There's something wrong with my geforce3 videocard..
So, I'm in the market for a new one... Looking for a good gaming videocard around $100-150ish..... any recommandations?

 

For that kind of money, you might be able to get a ATI Radeon 9700 or 9700pro. I know for $200 you can get a 9800PRO, which is a tad better. For any of these you'll have to do online shopping. I wholly recommend www.newegg.com. their prices are good, they ship fast, and have good service.

If you buy retail, that kind of money will get you a 9600, which is OK. It would be better to get a 9600PRO or 9600XT for just a tad more.

AVOID ANY ATI CARD WITH "SE" IN THE NAME. THEY ARE CRAP.

Here's what I would get. Yes, it is $160 but it is an extra $10 well spent. The 9700/9800s have 8 pixel pipelines (your GF3 has 2 I think) and 4 vertex shaders. Anything in that price range at retail has half that.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?...property&DEPA=0

This is a 9800. It's slower than a 9800pro, but only by a little. It's VERY VERY fast for the $.

Sapphire is a good brand; they make the cards for ATI and lots of others, actually. Many 9800s can overclock to PRO level speeds, too. Now, on the ATI vs Nvidia thing, I don't want to start a flame war. At the high end, they're both about the same, although $400+ dollars. In the 100-150 price range, Nvidia's GeforceFX cards have a serious problem with shading performance.

Here's a chart showing the relative performance of lots of chips. The new Nvidia Geforce 6 series and ATI X800s are not on there as they are new. Of course they are both well out of your price range.
http://graphics.tomshardware.com/graphic/2...tournament_2003

 

u can get a 9800 pro 256bit 128mb card for under 200.

check out pricewatch.com

and check out outpost.com

 

BFGTech GeForce 6800 GT OC - just spend the $400, it will be worth the money

 

Mwave has good prices and is reputable. You can do it my way ... pick a price and buy the one just under that price. There are only two manufacturers now, ATI and Nvidia so just pick one. Their full ranges are matched up to very be close in price and performance. Either way, the cards this year are better than the ones from 9 months ago and in 9 months they'll all be better again.

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/deptvid.hmx?upd...ame=Video+Cards

 

well, the nvidia cards in his price range are not the new ones. the GeforceFX 5x00's have some problems with shading. Radeon X800s or Geforce6x00s are no where near $150.

A 9800 for $160 is a killer deal any way you slice it. It should have enough horsepower for 1.5-2 years. You could also get a trimmed down version of the Nvidia FX5900, but the 9800 is the better all around pick.

you mean there are only two chip designers. there are tons of board makers. also, the chips are often made at the same place, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) or IBM.

 

Is the GeForce FX 5800 256MB any good?

I have a GeForce 4 4200 128 now...but I'd like something really powerful for doom 3.

 

Anyone have any recommendations for a dual monitor video car??

My current dual monitor card is only 63 meg and with hitman contracts it started to stutter.. I'm looking for something more powerful but i also like my dual monitor set up.

 

Nvidia 5800? never heard of that. I don't think it exists My guess is it's an upgraded 5700 which is a 2 pixel pipeline card that acts like 4 under some circumstances. i would not recommend it as it is basically a low end chip clocked higher. you can do MUCH better for a little more.

are you sure you don't mean 5900? That is a 4 pixel pipe card that acts like 8. the 5900xt and SE, the cheaper models at under $200 is a high end card clocked lower. BIG difference. Just because a card has more RAM does not make it better. You often see cheaper cards packed with 256MB of cheap ram, whereas your ATI 9800s have 128MB of higher speed ram with a 256bit bus (vs 128bit of cheap cards). This means that the RAM on the more expensive card is 2-3 TIMES faster. Packing RAM onto a cheap card is a way for board makers to make you think it is better than it really is.

the ATI 9800 is a 8 pixel pipeline card all the time. there are times when a Nvidia 5900 has an advantage, but most of the time the ATI is faster.

Also, the 9800 has dual monitor support, one VGA connector and one DVI-I connector with a VGA adapter. It works with 2 monitors no problem. In fact, most cards sold today have 2 RAMDACs that support dual displays.

For $160 the ATI 9800 is the best buy. It is an 8 pixel/4 vertex pipelined card, whereas the rest in the price segment are 2 (acting like 4) or 4 pixel/2 vertex cards. The Nvidia 5900s is also worth considering, but ONLY the 5900s. Also, the ATI 9700s are also worth a look (8pixel pipe, slightly lower speed).

For Doom3, a 9800 will work well. people are able to play at 11024*768 or 1280*1024 at high detail with these.

cards to avoid (because they suck): Nvidia FX5200 (any), Nvidia 5600 (any) ATI 9200, 9200SE, 9500, 9600SE, 9800SE

OK if strapped for cash: ATI 9600pro, 9600XT, 9500PRO, Nvidia 5700 (basically a 5600 that is improved in weak areas

for <$100: ATI 9600