What is the cheapest video card i can get away with for low-end gaming?

i have a core 2 duo dell with vista home premium and 3 gigs of ram and integrated video. i want to let my little kids play games like the lego star wars/indiana jones/batman on the pc. they're still pretty young and won't play the high end games until we have a new computer in a couple of years. so, what is the cheapest level of card that will allow them to play smoothly - high end picture quality is less important than smooth-enough play.What is the cheapest video card i can get away with for low-end gaming?
As RTFM mentions, what you don't want to do is, buy a very cheap video card, use it a few months, then realize, in spite of what you were hoping, it's still not adequate for games --THEN buy the card you should have bought in the first place. If you end up buying two cards, because you aimed too low the first time, you haven't saved money.



A greater rule about buying computer hardware is: computer hardware becomes obsolete fast enough, so it never pays to buy computer hardware that's already obsolete (or on it's way to becoming obsolete). Any part you buy, you might still be using after four or five years. So, don't pay good money for technology which is, in essence, already two or three years out of date.



Here are a couple examples of cards that are good enough to not be a complete waste of money over the longer term.



(Also, if you watch Ebay, you may find 384MB 8800GS/9600GSO cards at around $60. I would include those.)



HIS Radeon HD 4650, $64.99,



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as鈥?/a>



GIGABYTE Radeon HD 4670, $74.99 ($54.99 after rebate),



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as鈥?/a>



POWERCOLOR Radeon HD 3850, $69.99 ($59.99 after rebate),



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as鈥?/a>



The 4650 is the safest pick, in terms of being able to run reliably on a stock 300W power supply, followed by the 3850. (A 9600GSO is about like the 3850.) The 4670 is fastest, but also draws the most power. (It's not a bad idea to verify the capabilities of your power supply, before you install any video card.)
What will you do when the next version/upgrade comes out and it doesn't work anymore?



Problem with buying the cheapest or minimum is as soon as there is an upgrade you are stuck. Now you have to spend again and you end up spending more than you would have if you bought a better one to begin with.What is the cheapest video card i can get away with for low-end gaming?
I have an ASUS ATI RADEON 3450. I can play games like Battefield Vietnam with everything maxed out and no lag. The card gets a 4.1 in Vista. I payed $30 for the card from NewEgg. The card has 256MB dedicated video RAM, and is fanless so it makes no noise. Also the card is PCI Express 2.0, so it is fast. Im sure the card could handle Lego Starwars on Medium settings.
Well, your PC is new enough to have PCI-E 16X, so I suggest this. You could buy cheaper, but you'd be getting an eighth the performance and only saving fifteen or twenty bucks. Even this card is overkill, yes, but it will run even the upcoming edutainment titles with ease. Also, as it only draws 4 amps on the 12v rail, it will work with your original power supply. Good card, and Chaintech is honest with rebates.



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as鈥?/a>What is the cheapest video card i can get away with for low-end gaming?
well, if you are using a laptop you can't upgrade your graphics card. if you are using a regular desktop, then take a look online. I suggest newegg.com . they will give you the info you are looking for.
i think you can search it on the google !