Video cards...?

ok i have this desktop emachines it has 3.00 ghz cpu and everything else is fine but it has a crappy video card what is a good video cards for under 300$

Video cards...?
How old is the comp?





If you provided the model # we could help better.





So if it's PCI-E then an 8800GT or GTS is a good choice.





If you are stuck with AGP then the best video card avaliable for you is the ATI 3850.....it a good card and will run most games OK.








AGP 3850:





http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...








PCI-E 8800GT





http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...





Excellent buy on the 8800GTS





http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...
Reply:$300 is a lot of money that could buy almost any card except the tip-top GeForce 9800 GX2 and Radeon HD 3870 X2. Singular 8800 GT cost around $200.





What has to check:


Power supply, a comfortable number today is 500 watts; bigger number is better but the cost skyrockets from then.





Slot type, AGP or PCIE x16? if you have AGP options are dwindling and not as attractive compare to PCIE; lest not forget AGP technology caps out on the median performance of today's gaming need. PCIE not the longish x16 slot variant is as good as not even there.





Case type: standard or low-profile/half-height? Standard is fine, but half-height machines have extremely limited gaming option and meant to be no more than HTPC.
Reply:There are lots of good video cards for under $300. You could spend about $100 on ebay and get a great card that will handle almost any video game.





Look on the site called Tom's Hardware and look at some reviews. They benchmark many cards against each other and you can look up the price.





Unless you're a hardcore gamer or Home Theater PC builder I wouldn't spend over about $125. My $100 ideo card from two years ago still does quite well with most games.
Reply:These are all good answers, but make sure you have a power supply that can handle a 8800 GT or the like. Sometime bigger companies skimp on the power supply. Write down how many watts your power supply has, along with Amps on the 12V rail. (should be between 20 and 40) If you can't find it, take it into a local computer store that can help you. No sense buying a fast video card if the computer just shuts off when you play a game.
Reply:go for nvidia geforce, manufactured by XFX, BFG or EVGA will be fine.





but must be looking for these things





shadow version


3D engine


RAM of the card


DDR stuff?


clock and buss speed..


is it AGP or PCI..





research