Weekly CPU & Video Card Price Guide: March 2001 1st Edition

Video Cards

AnandTech Weekly Video Card Prices
Video Card Model	Price	Change	Vendor	Shipping	Promotion
3dfx Voodoo5 5500 AGP	$112	$14	Adamant Computers	$9
3dfx Voodoo5 5500 PCI	$135	$10	Adamant Computers	$9
3dfx Voodoo4 4500 AGP	$79	$23	Adamant Computers	$9
3dfx Voodoo4 4500 PCI	$99	$16	Adamant Computers	$6
3dfx Voodoo3 3500TV AGP	$65	$35	Axion Technologies	$6
ATI RADEON 64MB DDR	$176	$3	iBuyPower.com	NA
ATI RADEON 32MB DDR (Retail)	$147	$0	MWave	NA
ATI RADEON 32MB DDR LE (OEM)	$81	$1	iBuyPower.com	NA
ATI RADEON 32MB VE	$91	NA	CDR Express	$11
ATI RADEON 32MB SDR	$85	$3	Essential Computer	$12
ATI RADEON ALL-IN-WONDER	$217	$6	Essential Computer	$12
NVIDIA GeForce2 ULTRA 64MB	$339	$16	Micro Pro	$11
NVIDIA GeForce2 PRO 64MB	$239	$35	Shentech	NA
NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS 64MB	$240	$8	Essential Computer	$12
NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS 32MB	$143	$13	CDR Express	$11
NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS 32MB VIVO (ASUS V7700 Deluxe)	$205	$2	Essential Computer	$12
NVIDIA GeForce2 MX 32MB	$89	$8	Micro Pro	$11
PowerVR KYRO 64MB	$105	$0	Monarch Computer Systems	$10
Matrox G450 32MB (DualHead)	$102	$21	Essential Computer	$12
Matrox G400 32MB	$109	$0	MWave	NA

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. This week we saw some significant price drops on all 3dfx cards. The Voodoo5 5500 PCI is an excellent value for those looking to add 3D acceleration to a motherboard without an AGP slot. The Voodoo3 3500 showed the most significant price drop this week and now sells for a mere $65. This is an excellent bargain for those looking to add TV in and out capability to their PC and are not necessarily concerned with the highest 3D performance.

We have added the Radeon 32MB VE card to our ATI lineup. This card adds dual display support to the standard Radeon 32MB SDR. We'd recommend this card over the standard Radeon SDR to non-gamers as it adds a useful feature for a $6 premium but it is considerably slower in 3D performance. The rest of the Radeon line of cards remained stable pricewise this week.

We should note that several readers have pointed out that there are a few major differences between the Radeon 32MB DDR (Retail) and the Radeon 32MB DDR LE (OEM) 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 units. 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.

Although the GeForce 3 has been announced for both the PC and Mac, we have still not seen it hit the OEM markets yet. We expect to see it hit the streets late this month or early next month. This week, the GeForce Ultra dropped a decent $16 in price putting it at $339. However, we do not recommend buying this card as the GeForce 3 will be released very soon which could drive prices even lower. The GeForce2 Pro saw a sharp drop in price this week. We expect the rest of the GeForce2 line of cards to drop in price once the GeForce3 hits the shelves. 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.

For the first time in months we see a tangible drop in a Matrox card. The G450 32MB DualHead dropped $21 putting it at $102. Those looking for excellent dual display capability may wish to purchase the Matrox card as it has proven itself well in this category. For more information check out our Dual Display Comparison.

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