Best AGP Card For Under £90 / €100: Tie

Radeon X700

Codename: RV410, 10-micron technology
Eight pipelines
128 bit memory bus
400 MHz core, 300-MHz DDR (600 MHz effective) Memory

The X700 might not have the newest technology, but it probably has the best frame rates of any new sub-£90 / €100 AGP card. With a higher clock speed than the 6600, it's a bit faster at most things, but it doesn't really dominate.

Geforce 6600

Codename: NV43, 10-micron technology
Eight pipelines
128 bit memory bus
300 MHz core, 275-MHz DDR (550 MHz effective) Memory

The eight-pipeline 6600 architecture has proven itself in the Geforce 6600 GT. Deprived of the Gut's higher memory speeds, this is still probably the most powerful AGP/PCI-e card for the money online, and can be overclocked to good effect. Be wary of the 6600LE, which has 200MHz DDR (400MHz effective) memory that cripples the card.

Both of these cards are good choices, just don't expect any miracles out of them. Most new games should be playable at 1024x768, although with the tougher titles you might have to lower some settings.

Also, keep an eye out for the Geforce 6600 GT in this segment. Not quite under £90 / €100, they outperform the heck out of the X700 and 6600.

Best Agp Card For ~£120 / €190

Radeon X850 PRO

Codename: R530, 90 nanometer technology
12 Pixel Shaders, Six Vertex Shaders, 12 Texture Units, 12 Raster Operations Processors
256 bit memory bus
520 MHz core, 540-MHz DDR (1400 MHz effective) Memory

The old X850 PRO has resurfaced in AGP circles, and delivers very, very respectable performance for the older interface. The 7600 GS and X1650 PRO cannot really compete with the raw power of the X850 PRO.