[Grizzly]

Source was and is optimized for ATI/AMD. Ask Valve why they haven't fixed code for nVidia cards. They'll probably point the finger at nVidia instead.

Citation needed.

In short, no, there's no reason to avoid any particular brand of video card. As has been pointed out in this thread. And, as always, keep in mind that all hardware sucks and all software sucks. Accept it, and move on. Do not believe that your favourite vendor is without fault in all things.

THey did have this huge ATI logo in their graphics options for a while...

[Nuke]

I am saddened by intel's market growth, I also hope nV don't drop off too much, since competition is part of the reason the market has progressed as fast as it has :I

im not so much, a lot of that is basic computers for the dumb (you know the ones that use their computer as an overzealous web terminal), and buisness computers. neither of which usually need a good gpu. computers for the masses. even carmack is giving props to intel for making its integrated stuff suck less. this ensures that all computers have at least some 3d accel. should also point out that a lot of motherboards have this as standard, i think this computer has intel graphics, not that it every gets used with the 260 jacked in. most people buy the video card as an upgrade. i like to see mobos with an integrated nvidia if only to use it for physx, rather than not using it at all.

[Kosh]

It means the PC gaming market isn't expanding as fast as the glorified pocket calculator market

Where a lot of that came from was probably the apparent implosion of SiS.

I also hope nV don't drop off too much, since competition is part of the reason the market has progressed as fast as it has

Actually in the long term nVidia won't be competitive. The trend in the market appears to be shifting towards these new fangled CPU/GPU hybrids, which is what the AMD Fusion and Intel Larrabee are. Both of them had been tooling up for the last 5 years to do that, and we're now seeing the end results. nVidia has made no such preparations, and doesn't appear to have any plans for a competing product. 

[Bob-san]

It really depends on how well nVidia can stay atop Intel. The problem is graphics hardware isn't as protected as x86 processors.

[Mikes]

It means the PC gaming market isn't expanding as fast as the glorified pocket calculator market

Where a lot of that came from was probably the apparent implosion of SiS.

I also hope nV don't drop off too much, since competition is part of the reason the market has progressed as fast as it has

Actually in the long term nVidia won't be competitive. The trend in the market appears to be shifting towards these new fangled CPU/GPU hybrids, which is what the AMD Fusion and Intel Larrabee are. Both of them had been tooling up for the last 5 years to do that, and we're now seeing the end results. nVidia has made no such preparations, and doesn't appear to have any plans for a competing product. 

Nvidia s Tegra Chipset is huge in the Android Tablet and phone market (which currently grows insanely fast) tho with Ati and Intel nowhere to be seen.

Nvidia also pretty much owns the (gaming) laptop market right now. Although that may be coming to an end with AMD Fusion and the new Intel Chips. Even the current  Sandybridge i5 cpus are outright amazing and uncomfortably close to even Nvidias midrange mobile cards. Thats a rather huge change from the times where integrated Intel simply wasn t capable of 3d graphics at all. ;-)

[Ford Prefect]

I just built a new rig and I went with Nvidia cards (GTX 550s), but I'd be lying if I said my brand loyalty wasn't more superstition than anything else.