PNY Verto nVidia GeForce 6800 GT - Top notch graphics and speed for gamers. Usually speed sacrifices image quality, but extremely high-end cards like the 6800GT excel at delivering both. Gamers will love the high frame rates delivered by this card, even at extreme resolutions with maximum quality settings. Worth the money for hard-core gamers.

ATI Radeon X800 Pro - Excellent performance and quality for serious gamers. We already know you are asking, "How well does the Radeon X800 Pro compare to the GeForce 6800 GT?" The big deal with the Radeon X800 Pro is the lack of Shader Model 3.0 support (used in some games as of now). But the Radeon X800 Pro delivers more than capable performance for most popular games, and the price point is quite competitive.

GigaByte nVidia GeForce 6600GT 128MB - Affordable gaming performance. It's possible to get good performance without breaking the bank with this GeForce 6600GT based card. All but the most discriminating gamers should not be disappointed with the graphics quality and frame rate afforded by this card, including DX9 based games as the 6600GT is fully DX9 compliant.

Graphics Cards Buyers Guide

Did you just pick up a copy of Doom 3 only to find its looks like a pixilated blob as it scrolls across the screen in a slow crawl? Welcome to the world of PC gaming. Not only is a high-end system a requirement, but a quality 3D video card is a must! Gone are the dismal days of 2D graphics. The latest games require graphics cards costing well into the hundreds of dollars.

For most of you, a graphics upgrade means throwing away those pathetically underpowered cards often found in preconfigured factory systems like Dell, Gateway, and Hewlett-Packard. At the worst end of the spectrum, your system may have integrated video with no AGP or PCI-Express upgrade slot. If that is the case, then you may be truly hosed - do not pass go, do not pay $200 for a video card!

Much like the 1980's US political situation, the video card market is a good example of trickle-down economics. Cards selling for over $600 only six months ago may now be worth $100 at best. In other words, you can unfortunately toss last year's high-end GeForce 4 or Radeon 8500 models into the junk bin for donation to your favorite charity thrift shop.

Fast forward into today's reality. Any "serious" gamer is going to need a high-performance card, and that means purchasing a card from one of two companies. ATI and nVidia are the only graphics manufacturers offering competent 3D gaming solutions. For comparison, a SiS or Trident card will offer about the same thrill as a trip to the dentist.