I've shopped for RAM for my computer before, but I really think that shopping for a video card is going to be a bit more complicated. My computer (centered around a Pentium III processor at 733 MHz) is a dinosaur by today's standards, even though it was top of the line when I bought it less than three years ago.

It has recently dawned on me that I probably won't be able to run Unreal 2 with an ATI Rage 128 Pro graphics card of only 16 MB. As a result, I'm going to go looking for a card that uses more recent technology. However, I don't want to buy an expensive card and install it just to find out that it conflicts with something else in my system.

Can someone with a bit more experience give me some advice on what I need to be looking for? I'm probably not going to buy something really powerful; after all, my budget for this card is going to have to be $50-70 so that I still have enough money left over to buy Unreal 2. Besides, I usually run in 16-bit graphics mode with a resolution no higher than 800x600 anyway.

I don't know what prices are like in America, but you could go for a good budget card like the GeForce2 MX, 64mb or if the price is right, a GeForce3 MX - either of these will give you quite a substantial speed gain in games, and I do know they will both run UT 2003 as I know people who play it with those cards. I'd be surprised if the GF2 MX is more than $60 - I can pick them up here in the UK for

well.. if ur looking for a new computer.. may i suggest dell? i dont work for them, but i recently got a dell computer (a gift) and it is awesome!

(avoid compaq,,, the customer support is in india, so when they finally figure out what u want.. they know about teh problem, and want more money to fix it.. which cause another problem in the syestem...)

the customer support for dell is incredibly efficent... and the computer is top notch!! sorry, but when i get somethign this good.. i gotta pass it around (btw.. i think it has a Geforce4 in here )

As a matter of fact, my current system is from Dell. I've actually been looking at buying another system from them. I can get a stripped system with high-end technology (DVD-ROM, graphics card, speedy processor, faster RAM, big hard drive) for about $600, and then I can pull the better components from my old computer (speakers, monitor, CD burner, ethernet card, original hard drive) and install them in my new one. I can run Windows 98 SE from my old hard drive, and install all my games on the larger drive with Windows XP.

However, this is just a theory right now. I have a relative who works at White Sands (a nuclear plant in New Mexico), and he actually suggested avoiding Dell, because they make tweaks to the motherboard that increase speed at a cost of more sensitive hardware compatibilty. I can neither confirm nor deny this, due to the fact that I've never gotten the opportunity to install anything more complicated than a 256 MB DIMM.

On the topic of a new video card for my current system, I've discovered a bargain for a GeForce4 MX 440 64MB card for about $49 (includes insurance for shipping). It was on pricewatch.com. I may just pay my grandparents $50 cash and ask them to use their credit card to buy it for me. My system does in fact have an AGP slot, according to the system specs I have from Dell. That's one more thing that works to my advantage.

Thatz what i got and a damn good card they are to. i was planning to buy another but decided against it as there is nothing wrong with my old one. (dumb fuck!)

get the gforce3 ti series or gforce4 4600. the MX versions have problems with some of the newer games.

I would argue for a Geforce 4 Ti4200.
its got 64 meg ram and the G4 chip isn't an MX junk.
by now it shuld be cheap.

forget the G2's and G3's--they're dead as a technology.
stay away from budget crap like the MX stuff.

look to keep a card for at least 2 generations of technological progress.

Agreed. Get the G4 and then wait till the G6 comes out.