Well that was a lot of posts, but I don't see exactly what they prove. Just because your GF2 MX "isn't cutting it" doesn't mean you have to buy a $350 GF3. There's the Kyro II, Radeon, GF2 GTS/Pro cards out there for just over a hundred dollars.
Come to think of it, jumping from a GF2 MX to a GF3 doesn't strike me as being very consistent. The MX is a budget card, one would think if you bought a budget card, well, you would be concerned with your budget.
Quincunx AA is actually very unimpressive from my standpoint. It was totally hyped up, but when it comes down to it, the quality is closer to 2X FSAA (not 4XFSAA as was claimed). Of course, I also feel that by and large FSAA actually degrades the picture quality anyway.
I never claimed the GF3 would always be a waste of money. However, there is a good chance it will be. Here's why: in 6 months when all of those cards I mentioned above hit the market, they'll all be faster than the GF3. The competition from all of them will drive their prices down, causing the "GF4" to cost much less on release than the GF3 does. In my opinion this will cause one of two things to happen: 1) The GF3 drops drastically in price and starts selling as a budget card-- you've just lost $250 for having the card a couple extra months; 2) The GF3 drops a substantial amount, but the GF4 and company cost only a tiny bit more-- in this case the argument could be made that the GF3 was still a waste of money at that point because the GF4 was only slightly more.
You can play Counterstrike in 1600*1200 w/full anisotropy with a Radeon LE for just over $100. Want FSAA? You can get the Kyro II for $115. HL has low requirements, I don't think any arguments about wanting higher quality in that game are valid at all.
Also, comparing the cost of the GF3 now to the cost of the GF2 64 MB cards when they were released and ALSO OVERPRICED doesn't really work. That's like saying hey, Windows ME isn't any more buggy than Windows 98-- it doesn't really say anything.
Keep in mind that the GF2 MX and the GF3 are not the only two cards on the market. Because the MX doesn't cut it for you doesn't automatically mean you need to get the GF3. Also, buying for the future only works when you actually keep the card longer than 6 months! If you are going to buy a card again in 6 months then there's no reason to "buy for the future", the card will be gone before the future even gets here. One other thing to keep in mind is things rarely, if ever, live up to your expectations. 1600*1200 w/QAA might sound really cool, but I guarantee you it won't be as great as you think it's going to be.
I'll be honest, I don't really understand where you guys are coming from. I don't really care to understand (and don't take that in the wrong way, I'm not trying to be rude). If you really think you need a GF3, then that's fine, it's your money to spend. I just think you should give it some thought first.
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