Well I got enough money for my birthday (~210) for me to get my MP3 player (Archos 604 $130) and possibly a video card. I'm looking in the 100-130 range. Now this opens up a range of cards I could get. I'm looking at several cards.
1) 9600GT
2) 8800GS (to be renamed the 9600GSO)
3) 8800GTS 320
4) 3850/3870.
Out of the nVidia cards I am leaning towards the 8800GTS 320 since according to this uber-comparison, it wins in the games I play the most.
G80 VS G92: Med to high end GeForce GFX cards round-up! - Expreview.com (9)
But then there's the ol 3850/3870 cards. I don't know where they fit in to the whole equation.
Right now prices for the cards are
1) 9600GT $150
2) 8800GS $130
3) 8800GTS 320 $145 (retail) ~$100 (ebay)
4) 3850 $130
5) 3870 $165
Any thoughts/ideas?