XT is horrible value right now...if you are going to do that, get a 6600 GT. 9800 Pro is still a fair card that will run everything up to Half Life 2 without a problem. I don't think it will cut it for "The Lost Coast", and I fear its performance in upcomming games such as Quake 4 and S.T.A.L.K.E.R., which will be optimized for the next gen cards that are yet to be released.