Maybe something like MSI Ti4600.
Only $400.
For PhotoShop, however, you can do nicely with most onboard video chipsets.
Only $0 extra.
Mac
I use a Matrox G550 which works great for 2D images (one of the best 2D cards afaik) but it’s not a very good 3D gaming card if that’s what you also want. I recently tested a Matrox Parhalia P650 for a couple of days but it looked only a tad better than the 550 at the resolution I use and was creating pink fringes on the sides of navigation buttons. Matrox also insists that I install "Microsoft .NET Framework version 1.1" to access the card’s adjustment interface. I sent the card back to the store.
I haven’t used ATI cards in a number of years but think The ATI Radeon series are now considered one of the best 2D + 3D cards out there.
Russell
"the very best video card?"
By who’s or what standards? Very best for image quality and integrity Matrox gets my vote every time. Over the past year or so I’ve used a few of the Ti4xxx line of cards. Every time I’ve gone back to my Matrox G550.
You want image quality and the ability to play the latest games and whatnot. Look at ATI, I think it’s the 9600 or 9800 which are ATI’s top card(s) right now.
I have had fine results with nVidia. Of course, I haven’t compared it to others, except for an onboard video, which sucked!
I have an old matrox 400 dual head, and couldn’t imagine ever going back to a single monitor. Which ever card you choose, make sure you give yourself the dual monitor option, don’t let the salesman talk you out of it.
I used PS for three years on a single monitor and thought I really didn’t need a second screen, and i guess you really don’t, but once I tried it, I fell in love with always having all my pallets stretched wide open all of the time.
Matrox will always get my buisness until they give me reason to quit them.
Ditto what Mike said but I have an ATI Radeon 64MB DDR memory. Go for the dual head!
