GeforceFX: Good low range cards, but the mid ranges are trash. The 59_0 (can be 5900 or 5950), which is the highest range, is on par with top notch performance, but it still costs a fortune.
Geforce4: Dont even bother unless you find a 128MB version of the 4200Ti for like 60 bucks.
Radeon 9000 series: Low level cards suck. Mid range cards, like the 9500 pro and 9600 pro, are great cards. Mid/High range cards, like the 9700 pro and 9800 regular, are also good, but dont usually hit the price sweet spot. The high range cards, like the 9800 pro, are great if youre willing to spond cash. The highest range, the 9800XT and 9900XT, will cost you a pretty penny but, if you like high framerates, these will give you them.
Recommendation: ATI Radeon 9600 pro
Newegg.com:
Sapphire Atlantis ATI RADEON 9600 PRO 128MB 8X AGP DVI/TV LITE BOX
Specifications:
Chipset:ATI RADEON 9600 PRO
Memory:128 MB DDR RAM
Bus: AGP 8X
Encapsulating the unrestrained dreams of the avid gamer the RADEON™ 9600 ATLANTIS PRO’s SMARTSHADER™ 2.1 and SMOOTHVISION™ 2.1 technologies construct detail rich worlds peppered with ill-intentioned villains brought to life by DirectX® 9.0 and OpenGL 2.0.
Ports:VGA + DVI + S-Video Out
OEM Box (See pics for details) Item:
N82E16814102291
Model#:
RADEON 9600PRO 128
Price:
$148.00
Shipping:
Special FedEx Saver Shipping $5.00