hardware decoding means watching movies in 1080p without a hitch, and since the 7600gt is not a bad card at all, then yes i would go for the 7600gt, i cant depend on game devs to include a sm2 codepath in every game, or that ati develops a special patch that enables sm2, but thats also why im getting a x1900gt :P ( dropped the 7900gt since its out of stock, and ati rules! )

dang there goes my jounin post