Customer Reviews

ATI 100-436012 Radeon 9250 256MB 128-bit DDR PCI Video Card

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The ATI RADEON 9250 PCI (the one with 128-bit [not 64-bit] Memory Interface)is currently the fastest graphic board in its price range and the third fastest PCI board money can buy. It outperforms nVidia FX 5200, 5500, 5600, and 5700LE based video boards as well as all ATI PCI boards except the X1300. However, 9250 is a DirectX 8.1 board. For gamers, this means you won't be able to enable some features when playing a DirectX 9 supported game, which is just about every game ever released in the past few years. For the rest of you, this means you won't be able to see the cool Windows Aero Interface in Windows Vista Premium or better editions.

If you are reading this because you are stuck with a motherboard without an AGP or PCI-Express slot and you want to play demanding 3D games. I suggest you get an ATI X1300 or nVidia GeForce 6200 based board instead. Both the X1300 and 6200 support DirectX 9 and are available in PCI, and they are both much faster than the 9250. BTW, another way to significantly boost your PC's performance is to get a hard drive with a really large cache. I replaced my Quantum Fireball 20 GB Hard drive with a 2MB cache with a Seagate 250GB with a 16MB cache and my PC is now 3 times faster than before. But if you are a gamer on a budget I'd suggest a nVidia 5600 based board simply because it is the fastest board in the 9250 price range that also supports DirectX 9. For non-gamers who are just looking for a second DirectX 9 video board for your system for a dual monitor setup, just get the cheapest nVidia FX board you can find.

The ATI Radeon 9250 256MB video card is absolutely amazing. This is the best video card that your dollar can buy for a PCI Bus computer system. You don't need all the other expensive stuff, just this.

First off, this video card will run on any Computer Game to date. And it will be compatable with the ones in the near future. Once you buy this, you just might never have to buy a new video card ever.

I am able to run Age of Empires III, Half-Life 2, and World of Warcraft all at full resolution, graphics, and detail. This card supports it. As long as you have a decent beefed up machine, you can run any game at maxed graphics.

This is also a bargain buy. For $100, you cant go wrong. If you need a quick fix for your video card, this is the way to go to save your money. There arent many, if any, good, solid video cards at 256MB. If there are, then they cost a heap of cash.

Simply put, this is an excellent video card and a great purchase.

This video card was an excellent upgrade to my computer. It has greatly increased the quality and speed of the graphics on my computer, especially when it comes to gaming. I love this product and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good PCI Video Card.

I installed this card in an old Dell P3, 500MHz system. The computer had a 16MB, 2X AGP card. For the cost to upgrade to a 64MB, 2X/4X AGP (biggest AGP that would work), I decided to go with this card instead due to it being 256MB.

I had no problems with installation other than to make the proper BIOS adjustments which essentially consisted of setting the system to recognize PCI instead of AGP as the primary video. One unusual problem I encountered was the computer system clock reset itself to 1990 for some reason. This caused a lot of problems until I went back into the BIOS and reset the clock to the current date/time.

Performance wise, this card is a dream. I can now use a DVI cable (white ends) to connect to my monitor instead of D-SUB (blue ends). This, of course, results in a better picture on my LCD monitor. I can also play games that I couldn't play before. The games that I did play before look so much better and play so much faster that it shocked me initially to see such a performance gain.

My internet surfing speed has also noticeably improved. I use FireFox, and before I installed this card it was almost impossible to switch between tabs, or scroll in a tab, when another tab was loading. While this card hasn't eliminated the problem, the tabs do load faster and I can now scroll while a tab is loading.

The CATALYST software that came with this card is also very useful. I can now easily change the monitor resolution from an icon in the system tray in addition to being able to rotate the monitor. There are a number of other software features that enable the user to tweak the display, but I haven't done anything with them yet.

Overall, I am very satisfied with the performance of this card.

Well The RADEON 9250 is an all around great card. I have been able to play Call of Duty 2, AOE3 and other newer games but the game i'v been having problems with is BF2. it seems that the card isin't compatible with the game. so id just keep that into consideration.

Well i have to bought this type of card (PCI) because my mboard doesnt have AGP or PCI-E. This is a really good card. I read that somebody said this card doesnt work with Directx 9.0 but it does. Its a really good video card, now i can run a lot of games that i cant play with my old card Nvidia.

This was my first card for my PC when I bought it early 2005. Radeon 9250 256mb PCI. Good thing I decided to hang on to it. My ATI x1300 AGP blew out and I went back to this card. I didn't want to shove out $200.+ dollars for a new 512mb. card. After owning this card for over 3+ years, I am happy to see it works well with most games I play.

The Radeon 9250 256mb PCI card is a great card for around $85. - $115. dollar price range (I paid around $160. for it 3 years ago. Compared to $199. For the AGP version of this card). Out of all the graphic cards I've owned, the Radeon 9250 256mb PCI runs the coolest. I never had any overheating problems associated with it.

I recommend this card if you are: 1.) Low on funds and want a decent graphics card. Since AGP cards run a lot more in price. 2.) If you don't have a AGP slot on your motherboard and want to experience 3-d gaming with out all the lace and foo-foo effects associated with higher end cards. 3.) Want something better than built-in motherboard graphics. Just remember to update to the latest drivers at the ATI website. If you decide to use it as your main graphics card.

FFXI Online runs great on defaults. Smooth game play. If you turn up the graphics, it tends to get a bit choppy.

Secondlife plays well on defaults.

World of Warcraft plays well on defaults with smoothness, no lag, or choppiness. If you turn up the graphics, it tends to get a bit choppy.

EQ2 works great on default settings. Smooth and no choppiness. If you turn up the graphics it will chop up on you.

PSU is a bit choppy on this card. The opening movie and offline mode mini movie clips chop up a bit. But the game is still playable and works well at normal default settings. PSU runs a lot smoother in low res mode with the card. The in-game videos are choppy period. There is no fixing it with this card.

I bought this video card because i dont have either PCI-E or AGP motherboard and was therefor stuck with the sucky Intel Intergrated Graphichs controler. Thats right it wasnt even a graphic card. i was unable to play many games i had. i ordered this and it arrived much faster than i thought. When it arrrived it was wonderful. it performed beypnd my expectations for a PCI card. I highly recommand this for a low cost, great performance card.

For the price, this card is excellent. I haven't experienced ANY problems with it and have no complaints. It may not be able to run next-gen PC games, but it can handle all my favorites.

I can now run Halo, Call of Duty (first one), Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, Rise of Nations, Command and Conquer: Generals and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind at max graphics settings without any framerate drop to name a few. I can also run MS Fligt Simulator 2004 at pretty high settings with no framerate drop and have played F.E.A.R at a custom medium setting that managed to mix enough graphical goodness along with (for the most part) a little lag. If you aren't planning to play top-of-the-line games of today, this card is a steal that you can't go wrong with. Just remember to download the latest drivers!

I recently upgraded to this card from a 9200. So far, I have had no issues with it. I am a die hard Medal Of Honor Allied Assault fan and can get 400 FPS easy in that game. Counter-Strike:Source which was a little choppy on the 9200 is smooth as silk on the 9250. I bought COD2 today and have yet to test it but based on some of the reviews, the 9250 should run this game well but you might have to dumb it down to DX 7 from DX 9.... Maybe.

Here is the flaw. The 9250 WILL NOT run BF2. Nothing under an X series Radeon will run this game well. Where I feel this is more of an EA programming problem, I wont rant here, the 9250 is just not enough to handle this game, much to my dismay.

So it's cheap, reliable and still capable of running today's hottest game titles. How can you go wrong?

I will advise anyone that as soon as you get it and intall it, upgrade to CAT 6.3.

Have Fun!