Which video card do you recommend?

[mjh]

He's going to do a bit of gaming, but I need some help from the bright guys here at AT!

Which card would you recommend as a Christmas present? ATI 3850 ($179), 3870 ($249), or NVIDIA Geforce 8800GT($309)...

 

[fd9]

It all depends on your definition of "a bit of gaming", and what kinds of games he wants to play, at what kinds of settings, etc, etc... they're all great cards though.

 

[mjh]

Well, games like STALKER, Q4, Crysis... but every setting honestly doesn't have to be maxed.

 

[fd9]

Either a 3870 or 8800GT should be good.

 

[taltamir]

That depends entirely on the price at which you find them. At 270$ for a 3870 or 8800GT I would say don't buy, and get a 3850 for 180 instead... but I managed to order a 8800GT from dell for 207 + tax (and some people didn't have to pay the tax, lucky them)