I'm looking for a new video card

Well, the above cards are actually fairly different. Since you're apparently having your Uncle purchase from NewEgg, you could try to look for some that are cheaper; the X1600XT can be gotten for as little as $167US here. But both the X850XT and 6800GS are good buys, but know that the X850 card is OEM, which means it will come in a plain box, possibly without even any driver CDs. (you'd have to download them) The X850 is clearly the most powerful of the cards, followed by the 6800GS. The 6800GS, as well as the X1600 cards, come with the advantage of having SM 3.0 support. The exact value of that is up to debate, and I'm sure that some other posters here will be glad to provide what they have on it.

Oh, and VIVO support is apparently optional on all ATi cards; without it, you can do HDTV (3-cable component) output, as well as low-def composite or S-video output, just no video input.

i would go with the x1600xt and later maybe even buy a crossfire motherboard once they start to be more mainstream. i have a a8r-mvp asus CF mobo and 2 x1600xt and i am getting better framerates then my friend with a x1800xt.

i was using a single x1600xt for a while, i was playing Counter strike and halo alot smotther than my 9800PRO.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

I would be honored if you would post a 3dmark link for your system.
Plz.

lol

Come on, help me decide about which video card to get?

Nottheking, my question is more like, which series are better, the X1600XT, the 6800GS/XT or the 850XT, the X1k series are rather new and can be used in Crossfire, but the 850XT has 16 pixel pipelines and 256-bit memory interface. Oh and it might be OEM, but according to the pictures it does come with the drivers and the cables  

In most situations X850XT>GF6800GS>X1600XT

Personally I'd say wait 1-2 weeks for the X1700 to come out, it should beat all 3 of those cards based on rumoured specs. Gives you all the X1xxx series benifits too.

Oh, I can wait 1-2 weeks, my uncle is coming in 1.5 or 2 months from now, so that'd not be a problem. What's the expected price for the X1700?

Expect the range of $199-$299 for the X1700, and maybe a little more for something exotic. I would say the sweet spot for the card is the $249 level and lower. Nothing's been announced yet, it's just a feeling of where the part needs to compete. MSRP can be $349 with street price of $299 or less for the top cards, but unless it beats the GF7800GT it's nott worth more than $299 (heck even $279) to most people. Also expect the moment the X1700 does hi the market nV will drop the price of their GF7800GTs and 'leak' information about their upcoming GF7600 series parts. That's the way the market works.

The X1700 is supposed to be available in large numbers at launch, but alot of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th week availability numbers will likely be very dependant on their launch price. If they sell well they could go fast, if they don't you may see some price changes in week 3-4.

Find a 7800GT on sale for about $280...

Best bang for the buck!

No point in buying anything right now if he doesn't have to, new cards are about to be launched and all prices will change, especially the X1800 and GF7800 series, let alone the arrival of a new design/class in the X1700.

If he can wait no point in buying anything just yet, because it's not like those GTs are going to go up in price.

ok, so I'm just going to wait and I'll be checkin on the X1700, the X1800 and the GF7800GT as the weeks pass.
Thanks a lot for the help