What is the best bang for the Buck?

[DaMaN]

I am upgrading a family members old CPU and want everyone' opinion about what he/she feels is the best LOW END video card on the market that can play UT / Q3 at decent frame rates. Cost is vital.

I anxiously await to hear the opinions of my fellow PCA family.......





David

[b-man1]

go for a v3 2000 or 3000. i don't care what everyone is saying about the lack of support from now on...the current drivers for these cards are good and will perform well for those on a budget.



.02

[DaMaN]

What price range in a For Sale / Trade forum do they normally run?

[b-man1]

my best guess (haven't seen any for a few weeks)

v3 2000 $50-55 shipped
v3 3000 $60-65 shipped


hope this helps!


(just guessing here...last i saw was $65+)

[Biohazard]

even the v5 is dropping down into a nice price range (I also happen to believe that nvidia will add the voodoo cards into thier driver updates).

also look at the geforce MX cards, or the ati radeon sdr

AVOID savage anything... they suck big time

[Insane Morphius]

Agree 100% with Biohazard:

V3 2000/3000
GeForce MX Family

Morphuis

[blade]

I've seen v3 3k's going for around 50 in the fs forum. It's still a great card. So is the v3 2k if u don't need tv out. It's been around 40 or so.

[dadx2mj]

I would say a GeForce MX I have the Hercules MX and have been very happy with it. I got mine a Micro Pro for $108

[XMANN]

i remember this girl down the block when i was fifteen....oh sorry, had my head in the gutter there for a second.

[Insane Morphius]

XMANN lololol,

I would definetly get either the V3 3000 or GeForce MX. The cheaper of the two is the V3 3000.

Morphius

[Golar]

V3's are REALLY cheap, but if you want something better, a MX will serve ya well.

[UberNeuman]

I played UT and Q3 with my TNT2 card at decent framerates, until I updated to my Radeon AIW...

[FlyingPenguin]

Folks, I truly believe that someone at 3Dfx will do the right thing and either smuggle the source code for the drivers out before they fold, or else convince the bean counters to release it to the public domain.

HOWEVER, do not delude yourselves that NVidia will ever release drivers for Voodoo cards - IT CANNOT HAPPEN.

NVidia puchased ONLY the chip design division. They DID NOT purchase the video card division, they DID NOT purchase the rights to any existing 3Dfx chips or products - 3Dfx has retained these. Nor do they want it - NVidia doesn't want to sell Voodoo cards, or support them (do you realize what a nightmare that would be for them?) they want to adapt some of 3Dfx's technology into their own designs, and they want to adapt the R&D division to their own needs.

BOTTOM LINE: Under the agreement between them and 3Dfx, NVidia DOES NOT have the legal right to write or release drivers for Voodoo cards - they don't own the rights to any of the source code.

Meanwhile 3Dfx will likely cease to exist in mid-february - the date they have recommended for the company's liquidation to their stock holders.

Sorry for the rant, but I'm tired of hearing mis-information about "NVidia will release drivers for the Voodoo" - sorry, it can't happen under the current purchase agreement.

I go into greater detail on what I think and hope will happen with Voodoo drivers here: http://www.pcabusers.net/forums/showthr ... eadid=2090

[Insane Morphius]

FP,

Dang my man, you must work for N'Vidia and want that code something fierce Seriously though, does it really matter if they do or do not support the cards? If they do not, when 3dfx goes six feet under folks will eventually drop their voodoo cards, but that wont be for some time! Cause their current drivers are quite good actually

Morphius

[DaMaN]

Errr.....Thanks Guys!