Let's see if I can remember my graphics history (I might go out of order):
Riva TNT2
Vooodoo 5 5500 (best PCI card at the time)
Elsa Gladiac GeForce 3 (terrible timing - high prices and the G4 series just hit)
9700 non pro (worst card, had too many issues with it). I think this is when I first tried RAID 0 with WD Raptor drives... was OMG fast at the time. Sold the entire PC to a friend.
I bought my dad a nvidia 5950 (best PCI card at the time that I could find)
I then bought myself a 6800GT desktop card but decided I should just go mobile. Took it back.
A little later I got a laptop with a 6800GT mobile in it... it played everything and I used it for years through college. I eventually threw together a cheap desktop but I don't recall what video card I put in it... I might have thrown one of my old cards in it.
Then I got myself an 8800 gts 320mb. Worked fine... actually worked up until last year or so when I had to toss it from my HTPC when it finally quit.
I then bought a complete desktop that had a AMD 5770 in it. I really liked that card but the fan died.. I repasted it... worked for a while then quit again.
I then got a 6850 that didn't work right, traded it up for a 6870 1gb. Used that for a year or so and then...
Got me a 560 TI 448. Didn't notice too much of an improvement but my wife needed a good card so she got the 6870 from above. She was using that 8800 GTS 320mb from a few steps up that just wasn't cutting it.
Then I got the 670 gtx 2gb... worked fine until just last week I treated myself to a 970 gtx and let my wife have the 670 for her 1080p setup.
A little after I got the 670 I got an Alienware with a 650 in it. Works fine for the resolution it plays on.
I'm sure I missed 1 or 2 cards. But man I've wasted a lot of money on computer hardware
BEST: Voodoo 5 5500 (for quake 2) or 6800 GT mobile
WORST: 9700 non pro (just too many bugs)