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Published in Graphics

Sub-?50 graphics roundup

by on16 April 2009

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No, it's not a typo, sub-€50

In case
you've not been marooned on a deserted island for the past six months, you probably know there's a recession on, and that very few people are choosing to spend much on PCs. Well, on anything really, let alone PCs.

Now seriously, although both Intel and AMD have quite a few IGPs motherboards to offer, sometimes you're basically forced to get a discrete card if you're after some other board features. Some people, on the other hand, just can't or won't afford themselves a decent graphics card. A lot of casual gamers, or people who are into certain genres, just don't need much graphics muscle, so let's see if you can still have some fun on a budget, well, a lunch budget to be more precise.

For a pathetic €24.90, you can get an HD2600Pro with 512MB of DDR2 from Sapphire. This means you can actually put together a Crossfire setup for less than €50, just so you could tell your mates you've got two new ATI's in CF. We think this 18 month old card is truly a bargain, as it's cheaper than most HD2400 or HD3450 cards. It can cope with HD video, and even some gaming on lower resolutions, but obviously you can't expect much for lunch money. Anyhow, it surely beats any IGP out there, and it won't take a 512MB bite out of your RAM.

In case you're into Nvidia, for €10 more you can get something from the same generation, albeit with a bit more muscle. PNY's 8600GT with 256MB of GDDR3 or 512MB of DDR2. You can find them here. And here's another sweet Nvidia deal, a passive 8600 GTS from MSI, for €48.

You're probably thinking ATI has something equally good or better in the same price range, and you're right. For just over €45 you can get an overclocked HD3850 with 512MB of DDR3. Not bad, considering just over a year ago it was selling for about €130, and you can still run quite a few nice games on it, especially if you've got a small screen.

Mind you, we're not saying these cards will meet your gaming needs, far from it. They weren't meant for hardcore gamers back when they were launched, let alone now. But even the cheapest ones beat any IGP out there, for peanuts, and some, like the 8600 GTS, and especially the HD 3850 could still let you enjoy quite a few games.

Basically, if you're putting together a cheap rig, or an HTPC, some of these dirt cheap cards could make your day, and they are worth looking into if the mere thought of IGP makes you sick and pale.
Last modified on 16 April 2009
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