Originally Posted by Templar87 
Yes, I'd avoid the mid-range cards like 8600gts as they are likely to perform around the same as an older 7800/7900 (or ATI 1900/1950)
WOAH! Don't tell him that an ATI 1950 is the same as a 8600 GTS, thats a lie!
Check this out
Tom's Hardware 2007 VGA Charts
I was hoping to buy a X1950 XT as you can see on the chart is great for the cost of it (around £110), but over the last week, everywhere is running out of stock of them, and withdrawing them (replacing them with DX10 cards, but you don't need DX10 yet, and not for a long time cause games will still have support for DX9, just prittier graphics with DX10 support)
So the X1950 Pro is a good choice, I'm considering this one for only £92
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=619503 cause it comes with a quiet 3rd party cooler installed.
But don't just take my word for it, spend 10 mins studying Tom's VGA chart.