6600 GT in almost every benchmark/game/whatever.

Yep - the 6800 NU is still faster than a 6600GT, but not by a huge margin... bang for the buck ratio the 6600GT wins on PCI-E platforms. But for AGP you pay more, it's still better frame rate for per buck but there is no denying the 6800NU even is better.

I own a 6600GT AGP version (purchased first night available). I had the money for a 6800GT even at the time but got this. Not because it's a better performer but it has some very unique benefits for smaller form factor systems. 6600GT's are terrific for the following: Lower power consumption (no more stressful than a ATI 9600XT but twice the processing power), shorter card for better air flow. On the other hand a 6800 series of cards generally consume 150% more power. Something to think about.