Taking a look at the graphics card industry over the course of the last twelve months, we begin to see an issue developing for consumers who are looking to have the fastest graphics cards when the next-generation titles finally make it to market. Though somewhat premature, both NVIDIA and ATI have managed to educate the market on the benefits and power of DirectX9. Random leaked screenshots of titles like Half-Life 2 have shown that the latest iterations of pixel and vertex shaders are certainly raising the bar in terms of overall image quality and realism. Unfortunately, ongoing delays of these key driving titles have thrown consumers and the industry into a tailspin. With new technology always on the horizon, buying a graphics card has suddenly become a game of chance. At this time, buying the latest and greatest graphics card does not ensure that you"ll have the best gaming setup once Doom3 hits shelves. In addition, PCI-Express has been added as a wild card to the mix. With delays, new architectures, and new platforms hitting the market at the same time, there seems little users can do to make the "right" decision at the right time.