Hey guys, i have an emachines t3410:

CPU:     AMD Sempron™ 3400+ Processor1
(2GHz, 1600MHz system bus, 256KB L2 cache)
Operating System:    Genuine Microsoft® Windows® XP Home1
Chipset:    NVIDIA® nForce™® 410
Memory:    512MB DDR (1 × 512MB) 400MHz (PC3200)
Expandable to 2GB
Hard Drive:    160GB HDD (7200rpm, 2MB cache)32
Optical Drive:    48x CD-RW/DVD combo drive
Media Reader:    8-in-1 digital media manager (Secure Digital™ (SD), smart media, compact flash, micro drive, memory stick, memory stick PRO, multimedia card, USB 2.0)
Video:    NVIDIA® GeForce® 6100 GPU
up to 128MB of shared video memory
PCI-Express® (PCI-E x16) slot available
Sound:    6-channel (5.1) AC'97 audio
Network:    10/100Mbps integrated Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 port)
Modem:    56K ITU v.92-ready fax/modem (RJ-11 port)
Peripherals:    Standard multifunction keyboard, 2-button wheel mouse, amplified stereo speakers
Ports/Other:    5 USB 2.0 ports (4 in back, 1 in media reader), 1 VGA external connector, 1 serial port, 1 parallel port, 2 PS/2 ports (keyboard and mouse), 5 audio ports (2 in front, 3 in back)
Dimensions:    14.25"H x 7.25"W x 16"D
Weight:    22.5lbs

I've upgraded the ram to 1.5gb but now i want to get a decent graphics card.  I'm on a budget and under $80 would be nice.  There is a PCIe slot x16.  Anyone know what would work best here, basically the biggest bang for the buck?

I was going to recommend a 7600 GT, but this might be a bit better bang for the buck:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3244228&Sku=P450-8668

It's totally passive cooled so I don't know what you'll think about that, but it's an 8 series card that performs decent so you should get some pretty insane FPS in your games.

the GT 8500 is a horrible card from the 8 series. do not buy it.

Worse than the 7600 GT though?

EDIT: nvm, the 8500 performs worse than the 7600. The 7600 costs more anyway though. Either way, this is going to be about your best deal, abeit slightly more than you wanted to pay, and probably overkill for that machine. However, if you ever upgrade or build a new computer or whatever, you could transfer this video card over.

Yea, anything under 8600 in the 8 series is utter crap compared to the 7 series (7950 GT performs near or above the 8600 GT)

7600 GT is a good card for that price, but I definitely reccomend the 10$ extra for the 8600 GT. The 8600 GT is twice as fast as a 7600 GT. Considering an 8600 GT is about half a 8800 GT, for about 1/3 the price, that's best performance-to-price ratio out there.

Like mr epic hero said, its good for future expansion. Once you get a better processor later the card will really shine.

Speaking of processor, how hard is it to upgrade processors in general?  This motherboard is socket 754 i believe which i think only goes up to amd sempron 3700 maybe, correct me if i'm wrong or if you find something else.  But how hard is the physical installation of a new processor?  Also, i'm thinking about waiting for the 9 series to come out (end of feb. right?) in hopes that the 8 series will drop price. good idea or bad?

EDIT:  Also, video ram does NOT need to be the same (ddr vs ddr2) as my system memory right?

A processor is relatively easy to install: pop it in the socket, put the heatsink+fan on top, plug in fan. That's it. However, more than likely you're going to want a new motherboard so you can get a better processor than what yours currently allows. I reccomend a socket AM2 board. Then you can get a cheap dual core that will outperform your current cpu, then get a quad core once those get affordable. Also I suggest you get one that supports SLI and Dual Channel memory.

Once the 9 series comes out, the 8 series will still take a while to drop in price. Nvidia really has no reason to, seeing as they're on top of the game, and the 9 series will rocket 'em even higher.

And, no. You don't need the same DDR type as your motherboard.
But you should ONLY get DDR3 video cards, as the DDR2 versions have significantly less performance.

ok thanks! would you recommend ebay as a viable option to get pc parts?  also, are there 8600 gt's anywhere else under $100 besides tiger and newegg?

EDIT:  does dual-channel memory mean ddr2?

ok thanks! would you recommend ebay as a viable option to get pc parts?  also, are there 8600 gt's anywhere else under $100 besides tiger and newegg?

EDIT:  does dual-channel memory mean ddr2?

No, dual channel is something else that prevents bottle-necking in high transfer situations.

tiger and newegg have the best prices for video cards at the moment. I just can't find other sites that even come close to their prices. But definitely better than ebay as far as seller reputation and return warranties.

A bit more info on dual channel for you:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_channel

For now focus on the video card... get that 8600 GT and you'll get the best performance that computer can give you pretty much. If you find your games running choppy or you simply need more horsepower, consider buying a new motherboard, CPU, and RAM.

A bit more info on dual channel for you:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_channel

For now focus on the video card... get that 8600 GT and you'll get the best performance that computer can give you pretty much. If you find your games running choppy or you simply need more horsepower, consider buying a new motherboard, CPU, and RAM.

The 8600 is definitely going to run newer stuff badly. I mean, it'll be a big improvement over that musky turd he's got now but it's still going to stumble over stuff released in the last few years. Obviously it's pretty dependent on what you want to play though - FarCry or something like Crysis.

I'm really only saying this so he doesn't get it into his head that this card is going to blow through any game he wants.

i know it's not going to, but it should play any free mmorpg's right now

The 8600 is definitely going to run newer stuff badly. I mean, it'll be a big improvement over that musky turd he's got now but it's still going to stumble over stuff released in the last few years. Obviously it's pretty dependent on what you want to play though - FarCry or something like Crysis.

I'm really only saying this so he doesn't get it into his head that this card is going to blow through any game he wants.

Uh yeah I realize this, I was just stating that it probably wouldn't make a difference if he put anything better in that computer as far as video card is concerned because he's bottlenecked by a multitude of things.

The 8600 is definitely going to run newer stuff badly. I mean, it'll be a big improvement over that musky turd he's got now but it's still going to stumble over stuff released in the last few years. Obviously it's pretty dependent on what you want to play though - FarCry or something like Crysis.

I'm really only saying this so he doesn't get it into his head that this card is going to blow through any game.

8600gt should be fine for his system, he wouldn't notice much of a difference with anything more powerful because of his processor and memory limitations. No one card is going to get him to blow through any game, but the 8600 is definitely strong enough to handle most the titles released in the last few years. I know because I've been playing them fine on my two 7600 GTs (which are slower than one 8600 GT).

Though it goes without saying that NO card will blow through any game, he could actually play crysis and bioshock playably on high settings with this card (but not with that processor...), and those are currently two of the most demanding titles out now.

So this card WILL blow through MOST CURRENT games, but his CPU/MOBO/RAM will be holding him back.

when i check my system it says i have about ~1400 mb of ram.  Does my integrated video take away from that right now because it should be apprx. ~128 mb higher?  my integrated video is 128mb

That's also counting your virtual memory. So yea, you only have 384 MB of ram because 128 is going to the video card. Just getting a new card will give you all that ram back (plus the processor usage required for it). Though I recommend another 512mb to 1gb of ram for your next upgrade.

My first upgrade was my ram, and now it is 1.5GB... did you not read the post before?  Next is the card...

My first upgrade was my ram, and now it is 1.5GB... did you not read the post before?  Next is the card...

That's good. If you get that 8600 or 8500 you'll be seeing some great frame-rates (good with the 8500) in your games at really high resolutions. However, that processor is still of major concern. Do you know what socket it is? If it's an AMD 64 (939) then a processor upgrade wouldn't be too difficult (or expensive) for you.

Here's a 4000+ (which I use) for $55. It has no fan so you would probably either need a new one or need to transfer your old one if it will work. This thing is rather dated as far as gaming goes but you can actually run games like Flight Simulator X (surprisingly well), Sims 2, Battlefield 2142, Half-Life 2, and even Call of Duty 4 (not very well, though).

I accidentally saw the top ram number while rereading your post. My bad.
Now are you going to comment on any of these nice replies on video cards people are posting for you?