Ok, like the title says, this will be the last $$ i'm putting into this box.

It's a 4200+ OC'd @ 2.7ghz with 2GB of RAM. On a A8N-SLI Premium
http://www.asus.com/products.aspx? [...] odelmenu=1

Currently running a nvidia 7600gs

I usually keep a PC for a good long time before replacing it all together.
I need a video card that will be compatible with whatever stupid new toolkit microsoft decides to come up with. I know the HD3870 supports DX10.1, is the .1 just a minor revision or will .1 be around for a while?

Are DX10.0 cards compatible with DX10.1?

When is the 10xx series coming from Nvidia?

I'm primarily a Linux user so my upgrade would be an Nvidia card (ATi cards are **** under Linux)

My budget is ~$300

Thanks guys...

Most people, myself included, argue that DX10.1 is nothing to worry about. DX10 ONLY games haven't really arrived. By the time DX10.1 ONLY games get here, if ever, you will probably want something else anyways. DX10.1 is a superset of DX10, so if you buy something that supports DX10.1, and only have a DX10 card, it should run in DX10 mode. (unless its DX10.1 ONLY, but thats not likely to happen any time soon.)

To make matters more interesting, DX11 is still coming. I have no idea how much of 10.1 will be needed for 11. I don't believe MS will start having two DX code paths that are supported at the same time, so whenever DX11 gets here, DX10.1 will go by the wayside.

While I don't use linux, I know this USED to be true. When was the last time you tried an AMD card with linux? They have come a long way.

I might learn someething new on this one....
Does DX10 work in Linux? or is it a Vista only thing.

Took the words from my mouth
I would be more amazed than a very amazed thing if it turned out that you can run DX10 on a Linux OS.
Dont think M$ shares would be worth squat overnight if it turns out you can.
Mactronix

Hey, quit poking fun of Linux! Everybody knows that AMDs drivers are crap for linux, and gaming with Wine is the $h!7!

While I first thought you guys were a bit rude, you do make a good point. If you primarily use Linux, you either don't need the speed of a gaming card, or you boot back into windows to do so. Either way, you can safely ignore AMDs "bad" linux drivers.

8800GTS 512 or 9800GTX, your pick for that budget. The GTS is about $100 cheaper after rebate and in my opinion is a much better value.

I vote 8800GTS 512MB, it's the best value.

yes i think the comment about Linux was a little misleading.

I don't mind buying either an ATi or Nvidia card, since gaming is done only in Windows. But Linux has a very rich GUI, and can make use of 3D hardware for rendering the desktop (XGL, AIGLX etc...), So i'd like a card that is supported on Linux too.

Actually old ATi cards pre radeon 8500 are better supported under Linux than nvidia cards. But its not the case with new cards. ATi doesnt even have a HD3xxx driver for Linux. The opensource version just got 2D acceleration a week ago. So basically ATi not compatible with Linux.

What about the next gen nvidia cards, when will they come out, I dont mind waiting a few months?

July/ august

i guess i'll wait then.
Any word on GTA4 coming onto PC? i really want to play that.