Reviewed on November 8, 2006This one is easy. Nvidia's GeForce 8800 GTX not only beats ATI to market with its next-gen 3D graphics hardware, it also eliminates ATI's image-quality advantage in current-generation titles. Throw in its sheer horsepower, and Nvidia gives the high-end enthusiast every reason to make this purchase.TAGS:Nvidia GeForce, NVidia, pipe, architecture, 3D, card, DirectX, power supply, manufacturing, ATI Technologies, games
Reviewed on November 9, 2006The step-down GeForce 8800 GTS is no slouch compared to Nvidia's flagship GTX card. Like its powerful big brother, the slightly more affordable GTS supplies top-notch performance and sweeping architectural changes that provide a solid foundation today for the OSs and games of tomorrow.TAGS:Nvidia GeForce, NVidia, DirectX, card, Radeon, manufacturing, ATI Technologies, GPU, power supply, games
Reviewed on November 21, 2007Despite the usual caveats of an ever-fluctuating 3D market, for the moment, at least, ATI's new Radeon HD 3850 graphics card delivers the best bang-for-the buck in PC graphics hardware. Until now we haven't had an acceptable sub-$200 option for PC gaming this year. Thanks to AMD, now we do.TAGS:Radeon, DirectX, ATI Technologies, card, Nvidia GeForce, NVidia, motherboard, games, video card, PC
Reviewed on August 2, 2007If you're looking to build a home theater PC, we recommend ATI's Radeon HD 2600 XT as the midrange card to use, thanks to its nearly perfect HD video image and its no-fuss installation. But for 3D gaming, you'd be much better off looking for a good deal on a faster, older graphics card.TAGS:Radeon, ATI Technologies, ATI Radeon, NVidia, Nvidia GeForce, DirectX, card, 3D, generation, video card, games
Reviewed on February 12, 2007No other 3D graphics card comes close to this bang for the buck, making the 320MB XFX GeForce 8800 GTS mostly an easy decision if you need a midrange upgrade. Nvidia still has to polish off its Vista software, and the sooner-or-later arrival of competing cards muddies the waters a bit, but if you need a midprice graphics card today, this should be your pick.TAGS:XFX Inc, Nvidia GeForce, 3D, card, Radeon, NVidia, clock speed, DirectX, ATI Technologies, AMD, games, video card, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows
Reviewed on June 5, 2006Nvidia's GeForce 7950 GX2 should have been an Editors' Choice contender. It brings two graphics processors to a single slot, costs half as much as similarly fast setups, and lays the groundwork for do-it-yourself Quad SLI. But the gap between this chip generation and the next is too close, so we recommend you pass on the 7950 GX2.TAGS:DirectX, Nvidia GeForce, NVidia, card, power supply, generation, 3D, ATI Technologies, Microsoft Windows Vista, gamer, GPU, PC, Microsoft Corp., games
Reviewed on August 23, 2006ATI's Radeon X1950 XTX is the fastest single-chip 3D card that you can buy. Unfortunately, with Windows Vista and its accompanying gaming technology, it's going to become obsolete in just five months. ATI adjusted the price of the Radeon X1950 XTX accordingly, but at $450, it's still not an insignificant purchase. We recommend it only if money is no object.TAGS:Crysis, Radeon, DirectX, ATI Technologies, ATI Radeon, NVidia, Nvidia GeForce, OpenGL, 3D, clock speed, card, memory, games, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows
Reviewed on January 30, 2009EVGA's GeForce GTX 9800+ Superclocked edition has basically the same price-performance benefit as its Radeon HD 4850-based graphics card competition. With identical bang-for-the-buck, you'll like this card if you demand power efficiency, but you should turn to ATI's card if your PC has limited upgrade room.TAGS:Far Cry 2, Crysis, Radeon, DirectX, Nvidia GeForce, card, NVidia, resolution, games, PC
Reviewed on January 30, 2008The 3D graphics card market changes too rapidly for us to get bullish about a card with premature driver software. The ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 shows promise, even outscoring Nvidia on many PC games, but we would still wait until AMD works out the kinks before handing over your $450.TAGS:Call of Duty, ATI Radeon, Radeon, ATI Technologies, Nvidia GeForce, NVidia, AMD, DirectX, Unreal Tournament, games, card, video card, PC