I'm trying to figure out what kind of video card I need that would meet these needs:

AGP 4x/8x slot
supports dx 9
DVI output
capable of 1680x1050 resolution
suitable for watching movies and tv (I'm not a gamer)
$25 or less.

I've been looking on Ebay and there's lots out there, but there seems to be a lot of opinions on which cards support the 1680x1050 resolution in digital and manufacturers are not very clear on that one.

Is it reasonable to ASSUME any card from 2006 on will support my monitor's native res with new drivers?

Most manufacturer's are clear on the dx9 question though I'm unclear on the differences between "supports", "capable" and "compliant".

Finally, do I need more than a 128MB card if I'm not gaming?

Thanks,
JohnWell, my dad just watches videos on his old dell along with doing some work things on his computer and he is happy with his 128mb nvidia geforce 5200card.

supports, capable and compliant -- this is what I think ..., supports and capable means the card can handle said operations or features (even if graphics card manufacturer is not required to include it) , compliant would mean it meets a certain requirement. This is only what I think, maybe you want to look more into it for specifics. But is he running 1680x1050 with dvi?

I gather the same thing. "Compliant" might not be 100%.Is the HDD still clicking ? ?...if so we can't recommend a vid card...Oops I should have changed the subject of this thread. I was originally going to post the update about the hd here but realized it would be better on the original thread.
In short, I've replaced that hd and the new one is just fine. I'm still trying to figure out how to recover my data from the old 40g hd or from the backup files I CREATED.

The new drive is 160g and more pertinent to the vid card, the new power supply is 480w.Check out the XFX nVIDIA GeForce 6800 XT 256MB 128-bit DDR3 AGP 4X/8X card from following ebay link....

http://cgi.ebay.com/XFX-nVIDIA-GeForce-6800-XT-256MB-128-bit-DDR3-AGP-4X-8X_W0QQitemZ190325139373QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPCC_Video_TV_Cards?hash=item2c504327ad&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

There is still about 2 and a half days until bid ends, however, you might be able to get a good deal on this card. If you can get it for $25 or less, I would be amazed

Yes, there are native DVI ports on the card and yes, you should be able to run your monitor at its native resoltusionYes that would be a good card under $25. A quick look suggests that they go for much more than that on Ebay. Still, I'll throw in a bid....
Would the 5200 cards be OK? This one is an example: http://tinyurl.com/mlosh5
They tend to go a good bit cheaper.

For DVI watching movies, tv but not gaming am I likely to need anything more than 128mb?

I set my budget low because this is an old box and it just doesn't make sense to put much into it. Still, it's more than adequate for my needs if I can get the display digital.

I did learn that I am able to get the display up to 1680x1050 in vga with the newest drivers for my on board Intel Extreme graphics2 hardware. It wouldn't ALLOW me to do it thru normal windows display settings but a shortcut stuck on my taskbar that I almost didn't notice gave me more graphics options.

Thanks,
JohnIt should be tolerable enough to get you over until you get enough cash to seriously upgrade to a good machine. But I'd still try to get the 6800 at a potentially low price, it's got more memory, a better memory interface and would serve better.

I'd like to know too what processor you are using with the computer; P4 3ghz
1gb ram
480w power supply

I mainly use the machine for surfing, email, minor photo editing, word processor, bookkeeping, etc. so I don't need much.
Watching dvd's and tennis is probably the most I ask it to do.like I said, FX 5200 probably should be ok for you, it supports that BIG monitor resolution you wanted and secondly like I said if you can get that 6800 for cheap, it's a better deal.

if you want another opinion on the FX 5200, you can ask el-bandit, the seller of the FX 5200 from your tinyurl link you listed already below