What is the best ATI card for around $200? Best Buy has an array of ATI cards around the $200 mark. There is the 9600SE, 9600XT and then I've also heard that the 9500 PRO is better then the 9600 and what about the 9700 PRO? Can someone please help me to sort out this mess? Thanks!!

Of the cards you have listed, the 9700 Pro would be the best. The 9600XT would be second best.

Where did you find 9700 Pro cards for $200? I can get them that cheap ....... but they are used.

Well, newegg had the ATI 9600 PRO All In Wonder up for sale for 209 bucks just a few days ago. I would choose that personally, but some might choose the 9600 XT, which runs just a bit better than the 9600 Pro.

If you want to spend 40 bucks more, you could go for the 9700 Pro at newegg. It will run you about 238 bucks, but remember, it is OEM.

If you're already going for a 9700Pro, go with a 9800 Non-Pro, instead, for the same, or less, money. I just bought this card and love it. Buy it off ebay and make sure it comes with Samsung memory, then flash it to Pro BIOS, and overclock the bejesus out of it. I've got mine running at 432/385 at the moment, but can go all the way to 465/400 for benchmarking without any voltmodding. Simply the best bang-for-the-buck card you can get at the moment.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ory=40158&rd=1

Or you could go for a 9600XT, 160.00 at www.Newegg.com
and run it at 525core/333mem, and in stock trim get 13,935 in 3DMark01SE

I would go for the 9600XT or a 9800 non-pro with good overclocking memory, as lAnonymousl said, and flash it, if you like using ebay.

Hey if you can get a 9800 and make it a fro that woould be your best bet.. OtherwiseI would say 9700 pro then 9600xt, then 9500 pro then 9600 pro..

my 9600 pro has served me awesome and kicked in 13500 in 3dmark01 and cheeper then the XT

i know this probly wont be the most "reliable" way to go (the reliabity of this mod is highly contested, but i personally have never heard of someone having probelms doing this), but for a good bang/buck payoff the powercolor 9800se can be had for around 175 or less its the one with the 256bit memory, and you can open up the 4 disabled pipelines and have a 9800np without any overclocking, and when you do OC you can tkae it up past 9800 pro speed, and even get close to OC'd 9800 scores- but i warn you STAY AWAY FROM SAPHIRE!! make sure it is the 256 bit version of this card, the 128 bit version is crap i've seen the OEM powercolor at directron and enet (here)

EDIT it seems enet is out of the powercolor, but the descrition of the saphire there says 256bit, i know that the first saphire release of the card was 256, but i also know that all new ones are 128, you might want to make sure its the 256 before you purchase- otherwise they have the best price i've seen on a 9500pro, and its the L shaped memory in the pic (that doesnt garauntee anyhting though)
-my .02