AMD Athlon Buyer's Guide - Part 3: Video Cards

Summary

It turns out that the video cards we compared performed virtually identically across the three different CPUs.   While the scores were naturally higher on the faster Athlon 700, the breakdown of fastest and slowest of the bunch remained relatively similar at all three CPU speeds.   The GeForce 256 is the fastest of the group, but we already knew that from our review of the GeForce 256 itself.   

Because of the power of the CPUs themselves, the Matrox G400MAX fairs very well in the tests, often times beating out the TNT2 Ultra.  Not to mention that the G400MAX brings quite a few features to the table (i.e. DualHead) that the TNT2 Ultra cannot deliver.  The faster memory clock of the G400MAX gives it a good boost in 32-bit color rendering situations, sometimes even pulling ahead of the "faster" GeForce. 

The Voodoo3 performs quite nicely, but the Voodoo3 truly shines on CPUs slower than the Athlon where the TNT2 and G400 don't fair as well. 

In the end any of these cards would make for a fine matchup with the Athlon but if price is more of a factor then you may end up weighing your decision differently.  The most trouble-free card to install in an Athlon system would probably be the Voodoo3, but provided that you have adhered to AMD's recommendations you shouldn't have a problem with the other cards.   The highest performing card is obviously the GeForce, but at the same time it is also the most expensive and depending on your setup you may encounter some stability problems with the configuration. 

Also, with the GeForce's Hardware T&L, the card would probably last you longer than any of the other solutions as games that truly take advantage of Hardware T&L start to surface in the coming months. 

Be sure to read Part 1 and Part 2 of our Athlon Buyer's Guide and keep a lookout for Part 4 in the coming weeks