Price: $295US to $366US
Get current pricing here.

We recently took a peek at the first of the GeForce2 GTS boards from our friends over at ELSA. Based on a standard reference design, the GLADIAC didn't offer anything unique aside from availability. This is the price to be first on the market, but it has paid off well for ELSA (as it did for Creative Labs with the original GeForce 256). The downside to such a strategy is that the hardware community doesn't particularly care which card was first on the market six months down the road when it's time for another upgrade. We remember which card was the fastest, which card overclocked the best, and more importantly, we will look to that manufacturer for our next purchase.

Before graphics giant Hercules was bought by Guillemot, they had a reputation for specialized boards that were more thoroughly engineered and featured better drivers than the competition. When the first iteration of GeForce boards found their way to market, however, the Guillemot/Hercules offering proved to be nothing more than a reference design with DVI support. Many feared the acquisition to be the end of an era, but Hercules has doubled their efforts, determined to keep a legacy alive. The fruit of their labor is the 3D Prophet IIGTS, a GeForce2 board that doesn't have to rely solely on performance to attract positive attention.