Best card of all time

I'd say Radeon 9800Pro, but that's cause I'm using it right now and the most recent nvidia cards I have are the FX 5200 and Ti4400...  

I'm thinking the 8800GTS 320MB/640MB.

I really like my old Ti 4200 128mb version, and the x800xl I had, I don't know if that answers your question though.

If I understand your question right I would go with the 8800gt 512 (g92) because it beat all of the current 8800gts's (g80) and it was in the $200 range.

Voodoo 2 SLI

I personally thinks its the FX series 5800'/900's because it taught the world how not to make graphics cards.

The original Voodoo. It revolutionized gaming and that's a fact.

I also loved the Radeon 9500 which you could soft mod to a 9700 pro. It took a mid level card and turned it into the flagship.

9500np for tweakers. Oh how I miss that card.... The 9500/9700 with the 8x1 design and 256bit memory bus really openned up a lot for developpers in more recent game design. Although neither of those alone are truly innovative, but I find the product as a whole definetly was. Of course it took a little luck in the card lottery and a minute or so to unlock that potential.

Otherwise Voodoo2 (didn't like the first) really opened up 3D gaming.

The more memorable (either good or bad) cards that I've had in my personal (non-work) computers were as follows:

S3Virge DX
GF2MX (Original)
GF2GTS
Radeon 7000VE (went back the very same day in exchange for...)
GF2MX 400
GF ti4200
Radeon 9500np (great oc'er, unlocked)
Radeon 9700pro
Radeon x800XL
8800GTS 512

Both my GF2GTS and ti4200 died within 3 months. I hope this 8800GTS stands up to my torturing.

 

I would have to put the Radeon 9700 pro up high on the list for perfomance and features.

But really, when you talk all time, we have to at least think back about Hardware T&L with the original Geforce. Shoot or even before that the Rendition cards. (edit, had to look the exact model up for fun - Rendition Verite V2200). Those were big inovational moments in Graphics chips for sure.

Shoot, many here sure remember times before 3D cards. (pre voodoo) I still have the ATI Mach 64 from back in 1994 when that was ATI's top card.

Anything from 3dFX those guys always pushed the limit. Wish chip makers like them were still around today, I'm sure we'd be a lot farther along in technology (yes I know 3dfx was bought by nVidia!)  

-cheers, Valt

Ah, my first good graphics card I thought was quite a step, Rage 3d pro with 32mb of memory. Opengl with 2d on the card as well. I remember getting 50+ fps in Quake 2 with high settings @ 1024 and being totally impressed.

definitely Voodoo 2 Banshee, the revolution in gaming history 

i'd say your right but it would be a tie with the 9700 and original voodoo.

You are so correct...  

Perhaps only matched by the original Geforce revolution and the T&L engine

My vote the video chip in the old Amiga the fat Agnes with the ability to address 1mb of graphics memory and the hold and modify mode.

Voodoo. They were ground shattering, and future looking cards. At the time, they brought innovation and performance to another level.

I agree with G92 8800GT. Almost fastest card. Price low enough to make it available to larger percentage of users than any provious top rank card. It even costs less than a 9800 did when it was new, not even counting inflation. Was there ever a time you could get this class card for this price?

J/K. Voodoo 2!

For me it's a tie between the original Voodoo and Geforce ti4200 128mb.

It has to be the S3 Virge.

Radeon 9700 pro

Mine ran like a dream, forever.....
I bet that baddie still works!

Well, according to MaximumPC, December, 2007 issue, pp. 22-42, and in considering the 100 greatest PC Innovations of all time, the 3dFX Voodoo1 was ranked #2 (1996), the #1 ranking going to the ubiquitous USB port (1996). Other video cards listed were the nVida Geforce2 # 16 (2000), IBM CGA card #24 (1981), Matrox G400 Dual Head #31 (1999), ATI Radeo 9700 #48 (2002). I'm not sure I could agree with all of their selections, but definitely, the Voodoo series stood in a class by itself.

Having owned most of the cards listed in this thread, I'd have to go for a tie for #1, Voodoo1 & Voodoo 2 (which were absolutely earth-shattering at the time), the original GeForce with DDR memory tied with the 8800 GeForce series at #2, followed by the ATI 9700 Pro. All of these cards lifted the bar considerable over the previous generation of cards - none as much as the Voodoo.

Just my 2 cents...

GF3

9700Pro

In answer to the question as put i would say the 9700 pro as well. But personally i had a soft spot for the X800GT02, Damn good card for its time and a nice easy route in to modding and tweaking. You got (seemingly) something for nothing and that smug feeling because you did it yourself.
I know there have been others like the 9500 but i thought this card deserved a mention.
Mactronix

I think the people posting more modern video cards (radeon 9700, or even 8800gt) Probably weren't playing many computer games when OpenGL or D3D weren't in the picture yet.

Personally...I didn't even care much about computer gaming until the voodoo cards came out...it was something completely different.