One of the most frequently asked hardware questions is, "Which 3D graphics card should I get?" As you will discover, the answer depends on what kind of system you have and what kind of games you like to play. And Loyd is here to help you get the right card. Then, when you've got your upgrade, check out Chapter 9: Installing Your Graphics Card.
Which Is Best?
Easily the most common e-mail request I get is, "What 3D graphics card should I get?" This is closely followed by, "Which 3D card is the best?"
I wish the answer was simple, but it's not, and it depends on a host of factors. Do you have an older, Pentium-based system? Maybe you have an early Pentium II (266 or 300MHz)? Or perhaps that spanking new PIII/550 is on order? Are you eyeing a K6-2 upgrade, complete with a socket 7 AGP motherboard? Are you buying a brand new system? What games do you play? All these issues shape the answer to the question, "Which card to buy?" I'm going to try to tackle that question here, if only to reduce the amount of e-mail I get. I'm also going to cover how to add a card to your system, once you buy one.
