# 3D card **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 28, 2003, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3d-card/164698 "2003-03-28T02:36:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3d-card/164698/1 "2003-03-28T02:36:17Z")
Ok, so my computer has been acting up, but I think I _may_ have finally found the trouble. Hopefully. Now I’m in the market for a new 3d card. Wanting something fairly cheap (~$150) I see from [pricewatch](http://www.pricewatch.com) alot of cards for that much, and I’m wondering what everyone thinks is the best deal. I do alot of gaming on here, and want it to be fairly high-end. What do you guys think? ---
**Author:** ![LordVor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90ced4/32.png) [@LordVor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LordVor)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3d-card/164698/2 "2003-03-28T02:56:38Z")
That’s probably NVidia 4200Ti territory, cash-wise. They’re all pretty much equal these days performance-wise, although some have more alternate outputs (svideo, etc) than others. -lv ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3d-card/164698/3 "2003-03-28T02:59:15Z")
I was leaning towards a 4x00. My old one was a MX420, which I mainly selected do to the key number:D. After purchasing I read reviews which despised the MX series. keep the feedback coming though! ---
**Author:** ![Murcielago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Murcielago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Murcielago)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3d-card/164698/4 "2003-03-28T03:09:59Z")
I would agree with the GeForce 4200 ti or the 4400 ti (which has slightly faster memory). 128MB of RAM makes a huge difference vs. 64MB. I’m using a GeForce 4400 ti on an Athlon 2200+ with 512MB PC2100 RAM. I’ve been running several of the latest games at 1024x768 with 32-bit color and all effects without a hitch. ---
**Author:** ![barking\_frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/96bed5/32.png) [@barking\_frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barking_frog)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3d-card/164698/5 "2003-03-28T04:54:13Z")
Do not get an MX series card. For that matter, do not get a low-end FX (same marketing ploy). Consider the Sapphire 9500 Pro at newegg for a little over what your budget is. Overclock it (it can definitely handle it with stock cooling), and it’s definitely the best mid end card out there. If you don’t overclock it, it still is better than the GF4 series. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3d-card/164698/6 "2003-03-28T06:47:11Z")
Get the GeForce 4 Ti 4200. I picked mine up for about $111 from [NewEgg.com](http://NewEgg.com) and it’s supersweet. ---
**Author:** ![DreadCthulhu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DreadCthulhu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadCthulhu)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3d-card/164698/7 "2003-03-28T08:33:32Z")
I would go with either a Radeon 9500-especially the PRO’s, which are faster than Geforce4Ti4600(the card I have right now; I bought mine before the Radeon 9500 came out) in most games; the Geforce 4 Ti4200 is good card if you are on a budget, but make sure to get the 128 MB version of either card. ---
**Author:** ![Murcielago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Murcielago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Murcielago)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3d-card/164698/8 "2003-03-28T08:56:34Z")
Didn’t realize the ATI 9500 Pro had broken the $200 mark. You say it also overclocks nicely, eh? You got me thinking… ---
**Author:** ![dead0man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@dead0man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dead0man)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3d-card/164698/9 "2003-03-28T16:55:47Z")
I’m going to throw my vote in for a GeForce4 Ti4200 series card. Me and my SO just got Asus’s version of it with 128MB of RAM from [newegg.com](http://newegg.com) for $130ish each. They will be able to play any and everything for the next few years. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3d-card/164698/10 "2003-03-28T18:08:13Z")
Since someone else mentioned it too, NewEgg is the way to go. I ordered a bunch of stuff and it’s gotten here in like 2 days, regular shipping. And dead’s got my card! ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3d-card/164698/12 "2014-09-13T21:25:14Z")
Not a gear head (or whatever the home-built computer analogue to that would be). Are 3D cards still a thing? Is NewEgg still a thing? ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3d-card/164698/13 "2014-09-14T00:32:29Z")
Yes and yes. There are a lot of amazing PC games now. Thanks, Steam sales and lackluster consoles, for brining back PC gaming. This thread was pointlessly resurrected.