9600xt is the best video card i have ever used... the color, fps, quality of image.. and the fact that i can have everything completely cranked all the way up on the video card and in any game and still able to get 40+ fps is awsome.... I would say the 9800xt is the best you can buy but for the price 9600xt rocks all.... ( i have never used the nvidia 5900 or 5950 yet but looking at benchmarks and going by the 9600xt compaired to the nvidia i am sure the 9800xt is way better then nvidia) The most important thing when getting a video card is not to go by brand though it is to go by the quality and speed of the card always check benchmarks and reviews on more then 3 sites to find out the real story because every site you go to usually favors one or the other so it makes it hard sometimes to find which one is best... actually the best way to decied if the card does everything you need it to do it is the perfect card