My memory is rather hazy, as I didn't really have much control over computer purchases until I was in high school, and until that point, my father was actually rather up-to-date on computer technology (still doesn't do too bad for a man in his 60s now).
I feel like we had an original ATI Rage that kept the PC in working order until it was replaced in the late 90s with a Pentium-class desktop (Acer brand, I believe). Just before college, I think I upgraded it with a Voodoo Banshee so I could play Diablo and Diablo 2 and some other games I'm sure I'm forgetting.
But the first GPU that I bought for my own home-built system was a Hercules 3D Prophet 4500, based on the Kyro II GPU. I kept that GPU for quite a while, actually.