Which Grafx Card Makes Sense?

I am a gamer that has stepped away for a few months but am thinking of buying a new card. Truth be told, I need to build a whole new rig, but I dont have time right now. So I thought that if I could have a new card for good $$$ then I may just upgrade my card and then rebuild the whole rig in 6 months - 1 year. Here is what I run right now:

AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4400+
DFI NF4 SLI-DR
OCZ PC4000 2x1GB
Asus 7800GTX


Ok, so I am thinking about just a grafx card upgrade if its worth the $$. I have always loved Nvidia, so I will probably stick with it unless there is a compelling reason not to. I was thinking about the differences/advantages of getting something like a 9800GTX+, GTX260, or GTX280. I see the GTX280 is like $400+, so that's out if it is that much. The GTX260 has more streams, but speeds are generally slower. So the 9800GTX+ has less streams, faster clocks, and lower price. So I guess if I were to say "For around $220 or less, is it worth it to buy a new card for my system and if so, which one?". It would be great to be able to use it and upgrade on my new rig when I build it within the next 6-12 months, but its not critical. If I spend $200 on a card now, I wont fee so bad about not using it in a new system if that's what it takes. In a new rig, I will have a lot of nice stuff, but for now I just need a boost in performance. My 7800GTX is OC'd and is just not enough for me anymore.

http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] ,2064.html
Check this article. The GTX260 and above is way overkill for the system you have now, these cards will not run anywhere near their potential with you current CPU. Really, anything over an 8800GTS (g92) your rig will definetly not be pushing them to the fullest.
However, if you wanted to carry over to new rig in a couple or 3 months, don't let the outdated CPU and system you have now affect your choice. If it will be 6 months to a year, forget about buying to carry over. That is too far out. There will be better/cheaper/faster by that time and the cards you are considering now will not be the same cards you will consider then.
Any of them will work fine, it's just up to you what you want to spend.
And, by the way, even an 8800GTS is TRIPLE the speed of the card you have now. The 7800 you have is indeed way, way outdated and sorely underpowered for todays games.

http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] ,2064.html (!!!)

That article is great, but doesnt exactly answer my question.

I was thinking either 9800GTX+ or GTX260. They are similar price if you get the higher 9800GTX+. I thought the 9800gtx+ because price was lower, but was not sure if it made sense since the 260 is only a little more. I noticed a 9800GTX+ with 756/2246 core/mem clocks and 128 streams for like $200 whereas the GTX260 with 192 streams and 576/2000 core/mem clocks is like $220. The next GTX260 has 216 streams, but is like $260.

Which is a better buy in this type of thing?

I would buy the gfx card you want now, then build your new system around it later on. As long as youre going to spend that much on the card I would buy either one of these.. I feel the same way you do about Nvidia cards, but if I was going to buy one right now, i would probably by the 4870 1GB.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814161245
4870 1GB

If you want to stick with Nvidia, I would get this one. Its already overclocked, but with the $40 discount(not rebate), its still the cheapest 216 core 260 at NewEgg right now.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130400

EDIT: Damn, you got to be quick on NewEgg. In the search list it shows the Nvidia card is available, but when you click the link I gave you only have the option to "Auto-Notify" not "Add to Cart". As I said before I would buy the ATI card if I was buying one today, and its been a long time since I have ever seriously considered doing that.

Ok, well I am still quite twisted. I would rather not spend $260 on a card that I may not use in the new system, BUT I dont want to spend $200 on something that isnt even close to as good.

I have an Antec P180, will either card fit? There is not much room around my 7800gtx as it is. I have cable going everywhere because of the size. Anyone know about the size?

For an `interim` upgrade the 9800 GT is fine, in fact it`ll give your gaming a new lease of life. You`ll be surprised, you really will.
GTX260 (216 core) is about even with the HD4870 1Gb, each wins in one game or the other but neither seems to be a `overall winner`. Flip a coin, either way, you`ll be the winner.

Be sure at least is the saphire brand coz the others have high temperatures or veryhigh noise when playing ...saphire is the only respectable brand that dont make so much noise ...i prefer nvidia new drivers gets ya better performance with time ... good luck ¡¡¡

Another thing I just noticed....the ATI 4870 uses GDDR5, but with 256bit memory access whereas the Nvidia gtx260 uses GDDR3 but has the 448bit memory access. What is the better route?