Recommend me a good 3D card

[Obvious Guy]

Im dissatisfied with my current video card (a Geforce FX 5200), especially when it comes to playing games. It doesnt seem to be much better than my old GeForce4 TI 4200. I would like recommendations on a good 3D card that will not break my bank account... Say around the $150 range (u.s.). Thanks!

[bibliophage]

Since you're looking for opinions more than facts, I'll move this thread to IMHO.

bibliopahge
moderator GQ

[Ponster]

Take a look at these 2 recent threads.

For your price-range I'd say get a ATI 9600 Pro XP (which should have a voucher for a free copy of Half Life2)


http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=227349
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=225165

[Slartibartfastt]

Im dissatisfied with my current video card (a Geforce FX 5200), especially when it comes to playing games. It doesnt seem to be much better than my old GeForce4 TI 4200. I would like recommendations on a good 3D card that will not break my bank account... Say around the $150 range (u.s.). Thanks!

Thats not surprising, check out this roundup of video cards at toms hardware

http://www7.tomshardware.com/graphic/20031229/index.html

In most of the tests the 4200 outperformed the 5200.

I have a 5700 ultra on its way to me right now, it cost me $175. For 150 you should be able to get the non ulltra 5700 or something along the lines of a Radeon 9600.

[Alereon]

Your best bet is an ATI Radeon 9600 XT. They retail for around $150, and, as Ponster mentioned, include a CD key valid for the downloadable versions of Half-Life and its mods, Opposing Forces, and Half-Life 2 (in participating bundles). The Geforce FX series suffers from poor performance in modern DirectX9 games, an issue that affects the entire series, even the most expensive high-end cards. This makes ATI cards the best option for the gamer that wants both performance today and the ability to play future games.