How does this compare to the best on the market now?

not well.

This is the current baddy. Its about 17x faster than your current card.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

But in your case, if your looking for an upgrade a 4850 should suffice.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

The 4850 will probably be overkill also. A 4670 might be better, or waiting 2 weeks for a 4750 would make more sense.

$80 for a 8400gs is a total rip off. You can get it for $40 (new) at microcenter, or like $10 on ebay.

Depending on your power supply, look for upgrades such as:

4670 or 9600GT
8800/9800GT or 4830
9800GTX/GTS250 or 4850

lol
i know 80 is a ripoff, but the rig is old, as in PCI bus.

not pci express, or anything else.....

i am in the market to put together a new computer but haven't gotten that far yet.

just wondering how this old card rates when compared to the best.

i probably will not upgrade this card, i will more likely get a new setup altogether.

Smart decision, dont put any more money into this system. Just build a new one.

Cheers