PCI Express x16 Graphics Cards

The Bottom Line: The 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.

Specs: ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2, 2560 x 1600, 2 GB, PC

The Bottom Line: If 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.

Specs: ATI Radeon HD 2600XT, 2560 x 1600, 512 MB, PC, 2

The Bottom Line: If you care more about HD movie watching than gaming and you need a new video card for the task today, we recommend a 3D card like this EVGA with Nvidia's newest mainstream graphics chip. Gamers can get more performance value from Nvidia's higher-end 8800 cards, but for anyone, it would be a good idea to wait to see what's new from ATI in just a few short weeks.

Specs: NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS, 2560 x 1600 / 60 Hz, 256 MB, PC

The Bottom Line: No 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.

Specs: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS, 2560 x 1600, 320 MB, PC, 2

The Bottom Line: If you're looking for a gaming card to run Vista and play most games, ATI's Radeon X1950 Pro will get you there, but not perfectly, and its real-world pricing is higher than we'd like. We're more interested to see ATI's next-gen cards use the newly refined CrossFire dual-card technology, debuted here, but that will have to wait.

Specs: 1 GPUs - ATI Radeon X1950 Pro, 2560 x 1600, 256 MB, PC, 2

The Bottom Line: It can't hang with ATI's faster (and wider) Radeon X1900 XT in performance, but if you're building a small PC or you're concerned about noise levels, the GeForce 7950 distinguishes itself as the only single-slot 3D card in its price range. If efficiency is more important than speed, Nvidia makes it easy.

Specs: NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GT, 2048 x 1536 / 85 Hz, 512 MB, PC

The Bottom Line: We don't recommend paying even $125 for this new budget 3D card from ATI, but assuming you can find it for $100 or less, the Radeon X1650 Pro will meet your Windows Vista and basic gaming needs without overheating your PC or your wallet.

Specs: ATI Radeon X1650 Pro, 512 MB, PC, 2

The Bottom Line: Featuring Nvidia's latest midrange GPU, the $200 PNY Verto GeForce 7900 GS offers a strong bang for the buck compared to its ATI rival. We recommend it if you are looking to play 3D games on an LCD monitor, aren't too concerned about sky-high frame rates, and won't be bothered if a next-gen replacement emerges in the coming months.

Specs: NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS, 2560 x 1600, 256 MB, PC

The Bottom Line: ATI'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.

Specs: ATI Radeon X1950 CrossFire, 2560 x 1600, 512 MB, PC, 2

The Bottom Line: PNY's highest-end 3D card is overclocked and comes with a few helpful accessories. We just wish that it included a game or two, as a $500 graphics card isn't very useful if you don't have anything to play with it.

Specs: nVidia GeForce 7900 GTX, 2560 x 1600, 512 MB, PC, 2