The 5900 is faster than the 9800 pro 256mb but the 9800 pro 256mb has better image quality than the 5900. The 9800 pro 256mb has a core clock of 380mhz and a memory clock of 700mhz so the 9800 pro 256 is faster than the 9900 pro. Unless they up the bandwidth in the 9900 pro, but basically someone will be paying $400 to 500 for a card that is not much better than the 9800 pro 256mb. If u want to read about a good comparison of the 5900 and 9800 pro 256, here http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=NDcy