ok so it's down to these 2 cards

[db85usa]

128mb ATI radeon 9800 (non-pro) or 128mb NVIDIA GeforceFX 5600 (non-ultra)

which do you think best is best for a gamer?

im leaning toward the 9800... but ive always been an nvidia fan.

[saturnotaku]

No contest. 9800 all the way. Non-ultra FX cards suck hard. And the Ultra cards suck less. Don't let your NVIDIA-ish leanings prevent you from buying ATI.

[Sazar]

you can always buy the 9800 non-pro and stick an nvidia sticker on it to stay a fan of nvidia :)

but yah.. the 9800 non-pro is a superior product to the 5600 non-ultra...I would wager by a fairly noticeable margin in actual game play...

[saturnotaku]

I've even read reports of some folks flashing their 9800 cards with the Pro BIOS and being able to run them at or above Pro speeds.

[db85usa]

yes then i can change all the icons and ati graphics for the video card into NVIDIA icons and graphics?? yes! lol...

thanks guys... i think im going with the 9800... ive heard a lot of bad reviews about the fx5200/5600 non-ultra cards... ive heard nothing but positive feedback on the 9800... i heard the only difference is the clock speed is like about 40mhz slower than the 9800 pro.