Is the GTX 260 worth the money?

Newegg has the GTX 260 for as cheap as $169 and $149 after rebate.
So that's about $20 more than the cheapest 4870s. I would look at which GTX 260 and HD 4870 come with lifetime warranty and then I'd check the prices. You can find a cheap card with a 1 or 2 year warranty and save $20 or would rather spend the $20 for a lifetime warranty?

Well if you would go for the 260, why not just go for the 4890 for the same price?

The GTX 260 (216) and HD 4870 1GB trade blows, so look for whichever does best in your specific games/resolution. IMO you really can't go wrong with either if the price is right.

Where are you? Your prices seem high for the GTX 260, and low for the HD 4870 (is that the 512MB version?)

In the USA, It seems the HD 4870 1GB is a bit cheaper right now, but the GTX 260 has more bundled games and a better chance of a lifetime warranty without paying an additional premium. If games such as Farcry 2 + COD5 are worth the extra $20-30, then the GTX would be worth it. Otherwise hard to argue against the XFX HD 4870 1GB (mentioned above) while it's $147 no rebates (newegg).

Required PSU will depend on your system specs. An E8400 or Phenom II 720BE would need far less than a Core i7 or Phenom 9950 BE. Extra drives/fans use more 12V. In a not too loaded system, a quality 430W PSU with 30A 12V would easily handle these cards. A 500W with 34A would help in a more loaded system. To avoid the need for molex to PCI-e adapters, choose a PSU with 2 PCI-e power connectors:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817371007