Twitch,man, Don't wait 5 1/2 years to get a card. 65 months is a long time, by then they'll be selling FX's as apartment heaters. :tongue:
The FX will NOT be the same price as the RD9700, unless Nvidia takes a bath on each card the way MS does for each Xbox (nothing in it for Nvidia, they don't own/license games). It may be the same price as an RD9800, but not a 9700, especially since the moment a REAL definable board hits Best Buy or even your local retail oem supply store ATI will drop the price of the 9700s.
The thing that will make my decision will be FireGl issues, but if I was going with a non proffesional card, I'd go with an All-in-Wonder, tiny extra in price, and great features I can turn into a media center (not MS)in a year or so.
The FX was too long a wait, not as impressive as expected, and even if the drivers get tweaked, it will come after the launch of the next ATI product. Nvidia spent to long getting the 5800s to market allowing ATI a cushion in their product cycles. Now ATI can perfect the 9800 (was it ready by X-mas?) before releasing it, and then spend longer building the R400 style , learning that NEAT technology that doesn't beat old technology (Nvidia didn't learn that from the Matrox Para) isn't 'cool', if it doesn't impress or create positive buzz it won't get money from those on the fence about one or the other mfr.
If I do upgrade my deskside utility machine for gaming (it runs Morrowind pretty good now), it'll have to be a killer app. (maybe D-III) that makes me start looking. Also depending on what I put in my fiddling-with-video/anim. box, I will likely get the comparable DX9 card that gives me the most flexibility, least drawback, for the best price. Right now an RD9500pro bought 9-12 months down the line seems like a likely candidate. Sorry folks not the same driving desire, Tribunal has my next 2-3 months for sure (and replay time for at least the next year) so no DRIVE to get rarefied silicon.
I still think the FX has a long way to get converts from off the fence, and right now many are going to ATI simply because their expectations and wait for the FX didn't pay dividends.
- You need a licence to buy a gun, but they'll sell anyone a stamp <i>(or internet account)</i> ! <font color=red>RED</font color=red> <font color=green>GREEN</font color=green> :tongue: GA to SK