2/22    Go watch the streaming video presentation of GeForce3 / Doom3. You'll
        be impressed (oh wait, this is the CSUA i'm talking to here... n/m)
        \_ For only $600 too. Why bother paying rent when you can get a
           GeForce3.
              \_ I'm still waiting for nVida to release the mac rom flasher
                 for the 2MX card. I'm stuck with a Rage 128 Pro (?) and I
                 really want a card with better 2D. Raedon is waaaay to
                 expensive and the performance is not that much beter than
                 the 128. The 2MX seems like a great card: low price plus
                 good 2D.
                 \_ 2d?  Any card can do 2d perfectly fine today.  2d is a
                    done deal.  No one buys a new video card for 2d.  Any
                    video card built in the last 18 months has 2d performance
                    way beyond anything you'll ever need.
                    \_ Actually the Rage 128 Pro is pretty bad at 2D. It
                       has a lot of visual artifacts that are simply annoying.
                       The 2MX is *much* better. I'm unhappy with the 128
                       because ATI's XClaim 3D VR Plus didn't have these
                       problems. I was thinking about a Voodoo3, but 3DFX died.
                       Oh well. - still waiting for a 2MX.
           \_ A year after release it'll be $125 and headed into the "value
              oriented customer" bin for you cheapos.  Doom 3 with be on one
              of those $2 CD's at the "old news/impulse buy" software section
              at the check out line at Fry's.  The MX2 card I have now would
              have blown your shoes, shocks, and pants right off only 2 years
              ago.  Today it's a $99 card.  It's all just a penis thing.
              \_ No, it's all just an evolution of technology thing
                 \_ A $600 game card is a penis thing.
              \_ don't mistaken value oriented with "cheapos".  If you don't
                care about paying too much for something's real worth that only
                makes you an idiot.
                \_ Value oriented = cheapos.  It's a market definition.  I
                   didn't make it up.  Go read Intel or anyone else's maps
                   for their future lineup.  "Value Oriented" is always the
                   bottom end system suitable for maybe running tetris.  This
                   is known as a "euphemism".  As a Berkeley student or alum,
                   you should know all about using nice sounding words to make
                   lesser people feel better.  You're not cheap.  You're a
                   Value Oriented customer.  BTW, can I still use the word,
                   "oriented" without offending the Asian-Americans that read
                   the motd?
                   \_ Value oriented != cheapos. Some people just don't need
                      64MB of VRAM. I don't play many games, and the ones that
                      I do play (old LucasArts games, super puzzle fighter,
                      Gran Turismo) don't require a $600 video card. The 8 MB
                      Rage 128 that I have does just fine.
                      Most of the time I have a browser and a couple of
                      terminals open. That is all I need to do my work (writing
                      protocols and such). Occasionally I need to use Word.
                      The browser, word, terminals look fine even with 4 MB of
                      video ram.
                      I just don't need to spend $600 for "top of the line".
                      There are a lot of people like me.
                      \_ Yeah, and thank god I'm not one of them.  You guys
                      a are lame and boring.
                      \_ You are posting this from work because people like
                         me wrote the routing and switching protocols that
                         let your crappy little PEECEE participate on the
                         internet. Its comments like this that make some
                         people wonder if we should just keep all the packets
                         to ourselves.
                         \_ Yeah. They should have the OS automatically
                            mark the "This computer has a bad ass graphics
                            card" flag in every IP packet it sends out so
                            that the routers can automatically adjust the
                            QoS of traffic originating from no-life gamers.
                            \_ Well, you've got to use the TOS bits for
                               something. ;-) (And in case you didn't get
                               it, I was joking about keeping packets to
                               myself).
        \_ urlP
           \_ There are a couple of links on http://xlr8yourmac.com.