Radeon 8500 vs GeForce 3 TI 200

[jenga28]

I ordered the 8500 from dell for 203 shipped and i've been reading the reviews on the 8500 and they're comparing it to the geforce3 ti 200. And the reviews are saying it's better to get the geforce3 because it is cheaper, but they are comparing the msrp of the prices 299 to 199 (8500 to geforce3 ti 200). Now my question is since i got the radeon at 200 should I keep it?? or Get a geforce 3 ti 200?? or do i go all out and get the ti 500?? I'm mostly looking to play games and maybe once in awhile output to the tv. Any suggestions??

[sbp]

The Radeon 8500 is a more feature rich than Nvidia's GeForce 3 line. It should on paper blow away the GeForce 3 Ti200. However the Radeon 8500's drivers leave a lot to be desired. That's why its being compared to the GeForce 3 Ti200. Drivers has been ATI's achilles heel for years now.

$203 is a great deal for that videocard. And it will be even better if ATI can produce good drivers for it. http://sbp777.homestead.com/files/laughingicon.gif

The Ti500 is overpriced right now compared to the Radeon 8500.

The Ti200 is a great bang for the buck. Here is a DirectX8 compliant card that costs $199 that likely oc's to GF3 speeds.

My advice: wait a couple of weeks and see if ATI can improve the Radeon8500 drivers. Also see how much Ti500 drops in price. Then make the decision about what to get and keep.