also, the PI blacks were a better choice, for amd having the CLK4 timings is better then faster ram.
True, but I suggested that for overclocking headroom. I suppose if he doesn't plan to overclock then his choice is better. Also, the PI blacks come in 1066 as well, if he wants the best of both worlds.
An 8800gt/9800gt is not really that fast of a card anymore, compared to the gts/x 260/275 and 80/85. To the OP you should really get a 4870 512 which should get you a bit more for your money. Also dont get vista ultimate, its just a waste stick with premium.
Comparitively no, it's not a fast card anymore. However, it will play almost all games on high or maxed settings depending on your resolution and the rest of your specs. By most games I mean, BF2, CoD4/5, Bioshock, Fallout 3, Oblivion, Left 4 Dead, CSS, WoW, GRiD, CoH, Brothers in Arms, etc etc. It won't play Crysis on max but really, who actually plays Crysis?
Now, I can't be arsed to look up the price of the 9800GT, but I know 4850's are quite cheap now and offer a bit more performance than the 9800GT's...so I would recommend that instead. Or, like you said, a 4870 will offer a fair amount more performance.