Anybody want to comment on what the better card is here? They both seem to be around the $200 mark which is much better than paying double for the newest cards from each manufacturer..I understand that the performance increase from using something like an FX5900 compared to the new 6800 is not much at all.. this is likewise with the ATI 9800 compared to the new X800..so I was thinking about saving some money and getting one of these cards instead of the newest out..Just wondering what people think I should do here... I have had both nVidia and ATI cards in the past and like them both. Right now I have an ATI Radeon 9200 128mb and I need an upgrade..also, what manufacturers of the cards would you guys recommend.. it is my understanding that nVidia DOES NOT actually have their own line of cards... but I know ATI does, but the ATI brand is a lot of money..

You need to specify which 5900, 9800, 6800, etc, there are many different flavors.5900Ultra, 5900XT, 9800Pro - 128MB or 256MB(different memory busses, etc.).Provide the exact title for the cards you are considering, as well as manufacturer(eVga, PNY, BFG, etc.).

The FX cards was always problematic for Nvidia, for the first time in years they lost the performance crown. Anyway the 9800 Pro or XT will outperform the FX5900 and the FX5950 in most applications and also deliver higher image quality. The ATI cards simply had a better architecture at the time, which is in fact still used in the X800 series, which performs on par with the 6800 that is on the other hand a complete redesign from the FX5900. The 9800 is also a fairly small card and is usually quiterer than Nvidia cards.-

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Hi everybody, I tend to support what Oeyvind had to say. Specially for FS. From what I've heard, even the 6800-series have probs handling high AA and heavy FS-weather. Also the increased energy consumption of Nvidia's current tech is a disadvantage and frequently leads to more/louder cooling needs. Btw and OT, Nvidia's latest mainboard chipset creation for AMD64s -the nForce 3 250'Gb'- looks like a winner! Generally spoken, IMHO, the original question is rather inprecise. If somebody launches the same query with the suffix 'for me', the chances of finding a satisfying reply should be much higher. So, with a little room for slight modification (tweaking!) of the basic question, the query could be: 'What's the best display adapter for me?' Then, all one will be asked to produce, is a list of display(s) (including a thought on such which 'risk' to get connected during the lifespan of the component), the software which needs to run (i.e. Linux, 3D-glasses), etc. I can almost guarantee, a satisfying reply will surface automatically! AIM, I believe it's seldomly the best this or that. But there definitely is a very, very, awesomly good for me! Compressed, again, mainly keep an eye on the the resolution of the display(s) adapted to the display adapter (this determines the 'class') and usually, after that, only software will be able to render hardware choices useless. Hope this adds food to thought, good luck and kind regards Jaap

>I understand that the performance increase from using>something like an FX5900 compared to the new 6800 is not much>at all.. ======================================Just to add my experience to the thread...I recently upgraded from the Gainward FX5950 Ultra to the BFG 6800 GT overclocked.I did this primarily because I have MegaScenery and wanted better scenery. I can tell you that I am extremely happy with this card and did see a definite improvement in my view out the window with the upgrade.I have no opinion either way regarding ATI and NVidia; just sharing my experience in case it helps your decision.Regards,Bobby