Price Guides September 2004: Video and Memory
by Adam Rader on September 12, 2004 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Guides
DDR Memory
Memory prices have finally shown a little slack in the past few weeks with prices staying mostly idle. At the same time, some parts have started to go down in price a bit, which is a definite sigh of relief for anyone who has been waiting to upgrade their memory.One of the better values worth mentioning is Corsair's PC3200 512MB Value. This price is pretty low considering what one could be paying for memory of the same or similar specs. Since PC3200 is plenty fast for most gaming and definitely desktop application use there aren't many reasons to spend more.
One reason that does make spending more money worth the effort would still be overclocking. Corsair's own PC3700 512MB XMS module looks to be a good buy this week and will certainly leave a lot of room for overclocking compared to value-oriented PC3200 memory.
DDR2 still continues to cost around twice as much as standard DDR modules without any useful performance gain. Right now, the only time that DDR2 should really be considered as an option is when you are intending to purchase one of Intel's newer motherboards, which support only DDR2. Considering that a 512MB stick of DDR can easily cost $200, it may be wiser to put that money towards a processor and motherboard. Both components can often be had for less than the cost of just 512MB of DDR2.
Hopefully, prices will fall as Intel's push of the technology gains momentum, but for now, it is simply not worth the cost increase.
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Rainman - Monday, September 20, 2004 - link
I ordered from ewiz the Gainward 5700 for 90 dollars. I got it today and it seems it is a 5700LE. Their website left out the LE, although if you look closely the image on the website indicates it is an LE as well as the product item number.I'm in the process of RMA'ing the card and I've had quite a few loops to jump through already.
alm4rr - Monday, September 13, 2004 - link
Adam,Did Jason get a chance to look over whether or not it's feasible to move the price listing under the link (b/c of CMS as stated in comment section of previous price guide)
Thx
KristopherKubicki - Monday, September 13, 2004 - link
MIDIman: Thanks for the heads up. I removed it and emailed ewiz too.Kristopher
MIDIman - Monday, September 13, 2004 - link
The Sapphire 256mb 9800 Pro at E-Wiz for $185.40 is incorrectly listed. From their webpage, the model number is "1024-2C47-00-SA" - A quick google search will show from Sapphire's webpage (as well as the description on E-Wiz's webpage) that this is 128-bit AND the non pro version of the board.ShizNet - Sunday, September 12, 2004 - link
in this review http://anandtech.com/memory/showdoc.aspx?i=2098&am...KingMax was one of the TOP dogs, or was behind by no more than 5-10% of leader... this stick can be had for around $100.. and someHow there is not a one word about company or product whatSoEver
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?desc...
i got 2 of these for under $100 each (b4 price went up) - and i'm more than HAPPY
Aquila76 - Sunday, September 12, 2004 - link
#3 - I had my GF2GTS up until last month when the fan died and the chip fried during NFS:Underground. I'd had it since it was released(1999?). I got an FX 5200 from NewEgg for $60 to replace it for now (my MB has no onboard video) and it runs everything pretty well. When I rebuild my PC in January, I'll probably pick up a major card.johnsonx - Sunday, September 12, 2004 - link
Yep, there's zero point in spending more than $40 for a video card if the computer is not going to be used for gaming or other 3D graphics work. 7000-series and GF4MX-series cards do everything such a PC needs, and can even do light-duty gaming. Heck, I've got a GF2Ti in my computer that I mostly use for work, yet I've not yet run into a game I wasn't happy playing on it.l3ored - Sunday, September 12, 2004 - link
i clicked on the comments to post the exact same thing. why do you recomend $100 video cards for web browsing??kmmatney - Sunday, September 12, 2004 - link
"Gainward's GeForceFX 5700 128MB is currently going for under $100 and should suit the needs of a PC intended for web browsing, emailing, and office applications without trouble."I'd say on-board video is suitable for that. If you want more, then you can get an ATI Radeon 7000 with TV out and DVI connector for $30. There is no reason to sepnd more, unless you game, or want VIVO.