Video Cards

Top of the line?

There are quite a few video card options out there. Do you want to get a top of the line card such as an Ultra TNT2, G400 Max, Voodoo 3 3500, or pick up something cheaper?

We'd love to be able to get the best video card out there, but again we run into the problem of buying top of the line computer equipment. Video card product cycles run every 6 months. The Voodoo 3 and TNT2 only started selling around April and May, and now we're already anticipating the next generation cards from 3dfx, S3, and Nvidia. Do you want to spend $200+ now, when the next generation cards are just around the corner? Are you going to curse yourself for buying that TNT2U when the NV10 comes out?

Decision time

You can either buy a top of the line card and play your heart out, or buy a cheaper current generation card to tide you over until the boardmakers release their new cards. This will probably be your toughest decision. Keep in mind that the next generation cards will likely be very expensive. We're guessing prices will be in the $300 range.

This is a budget gaming PC, and we'll go with the cheaper video cards. Of the current low-end current generation cards, you should look at the Voodoo 3 2000 or an OEM 16MB TNT2. Currently you can get an OEM Voodoo 3 2000 for about $82, or you can get a retail Voodoo 3 2000 for $105, and get a $30 rebate as long as you buy it before September 18th. The OEM 16MB TNT2 goes for around $95. The Voodoo 3 offers pure speed at a lower price while the TNT2 offers 32-bit color, textures larger than 256 x 256, and a stencil buffer. Both cards have interesting overclocking possibilities, and either card will serve you well.

Adding it up

Okay, 16MB OEM TNT2's all around! The Voodoo 3 2000 is fast, but we want 32-bit color and larger textures. The current system totals: single Celeron $355; dual Celeron $465; P3-450 $529.