Well, it depends on what you are playing. The 4200 is a dx8.1 while the 9600 is dx9.0, so the 9600 will play the newest games with all the bells and whistles. For DX8.1 games, the 9600 is a little faster in some games and slower in others, like Q3 Arena. If you can get the 9600, go for it. The ability to play DX9.0 games of the future are well worth any price increase. The 4200 will be obsolete any day now, as all the new games are DX9.0 now.