They both have a 128 bit processing pipeline, but the VE splits that in half for dual monitor support, whereas the LE uses the full 128 bit pipeline. Thus, the performance hit to the VE. The VE is acceptable for 2D multi-monitor duties only, IMO. The 32MB DDR Radeon LE is not too shabby for the money, and is a pretty decent last generation budget 3d gaming card. I believe that if properly optimized, it is better than a GF2 MX 400 card, and maybe even better than a GF2 GTS (if OC'd and HyperZ'd). Make sure to enable the HyperZ in the registry (not enabled by default for the LE versions when you install the drivers). Also, you can easily OC it to 166MHz (which is what the memory is rated at, but is shipped at around 138MHz), and as high as 190MHz (although I wouldn't recommend going higher than about 187MHz, which is what the retail Radeon DDR cards shipped at), depending on your card, for even better performance (you can use tools like Radeon Tweaker or Powerstrip to overclock the core / mem speeds). I still have one of these cards in my secondary rig, and it looks pretty good with the newer ATI catalyst drivers on every game I've played up to this point (although it's no match for my AIW Radeon 8500DV on my main rig).