😉 9700 is clearly better, kind of the diff between the Rad9700 and the Rad9500PRO is a bit like the diff between the Rad9000PRO and the Rad9000 (only you can't gain 256bit DDR by o/c'ing).
😀 It will be interesting when the cards are actually out, availability has gone up, prices down (from the SRP) and the drivers mature / are tweaked further. Until then I'd say it looks as though a Rad8500LE-128 is great value for money (while you can still get them), GF4TI own the middle sector and the Rad9700 series is the clear champion. It will be interesting to see how NV30 fits in to the picture and what models are relaeased at what price points, and of course Trident's XP4 too. DX9 is likely to be a bit pointless for at least another 12 months (and think about the cards we'll be seeing by then) so it will really come down to pure speed, features and 'eye candy'.