Advice needed on next video card

I am looking at buying a 7600gt. The xfx model I was looking at has a 590hz core clock speed thats impressive. What are people purchasing these days? Can anyone suggest another brand name I might try?

 

eVGA is preferred by many. I'd try and avoid XFX cards.

 

This 7600gt is made for windows vista, right? Then last night I was talking with a guy who said that windows vista will only work with 64bit processors. True or false? Have you heard this?

 

Okay, here is how I can explain it. I don't know everything but the following I do know and if you need more information Microsoft has a page on getting your PC ready for being able to run this OS.

1. Vista will be a 64 bit operating system.

2. Thus, in order to run it you will need a CPU that can manage 64 bit processing. Like my AMD Athlon 64 3200+ cpu is 64 bit compliant. It can process both 32 bit OS's, like XP, and the new Vista that is 64 bit.

3. Now here is the issue. Vista will be DX10. Even the highest, most powerful end video cards right now such as ATI's x1900 series and Nvidia's 7900 series are still only DX9 compliant. You can't make them DX10 compliant. It all has to do with architecture.

4. This does not mean that you will not be able to run Vista. It means that you will not be able to utilize the DX10 features and from what I have read when gaming companies finally start using them it will be amazing. So, you will be able to run Vista but only in DX9 mode.

My suggestion is for you to save your money until Spring of 2007. See, AMD is releasing their new AM2 offerings this Month, also called Socket 940, BUT in 2007 they will be releasing AM3. Intel will be releasing their new Conroe core cpu this July. Let the dust settle for about 8 to 12 months and then jump in. Seriously, save your money and buy in 2007.

 

Good idea I went to microsoft/vista homepage then to hardware implementation and under the details part it states you will need a modern processor(didn't see anything that suggested it wasn't 32bit compatible). Then I followed their little sub page to intel where I dicovered my P4 540 ht/800mhz fsb 3.2 gig processor is approved for this applicaton.

 

i read somewhere on this site that the x1900 and the 7900 will be dx10 compliant as well. im not 100% sure but i remember reading it somewhere