Radeon 9800 256mb vs. Nvidia 5900XT 128mb

[godhugh]

I have an Nvidia 5900XT. I'm going to get HL2 on the 16th (along with half of the known world) and I've heard that ATI cards will work better with it. So, that's my motivation.

My question is, does the 9800 256mb offer a big enough upgrade over the 5900XT to justify spending another $200?

EDIT: Or should I just wait for the AGP 6600GT? Any idea on whether they will work well with HL2 and when they're coming out?

[Freezer-TPF-]

You may want to check out this thread for more info on the 6600 GT vs. 9800 pro:

http://www.octopusoverlords.com/phpBB2/ ... php?t=1153

Also, check out this article with Counter-Strike source benchmarks on older cards to get an idea of how your 5900XT would perform vs. 9800 pro:

http://firingsquad.com/hardware/counter ... efault.asp

And lastly, this on the 5900XT performance/quality with DX 8.1 vs. full DX9 eyecandy:

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/gef ... half-life2

After a quick skim, it looks like the 5900XT should run HL2 quite well but only in DX8 mode vs. the full bling-bling of DX9 mode. If you want the full DX9 goodies, then I would try to wait for the 6600 GT or save more $$ for a 6800 rather than getting the older (yet still very good) 9800 pro. I know waiting sucks, though. You could play HL2 on your 5900XT for now and then just upgrade when you can snag a 6600GT/6800, but I know that's not optimal either. It depends on how much the DX9 eyecandy is worth to you.

I haven't seen any good info on when the 6600 GT AGP will hit the street. It should be within a month but I haven't seen a hard date.

I am in a similar same boat, wanting to upgrade my ti4200 for HL2 and Vampire, etc. I am now pondering a 6800 or 6800 GT, but if I end up waiting too long to decide I may go for the 6600GT AGP if it comes out soon enough.