Prepare for the next generation of video cards. DirectX 10 is right around the corner with Vista and with it the graphics upgrade games have been waiting for. In fact, DirectX 10 might be the only compelling reason to upgrade to Vista. If the screen shots we’ve seen are any indication, graphics are going to get a whole lot better.

Of course with new software comes need for new hardware that supports it. The next generation cards are coming out. The Asus EN8800 GTX is a high end video card that supports DirectX 10 and DirectX 9. In fact DirectX 9 support is incredible. As many games will still use DirectX 9 in the foreseeable future a card like this might be worth it to kick up the graphics on today’s games and still be prepared for tomorrow’s games.

This card is HDCP Compliant which means it can play copy protected content. It has two DVI outputs for your dual monitor pleasure. In fact, the EN8800 boasts support for DUAL 2560X16000 resolution monitors. The EN8800 also has TV-Out and HDTV-Out.

The EN8800 Requires a PCI-Express slot.

The 8800 architecture is efficient but it’s still power hungry. The card comes with a specialty power connector which means you have to connect 2 6-pin connectors to feed this beast the power it craves. A PC with at least a 450-watt power supply is required to run this card.

Gamers will have to wait for games that support Pixel Shader 4.0 technology to really test this card out, but as mentioned above, current DirextX 9 games will fly with this card. In fact this is probably the fastest Nvidia-based card you can buy right now. Nvidia is closting the performance gap with ATI with ATI still maintaining just a small lead in the performance department.

Overall, the performance of this card is amazing. Be prepared to sell a kidney to get one thought. The predicted street price is someplace north of $600.