professor_t
Member
I missed the 8800gt era. What big games were being played during its run?
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Greatest video cards of all time picks?
- Thread starter JohnnyFootball
- Start date
j^aws
Member
The greatest is the IBM VGA card.
This set the standard in the 80s and all the clone manufacturers followed; creating a path for the PC to become a gaming machine that replaced the Home Computers from that era. This paved the way for dedicated GUI and 3D accelerators that followed...
This set the standard in the 80s and all the clone manufacturers followed; creating a path for the PC to become a gaming machine that replaced the Home Computers from that era. This paved the way for dedicated GUI and 3D accelerators that followed...
EscapeArtist
Banned
I came here making sure that someone had named "Voodoo" and it was in the OP. I bought a Voodoo 3 to play Half Life/TFC/Counter-Strike and it's the first time I ever replaced parts in a PC at the age of 12 or 13. Very fond memories of those games and my initial interest in to computers.
mariosbrother
Member
6MB of RAM!
ss_lemonade
Member
First gpu I owned was a Geforce 4 mx. Then I upgraded to a Geforce 4 TI 4200 after a week lol. That was probably my favorite because I remember being able to play a ton of games at good settings.
In ordered ranking
1) GTX 1070 - Had a few high end before not far from launch , like the x800pro , 7800GT , 8800GT , this is the only one that destroys games at mainstream resolution , which is 1080p now . The Asus Strix GTX1070 is also the most quiet , cool and best looking IMO
2) ATi Radeon 9600 pro - My first proper graphics card . It is so much better than FX5600 and MX440 that I upgraded from, finally able to play games smoothly .
3) 8800GT - First high end graphic card bought just after being launched . I enjoyed how it steps over the GTS performance while still being cheaper . What a great refresh from Nvidia .
4) AMD Radeon HD5850 - another great performer for its price , it's even cheaper than GTX 1050 nowadays but still performs like mid-high end back then .
Oh man , I literally bought a dozen of Graphics cards back in the day .
1) GTX 1070 - Had a few high end before not far from launch , like the x800pro , 7800GT , 8800GT , this is the only one that destroys games at mainstream resolution , which is 1080p now . The Asus Strix GTX1070 is also the most quiet , cool and best looking IMO
2) ATi Radeon 9600 pro - My first proper graphics card . It is so much better than FX5600 and MX440 that I upgraded from, finally able to play games smoothly .
3) 8800GT - First high end graphic card bought just after being launched . I enjoyed how it steps over the GTS performance while still being cheaper . What a great refresh from Nvidia .
4) AMD Radeon HD5850 - another great performer for its price , it's even cheaper than GTX 1050 nowadays but still performs like mid-high end back then .
Oh man , I literally bought a dozen of Graphics cards back in the day .
MickeyKnox
Member
9700pro and the 8800gt/x
Legendary cards.
Legendary cards.
Yeah and the 9500pro is really fast even on stock , constantly being faster than 9600pro and 9600xt even . It's only truly replaced by the 9800pro .
MrCunningham
Member
The 8800GT was released in mid 2007... and it became one of the first benchmark cards for Crysis, which was released in November 2007.
But some of the other games from 2006-2007 it would have been targeted for would be Oblivion, Prey, Half-Life 2 Episode one and two, Unreal Tournament III, COD 4: Modern Warfare, STALKER, Portal, Team Fortress 2, The Witcher, WOW (well, not really), Bio Shock. But with this card, I remember being sold in anticipation for Crysis the most.
Crysis was being hyped beyond belief throughout 2006 and 2007 just for the games visuals alone. It really was one of those high water mark "PC-Master Race" releases. The q6600 and 8800gt was one of the power combos used to showcase how awesome your rig can run Crysis at very high settings.
The voodoo and voodoo 2, along with the TNT and TNT 2, were seminal in the early years of 3d cards. I would say V2 => TNT > TNT 2.
It's actually insane to me how heavily 3dfx just threw the entire market away after the voodoo 2.
Like, during those early years you might as well not have even owned a 3d card if it wasn't Voodoo or Voodoo 2. It wasn't until the TNT exploded that that became a debate.
It's actually insane to me how heavily 3dfx just threw the entire market away after the voodoo 2.
Like, during those early years you might as well not have even owned a 3d card if it wasn't Voodoo or Voodoo 2. It wasn't until the TNT exploded that that became a debate.
Forerunner
Member
The ATI 9800 was my first card. Since then I had a GTX 580, 680, and I'm currently using a 980. So far my 580 and 980 have been my favorites.
The 3DFX cards blew my mind back in the day, because it was such a huge jump from just using the CPU.
Back then I didn't know anything about graphics cards, so it was more of a luxury. Spending $300-400 on a graphics card was crazy back then.
When I finally got a graphics card it was one of the cheapest ones just so I could play games at medium to low settings - the Riva TNT 2... so bad.
Skipped a few gens and used my Macbook Retina Pro for a while which had a GT650m which was passable for a year or so, and finally got a GTX 970, which was great but I knew it wouldn't last that long at 1440p, so I got a GTX 1070.
I think the 1070 is fine for 1440p, but I wouldn't have minded getting the GTX1080, but I don't want to throw away my money on unnecessary frames on a handful of games. I guess the 1070 will last me till whatever is after Volta.
Back then I didn't know anything about graphics cards, so it was more of a luxury. Spending $300-400 on a graphics card was crazy back then.
When I finally got a graphics card it was one of the cheapest ones just so I could play games at medium to low settings - the Riva TNT 2... so bad.
Skipped a few gens and used my Macbook Retina Pro for a while which had a GT650m which was passable for a year or so, and finally got a GTX 970, which was great but I knew it wouldn't last that long at 1440p, so I got a GTX 1070.
I think the 1070 is fine for 1440p, but I wouldn't have minded getting the GTX1080, but I don't want to throw away my money on unnecessary frames on a handful of games. I guess the 1070 will last me till whatever is after Volta.
Superkewl
Member
Yeah, I has 2x Canopus Pure 3d II's in SLI back in the day. Was glorious!
MrCunningham
Member
If I wasn't going by personal preferences, I would say that the Voodoo Rush and Voodoo 2 would be my number 1 (and maybe 2?) choices. 3DFX really got the ball rolling for 3D accelerator cards on the WinTel platform. I wanted a Voodoo 3 so bad when I was in my teens, but then some store clerk convinced me to get the GeForce 256 instead. Which I do not regret purchasing.
The TNT cards were pretty cool too. Nvidia bounced back with those cards after the disappointing sales of the NV1, which rendered everything in quads. Nvidia was really putting all their eggs in one basket with Sega back then, they even developed the NV2 to be used in the Sega Saturn 2, which ended up being scrapped by Sega. Nvidia wasn't doing that well financially before the release of the NV3 and Rivia TNT cards hit the market.
Beerman462
Member
Voodoo 3 3000 APG
Great 2D combined with Voodoo2 SLI 3D performance, with GLIDE compatibility was important.
Great card. It replaced my Voodoo 3 3000 APG once Everquest became to demanding for it.
Bought a 7800GT for almost $300 and replaced it a year later with an 8800GT for $212, kept it for 3 years
Great 2D combined with Voodoo2 SLI 3D performance, with GLIDE compatibility was important.
Great card. It replaced my Voodoo 3 3000 APG once Everquest became to demanding for it.
Bought a 7800GT for almost $300 and replaced it a year later with an 8800GT for $212, kept it for 3 years
ThoseDeafMutes
Member
8800GT was incredible because you could viably game on it through to about 2012/2013. It was the baseline minimum spec until the subsequent console generation hit. I think the closest modern equivalents in terms of value and longevity would be the GTX970 and R9 290, which won't cease to be viable until PS5/NextBox hit the market. The secret to their success is being sold at a reasonable pricepoint while having enough juice to be comfortably above the consoles of the day in an era where every demanding game uses them as a baseline performance target.
GhostWriter24
Member
Ti4600
DonMigs85
Member
Yeah, good thing last gen stuck around for so long too. Last last gen, something like a GeForce 3 Ti 500 was pretty terrible in 2005
Dwight Schrute
Member
This card was legend
Avid Reading Horse
Member
Yes, that thing! My brain could barely comprehend what it was seeing when I set that up and loaded up Descent.Diamond 3dfx monster 3D.
This card was a game changer and it altered the pc gaming business up to this day.
grandwizard
Member
I totally get what you are saying with 'the voodoo difference'. When I think about mind-blowing advancements in technology from my youth that is up there. Seeing Quake on a voodoo card was like stepping into the future.
3 pages and no All-in-wonder 9800 pro? Come on!
https://www.cnet.com/au/products/ati-all-in-wonder-9800-pro/review/
https://www.cnet.com/au/products/ati-all-in-wonder-9800-pro/review/
Rushersauce
Banned
I'd say the Hawaii series (290/390-290x/390x). They are amazing performing cards, even to this day.
How can you make this list without the beast that was the 8800GT
I'm surprised with how well my 280X is holding up. Certainly been lasting me longer than the 5870 did.. :lol.
I'm surprised with how well my 280X is holding up. Certainly been lasting me longer than the 5870 did.. :lol.
I think for price/performance of the cards I have owned (too many to remember them all) I would say the 6600GT, at the time it ran everything I could throw at it and was at such a great price point. Second would be the R290x.
Geforce 4 mx440 was my first ever video card when I built my first PC at 15, loved that card even though it wasn't even as good as most Geforce 3 cards lol. It helped me go from 15-20fps on Counterstrike at 640x480 on my dads pc to 60fps+ 1280x1024, what a huge difference that was.
Geforce 4 mx440 was my first ever video card when I built my first PC at 15, loved that card even though it wasn't even as good as most Geforce 3 cards lol. It helped me go from 15-20fps on Counterstrike at 640x480 on my dads pc to 60fps+ 1280x1024, what a huge difference that was.
RoadHazard
Gold Member
The first one I remember having (in the family computer) was an ATI Rage 3D. I don't think it was very good.
KimonoNoNo
Member
Chalk another one up for the 8800gt; My first gaming PC was a 8800gt paired with a q6600 and served me well for a good long time.
AbandonedTrolley
Member
eot
Banned
Around the time of release, the big ones were S.T.A.L.K.E.R. / Crysis, however the thing about it was that it lasted for so long, in large part due to the last console gen lasting so long. It was also insanely cheap for the performance you got.
I will say though that mine died after about 2 years so I never got as much use out of it as other people.
MrCunningham
Member
One of the first GPU's that I ever had was a Rage Pro 3D with 8MB of video RAM. It had all sorts of compatibility issues and really didn't perform very well.
Deaf Spacker
Memb
That was hardly an achievement at that time?
Greatest card has to be Voodoo 1. That was the first accelerator that got everything right.
It even ran Unreal two years later relatively descent.
The Albatross
Member
Good list op, had almost all of those cards myself
KillerMan91
Member
Well I guess I can only compare my own cards (though I know that cards like 8800 GT really stood the test of time). From my own cards HD 4850 and HD 5850 were really solid and had crazy perf/price ratio. I bought HD 4850 for 99 in 2008 and it run all games high for couple of years. Bought HD 5850 in 2010 for under 300 (this makes me realize how much GPU prices has gone up lately) and it served me well until 2014. Worst card for me has been my first card that I bought with my own money. GeForce 7900 GT. It was obsolete in like two years and costed over 300 when I bought it.
My own personal favorites.
Nvidia GeForce 256 (1999) - Though of course 3D cards like the Riva series and Voodoo cards came before this, for me personally, this is the card that got me into more advanced 3D features on PC.
Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT (G92) (2007) - I personally think the 8800 series was one of the best values to be released that enjoyed quite a longevity at a time when graphics and games and tech were moving quick, and a wave of classic PC releases were being unleashed. The 8800 GT (G92) was my favorite of the bunch and seemed tailor made for the intense PC games that arrived at the time.
3dfx Voodoo 2 (1998) - This thing made games like Unreal and Shogo: Mobile Armor Division look magical at the time. This popular card seemed to be the go to for 3D effects on PC toward the end of the 90's.
Nvidia GeForce 6600 GT (2004) - The 6800 was the more powerful card that wrestled the crown back from ATI, but I preferred the more budget conscious 6600GT. It was the perfect card affordable card for a mainstream or budget build right when the wave of shooter classics from 2004 like Half-Life 2, Far Cry, UT2004 and Doom were arriving.
Nvidia GeForce 7800 GT (2005) - I loved this card, and it lasted me for awhile at the time. Sandwiched in between the groundbreaking 6x00 series and 8x00 series, I still thought the 7800 GT was quite a bit of bang for the buck at the time back in 2005, and for me the best value until the release of the 8800 GT.
ATI Radeon 9500 Pro (2002) - The 9700 Pro may have ruled the throne at the time, but the more affordable 9500 Pro seemed like the far better deal, especially with some tweaking and overclocking one could hit 9700 Pro like performance in some games for much less money spent.
Nvidia GeForce 3 (2001) - Really popular series that further cemented Nvidia, at least until ATI released the 9700 Pro.
ATI Radeon 9800 XT (2003) - 2002's 9700 Pro may have given ATI the throne at the time, but I think the 9800 XT is where ATI found their stride. The card that I believed first showcased HL2 and that people bought for HL2.
Nvidia GeForce 256 (1999) - Though of course 3D cards like the Riva series and Voodoo cards came before this, for me personally, this is the card that got me into more advanced 3D features on PC.
Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT (G92) (2007) - I personally think the 8800 series was one of the best values to be released that enjoyed quite a longevity at a time when graphics and games and tech were moving quick, and a wave of classic PC releases were being unleashed. The 8800 GT (G92) was my favorite of the bunch and seemed tailor made for the intense PC games that arrived at the time.
3dfx Voodoo 2 (1998) - This thing made games like Unreal and Shogo: Mobile Armor Division look magical at the time. This popular card seemed to be the go to for 3D effects on PC toward the end of the 90's.
Nvidia GeForce 6600 GT (2004) - The 6800 was the more powerful card that wrestled the crown back from ATI, but I preferred the more budget conscious 6600GT. It was the perfect card affordable card for a mainstream or budget build right when the wave of shooter classics from 2004 like Half-Life 2, Far Cry, UT2004 and Doom were arriving.
Nvidia GeForce 7800 GT (2005) - I loved this card, and it lasted me for awhile at the time. Sandwiched in between the groundbreaking 6x00 series and 8x00 series, I still thought the 7800 GT was quite a bit of bang for the buck at the time back in 2005, and for me the best value until the release of the 8800 GT.
ATI Radeon 9500 Pro (2002) - The 9700 Pro may have ruled the throne at the time, but the more affordable 9500 Pro seemed like the far better deal, especially with some tweaking and overclocking one could hit 9700 Pro like performance in some games for much less money spent.
Nvidia GeForce 3 (2001) - Really popular series that further cemented Nvidia, at least until ATI released the 9700 Pro.
ATI Radeon 9800 XT (2003) - 2002's 9700 Pro may have given ATI the throne at the time, but I think the 9800 XT is where ATI found their stride. The card that I believed first showcased HL2 and that people bought for HL2.
Barrel Cannon
Member
8800gt and 9700 are my two dominant picks. So much longetivoty