Weekly CPU & Video Card Price Guide: February 2001 2nd Edition

Video Cards

AnandTech Weekly Video Card Prices
Video Card Model	Price	Change	Vendor	Shipping	Promotion
3dfx Voodoo5 5500 AGP	$126	$13	Axion Technologies	$6
3dfx Voodoo5 5500 PCI	$145	$78	OCIE.com	$10
3dfx Voodoo4 4500 AGP	$102	$17	Axion Technologies	$6
3dfx Voodoo4 4500 PCI	$115	$0	Axion Technologies	$6
3dfx Voodoo3 3500TV AGP	$100	$0	Axion Technologies	6
ATI RADEON 64MB DDR	$179	$1	Essential Computer	$12
ATI RADEON 32MB DDR (Retail)	$147	NA	MWave	NA
ATI RADEON 32MB DDR LE (OEM)	$82	NA	iBuyPower.com	NA
ATI RADEON 32MB SDR	$85	$3	Essential Computer	$12
ATI RADEON ALL-IN-WONDER	$223	$12	iBuyPower.com	$12
NVIDIA GeForce2 ULTRA 64MB	$355	$24	Micro Pro	$11
NVIDIA GeForce2 PRO 64MB	$274	$4	OCIE.com	$10
NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS 64MB	$248	$11	Beyond Computers	$12
NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS 32MB	$156	$5	OCIE.com	$10
NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS 32MB VIVO (ASUS V7700 Deluxe)	$207	$8	Atacom	$10
NVIDIA GeForce2 MX 32MB	$81	$3	Microbarn	$11
PowerVR KYRO 64MB	$105	$0	Monarch Computer Systems	$10
Matrox G450 32MB	$123	$0	Essential Computer	$12
Matrox G400 32MB	$109	$0	MWave	NA
Matrox G400 DualHead	$149	$0	Next Generation Computers	$4

The reader should note that 3dfx's acquisition by NVIDIA will result in them not being able to provide support for their cards so purchase a Voodoo3/4/5 card at your own risk. The prices of the now defunct 3dfx line continue to drop this week. The most notable drop comes from the Voodoo5 5500 PCI: it is again within $20 of it's AGP counterpart. This card is an excellent buy for those looking to add decent 3D performance to a system that does not have an AGP slot. The Voodoo3 3500TV remains a great bargain at $100. This is an excellent buy for those looking to have video input and a TV tuner inside their PC.

Prices for ATI's line of video cards has remained stable this week. We have made two new additions to the ATI section of our guide - the Radeon 32MB DDR Retail and the 32MB DDR LE (OEM). Several readers have complained that there are a few major differences in these cards which many online retailers fail to point out. The Radeon LE is actually a crippled version of the Retail card and does not feature ATI's Hyper-Z technology. It is important that readers understand this because Hyper-Z can have a significant effect on performance. The Radeon LE was originally meant to be an OEM product for some of the Asian markets. However the success of the product in those markets was overestimated and ATI was forced to bring the product to the North American market. The Radeon LE chips are generally composed of those chips that fail to work properly as fully functional Radeon solutions, meaning that they are often clocked at lower core frequencies and may not have fully functional HyperZ. Many readers have been reporting success with overclocking their Radeon LEs as well as by forcing HyperZ to be enabled on the boards however proceed with your own risk as there are no guarantees. For more information consult the AnandTech Forums.

As you have no doubt heard, NVIDIA has announced their GeForce 3 at the Macworld Expo in Japan yesterday. Although is was only announced for Apple computers, expect a PC announcement sometime next week. Upon the release of the GeForce3, you can expect the entire line of GeForce2 cards (including the Ultra) to fall in price. As for this week, prices have remained steady. The most notable price drop comes form the GTS 64MB which is now $248. Those looking for a low-end bargain should consider the GeForce2 MX. This card offers excellent 3D performance at a low price.

The PowerVR KYRO 64MB saw no change in price this week. This card is a unique alternative to the 3dfx Voodoo and NVIDIA GeForce cards. What makes this card unique is it's tile based rendering engine. Although this is not the most popular card on the block, it does have a decent user backing and maturing drivers not to mention a very competitive price.

Matrox's line of cards have also remained relatively unchanged this week.

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