Recommend me a good 3D card

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!

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

bibliopahge
moderator GQ

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)

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.

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.