PC gaming pros, BEST DX9 Videocard value?

[OldSchoolGamer]

OK, here's the short and sweet of it, I am getting a new PC SOON, the works, Core 2 dUO, 2GB RAM, Massive Hard drive HOWEVER..........

I've still yet to experience MANY PC games, also I don't plan a move to VISTA for at least 1-2years and I WILL buy the best videocard for VISTA and DX 10 when I install VISTA! But until then I will be running XP on a kick ass rig, so WITH THAT IN MIND............

What would you currently suggest as the most kick ass gaming DX9
videocard? I wont lie, I DO tend to lean toward Nvidia (BUT YOU MAY
CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE) I also want /need a card that does TV Composite out like my current OLD Geforce Ti 4200, I figure this is any card with Svideo out as I have an adaptor. I want the fastest DX9 Card for the BEST price, but I am NOT looking for fastest DX10 AT THIS time
as I will be buying THAT later! I am leaning towards Nvidia Geforce
8600 series for best DX9 WITHOUT spilling into high end DX10
gaming, but I have heard rumours I should wait for 8700 series cards?
Opinions, suggestion? ALL appreciated PLEASE!

[jajaja]

I dont know whats the best DX9 card, but GeForce9 is comming out soon. It might be that the other cards drop in price then. If you have no rush on getting a new 3d card it might be worth waiting 1-2 months :) (altho its not sure how much the previous cards will go down in price. It might be nothing at all, or atleast not an amount of money thats worth waiting for).

[OldSchoolGamer]

See that is JUST what I am looking for! A logical and well thought out suggestion! FYI
I will probably be buying in 1-2 months as a matter of fact. I guess what I am really trying to be careful about and sort out is when I am ready to buy what card will give me awesome DX9 results for the best price? I understand that may in fact well be a DX10 card, whether Nvidia or ATI and I am NOT brand loyal (Best performance for my money thank you) I am hoping to be able to say after I put my rig together "Damn, I got the best performance possible for my money" while leaving a path open to upgrade when I get VISTA....................I am sure this thread will be beneficial to others as well!

Oh, FYI Single slot suggestions ONLY, I don't do SLI or any dual card
solutions nor will I ever, I am just not that HARDCORE........................Thanks all!

[OldSchoolGamer]

Bumpity bump..............

Come on guys I am sure we got some heavy PC gamers here...........

[diskoboy]

depends on how much you're willing to spend.

But I'd reccomend any Nvidia card, 7800 or above. The 7950 kicks major ass. Especially SLi'ed. I have 2 BFG 7800gt's, but they've been taken off the market, by all manufacturers, for some odd reason.

[Trebuken]

Early in November aNvidia is supposed to realease a new card (8800 GT I think). It is supposed to be the sweet spot for price/performance. At the moment nvidia usuers go with the 8800 GTS 640 MB card ($250 on a good day). I personally think this would be the way to go, though I've gone further and have Windows Vista 64-bit installed.

Composite out is a feature that I have not seen recently. I have not looked for it though. DVI and HDMI and sometimes component out seem to be the only TV-Out solutions I have seen.

Nvidia is supposed to have 9000 series cards coming, originally speculated for November, but likely next year. Triple SLI and the 8800GT seem to be nVidia's Christmas offerings. ATI might have a thing or two to say.

DX10 is no longer good enough too. DX 10.1 is the next new thing. The .1 revisions were not completed in time to make it to the manufacturers or some such thing.

[Jorpho]

I've still yet to experience MANY PC games

Okay then. There are many PC games that did not come out recently. These older games should have substantially lower system requirements than newer games. Ergo, buy something cheap, and in the distant future hardware that will be adequate for games that came out in 2007 will be substantially more afordable. That's my philosophy.

I just spent $30 on a PNY PCI-e GeForce 7300, and I'm sure it shall be perfectly adequate for everything I intend to do with it (like play Prince of Persia: Sands of Time). To Hades with triple SLI!