Graphics Cards

ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT
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.

ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT
We still need the next-gen games to arrive (and mature driver software) before we can crown a 3D graphics card winner. For now, we can say that ATI's card has some benefit to home theater enthusiasts, but delays may have hurt this card's value, regardless of how the performance shakes out.
Specs: 512 MB GDDR3 SDRAM, ATI Radeon HD 2900XT, PC, 2

EVGA e-GeForce 8600 GTS
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.

XFX GeForce 8800 GTS (320MB, GDDR3)
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.

Vista View Saber 2020
If you're looking for a dual analog TV tuner and have an open x1 PCI Express slot, the Vista View Saber 2020 offers the best image quality we've seen.
Specs: 32 MB, PC

Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTS
The step-down GeForce 8800 GTS is no slouch compared to Nvidia's flagship GTX card. Like its powerful big brother, the slightly more affordable GTS supplies top-notch performance and sweeping architectural changes that provide a solid foundation today for the OSs and games of tomorrow.

Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX
This one is easy. Nvidia's GeForce 8800 GTX not only beats ATI to market with its next-gen 3D graphics hardware, it also eliminates ATI's image-quality advantage in current-generation titles. Throw in its sheer horsepower, and Nvidia gives the high-end enthusiast every reason to make this purchase.

ATI Radeon X1950 Pro
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: 256 MB GDDR3 SDRAM, 1 ATI Radeon X1950 Pro, PC, 2560 x 1600:, 2

Nvidia GeForce 7950 GT
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: 512 MB GDDR3 SDRAM, NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GT, PC, 2048 x 1536:85 Hz

ATI Radeon X1650 Pro
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: 512 MB DDR II SDRAM, ATI Radeon X1650 Pro, PC, 2