GeForce is a line of graphics cards designed by NVIDIA. They are generally geared for the gamer community of computer users. There have been six generations of GeForce cards, each of which is fragmented into low-end, mid-range, and high-end appeal.

The first card, the GeForce 256, was launched in 1999, and was the most powerful consumer card at the time. This was later updated to the GeForce DDR, which held an even greater lead against its opponents. While the TNT2 line was still handling the mainstream, the first-generation GeForce sold respectably.

The GeForce 2 GTS was launched in 2000, and was generally faster than its competitors - the ATI Radeon and Voodoo 5 5500. The real success story of this generation was the GeForce 2 MX, which (along with the MX200 and MX400) remains the top-selling consumer-level card of all time.

GeForce 3 was introduced next in 2001, and despite outperforming its competitors considerably, it never reached the consumer level and was the least successful GeForce generation.

GeForce 4 followed in 2002, and finally offered a viable alternative to the GeForce 2 line. In spite of the Radeon 9700 and 9500 outperforming it, they suffered from supply problems, and the GeForce 4 went on to be the dominating card in 2002.

GeForce FX followed on in 2003, to regain the performance crown from ATi Technologies. However, the initial models (the 5800 and the first revision of the 5600) failed to do so. Later on, with the launch of the 5700 and 5900, the FX eventually became a viable and successful product line, although it has recently come under fire for poor performance under DirectX 9.0 games.

The current line is the GeForce 6 series. It has support for Vertex Shader 3.0 and Pixel Shader 3.0, which gives it an edge over its main competitor, ATi. Currently there are 5 models for the GeForce 6 Series; Geforce 6800 128 MB, GeForce 6800 GT 128 or 256 MB, GeForce 6800 Ultra, GeForce 6600 128MB and the GeForce 6600GT 128MB.

GeForce Card Generations in Order of Launch

• GeForce 256
• GeForce 2
• GeForce 3
• GeForce 4
• GeForce FX
• GeForce 6