That is the question on many gamer's mind and I decided to make a chart that may help you decide which card to invest.
Here's my price performance ratio on the cards for those who aren't sure about buying a Geforce3 or wait for the Geforce4s to arrive in stores:
I combined the scores (in resolutions 1024 x 768, 1280 x 1024 and 1600 x 1200) obtained from Tom's Hardware (cuz Ti4200 was included). The scores I used in the formula was Giants (DX7), Aquanox (DX8), and Quake III (OpenGL) and I used the current retail prices.
Performance (avg. framerate), [Price/Performance ratio] (Lower is better)
Geforce3 Ti200 ($199) - 66.11, [3.01]
Geforce3 Ti500 ($349) - 83.82, [4.16]
Geforce4 Ti4200 ($199) - 87.19, [2.28]
Geforce4 Ti4400 ($299) - 96.91, [3.09]
Geforce4 Ti4600 ($399) - 106.02, [3.76]
ATi Radeon 8500 ($299) - 79.34, [3.77]
I didn't take into account of what the Geforce3s would cost if the Geforce4s arrive because there is no way of knowing how much of a price slash we'll see. From the chart, the Geforce4 Ti4200 definitely gets the crown, but it'll have to wait till April. Hope this helps!
Here's my price performance ratio on the cards for those who aren't sure about buying a Geforce3 or wait for the Geforce4s to arrive in stores:
I combined the scores (in resolutions 1024 x 768, 1280 x 1024 and 1600 x 1200) obtained from Tom's Hardware (cuz Ti4200 was included). The scores I used in the formula was Giants (DX7), Aquanox (DX8), and Quake III (OpenGL) and I used the current retail prices.
Performance (avg. framerate), [Price/Performance ratio] (Lower is better)
Geforce3 Ti200 ($199) - 66.11, [3.01]
Geforce3 Ti500 ($349) - 83.82, [4.16]
Geforce4 Ti4200 ($199) - 87.19, [2.28]
Geforce4 Ti4400 ($299) - 96.91, [3.09]
Geforce4 Ti4600 ($399) - 106.02, [3.76]
ATi Radeon 8500 ($299) - 79.34, [3.77]
I didn't take into account of what the Geforce3s would cost if the Geforce4s arrive because there is no way of knowing how much of a price slash we'll see. From the chart, the Geforce4 Ti4200 definitely gets the crown, but it'll have to wait till April. Hope this helps!