- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
I'd have to say that at the current moment there is no need for anything beyond the first-gen PCI-e cards. A 6800 Ultra or X850XT PE still blows apart any game you throw at it, I throw settings to the max on every game and have never experienced below 70fps, even with AA/AF.
Besides, it has just been released, ie the price is still through the roof. Best to wait a bit until the price drops so it's almost half the price. If you want to upgrade your 6600GT [which if you do, I feel a need to exorcise you], it's best to wait until March to April of next year. By then, it'd be perfect time for an upgrade: all of the new cards from ATi and nVidia will be out, so you'll know exactly what you want [who knows, by then maybe you'll want something else, an R520 which is reportedly 25% better, the 7800GT, what have you].
Thing is, you have always been able to survive on high to near-high settings on games for at least 2 years. Even when the original XBox hit, it was still another year and a half before I had to upgrade.