best cheap/reliable AGP video card?

[lkeeble]

I have an MSI KM4M motherboard with built-in video. At the moment the PC has 256 Mb of Ram. My daughter is complaining that it doesn't play her games very well or at all (Sims 2 in particular).

I am thinking of upgrading the video to use an AGP card (there is a 4x/8x AGP slot in that motherboard) and buying some more RAM. I am thinking of an additional 512 Mb for the RAM which I can get for around $50 I think.

But, which video card should I get?

The main criteria are:

* AGP 4x/8x
* Play as many games as possible within the budget constraint (but MUST play Sims 2!)
* Inexpensive (around $50 or less?)
* Reliable, easy to install, trouble free
* Try to avoid taxing the power supply too much. (Otherwise will probably need to upgrade that as well)
* Try to keep the additional heat down.

Thanks for any recommendations.

-Lou

[artushka24]

For about $50 you can get an Nvidia GeForce FX5200 256MB AGP. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814145083 It doesn't take up much space, has a tiny heatsink and fan so noise won't be a factor, won't drain your power supply, and should be able to handle Sims 2. I think that's the best you can do for that budget.

[lkeeble]

Originally Posted by artushka24 For about $50 you can get an Nvidia GeForce FX5200 256MB AGP. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814145083 It doesn't take up much space, has a tiny heatsink and fan so noise won't be a factor, won't drain your power supply, and should be able to handle Sims 2. I think that's the best you can do for that budget.

Thank You!

[glc]

You can do a lot better than a FX5200 for 50 bucks. You can get a 6200 or an ATI 9550 which are true DX9 cards, the FX5200 was terrible with DX9. You don't need 256mb ram, a 128 card will be fine.

[lkeeble]

Originally Posted by glc You can do a lot better than a FX5200 for 50 bucks. You can get a 6200 or an ATI 9550 which are true DX9 cards, the FX5200 was terrible with DX9. You don't need 256mb ram, a 128 card will be fine.

Thanks - that sounds like good advice, I will take a look at newegg and tigerdirect to see what comes up... Appreciate the help.

-Lou