ASUS V8200 Deluxe – 95%

As usual, ASUS has created a very impressive and versatile card with the V8200 Deluxe. Even visually, the 8200 is a treat. MP clan players should be warned though. Anti-cheating tools like Punkbuster ban players using ASUS drivers because of the resurfaced see-through option. Playing on a Punkbuster protected Half-Life server is only possible with NVIDIA’s reference driver – which don’t support the full Deluxe functionality. Nonetheless, the 8200 definitely deserves first place. No other card has more to offer.

ELSA GLADIAC 920 – 92%

The GLADIAC 920 is a solid card. Despite its unspectacular cooling it is one of the best overclockers in this shootout. The drivers where something of a disappointment, though. ELSA drivers used to offer a lot more features and tweaks. Not even the gaming bundle can make up for this completely. This card would also shine with TV-In. Many fans are still hoping for a successor to the Erazor II ViVo or even the Erazor 128 Video. Instead, ELSA seems to have given up this market segment without a fight, leaving MSI, ASUS and Gainward to duke it out.

Gainward CARDEXpert GF3 – 93%

What is Gainward trying to tell us with this new red look? Poisonous? Devilish? To die for? Hmmm, you weren’t expecting an answer, were you? This card’s only weakness can be found in the software. The overclocking tool doesn’t seem to be working optimally yet, which isn’t too tragic, considering that the OC options in the reference drivers work quite well once you unlock them. What this card really lacks is a video viewing software. Although you can (ab)use the video editing suite or even the trial version of Digital VCR for this purpose, this is a far from elegant solution. If you’re planning to make full use of the Video-In features, get ready to do some experimenting. Otherwise, this card is a safe bet.

Hercules 3D Prophet III – 91%

Purists and hardcore overclockers will love this card. Unfortunately, my review sample was still a very early A3 model and consequently not much of an overclocker, despite its excellent cooling solution. I’m looking into getting my hands on a newer model and doing some re-testing. If you’re not so hot about bundles, tools and gimmicks, this card is a good choice for you.

Leadtek WinFast GeForce 3 TD – 92%

Leadtek’s GeForce 3 TD is an interesting offer. The only points of criticism are the short-lived fan and the ineffectual memory heatsinks – both of which were already criticized on Leadtek’s GeForce 2 ULTRA. As great as the card looks, function must come before form. Aside from that, this card regularly beat out the competition and has earned the performance crown of this shootout.

MSI StarForce 822 – 93%

MSI wants a part of the video card market, and it shows. Well, if the 822 is any indication, they’re on the right track. The lack of any kind of video software is quite disappointing in a card that features both Video-In and Out. What good is a TV input if there is no software to make it usable?! Sure, there are plenty of freeware programs available for download – but not everyone knows how or where to find them. In this price category, I find this should not be a problem – the tools should be included. The board’s good overclocking potential came as a bit of a surprise, considering that the memory has no heatsinks. Obviously, using no heatsinks is better than too large ones *cough*Leadtek*cough*.

Visiontek GeForce 3 – 91%

Aside from the only partially usable TV-Out (that also plagues the Hercules and Leadtek cards) and decent 3D performance, the Visiontek board doesn’t have much to offer the potential buyer – not even a software DVD player. If you’re not looking to pick up a software bundle with the card, you might be quite happy with this offer. And let’s not forget, the overclocking potential is among the best in the group.