3-D GRAPHICS ACCELERATORS
There's only one reason to shell out for a new 3-D graphics card: PC games. With the right chip, you can blast away sumptuously detailed baddies at a seamless 60 frames per second - twice the rate of standard video. True gamers upgrade every few months; our splurge is the cream of the current crop.
SPLURGE (SHOWN)
ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
The 9800 Pro's ample RAM has a 256-bit pathway that can transfer data at unprecedented speeds. Combined with a good rig, it takes on the most demanding titles and makes 'em look like big-budget action flicks. The 9800 Pro pumps out 1,600 x 1,200-pixel resolution with full-scene anti-aliasing to smooth out jagged edges and surfaces. Sport this card and you'll be Alpha Geek at least until the next killer model rolls out.
$399, www.ati.com
BEST BUY
Nvidia GeForce FX 5200
If you don't have a screamingly fast computer or a fat wallet, the 5200 is for you. The card sports a respectable 128 Mbytes of RAM, and you'll still appreciate its performance (1,024 x 768-pixel resolution) and full support of the DirectX 9 media standard. But you'll have to turn off the anti-aliasing and endure some jaggies, and you'll lose a few of the finer details, like hair blowing in the virtual breeze.
$79, www.pny.com
OVERRATED
Matrox Parhelia
This mammoth card (256 Mbytes of RAM) can't touch the 9800 Pro, which is $200 cheaper. The big selling point for the Parhelia is its ability to spread your game across three screens. Obsessives may salivate at the thought of ultrawide, 180-degree visual nirvana, but the card doesn't have the power to sustain high quality from screen to screen to screen.
$599, www.matrox.com
PLAY
Soldiers of Fortune
Heart and Soul in the Machine
What's on Your iPod?
Call Upgrading
Keiboard Gets the Thumbs Up
The Microsoft IQ Test
Ultimate Truth
Sick Bastard
Time Warp
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Bot
reviews
Fetish
Doomsday Devices
Muscle Cards
Needle in a Hard Drive
Shopping Cart
