ATI HIS 6850 1gb or Nvidia gtx 460 1gb

I think those two cards are pretty equal in performance. They may trade punches depending on game. It is sorta your call. the 6xxx series is ATI's new series of cards, while the 4xx series is the last series of Nvidia cards. The 460 is still a very good card though. And I think it comes in at a lower price point than the 6850. You could probably get a really nice OCed 460 for the same price as a 6850. I've been leaning toward Nvidia cards recently as ATI seems to have more driver problems. But those were with the 5xxx series cards not 6xxxx. That is just my bias though.