Video Card Recommendations Please

I'm looking into purchasing a new video card and thought I would post here for any suggestions. My current video card is a GeForce4 MX 440 128MB which I thought was a powerful card, but have recently come to find out (the hard way) that it's not. I bought a new game, Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, which (in small print) says right on the box my card is not compatible. I just never bothered to check the requirements or compatibility because my comp specs have always been good enough to handle all my games.

By the time I noticed the game wouldn't play with my video card, which was actually after I'd installed it and tried to play it, I had spent $40-$50 bucks on a game I can't play or return. This has prompted me to purchase an upgrade in my hardware... a video card. I want a powerful card that can give me some mind blowing graphics, and yes... I know it's not gonna be cheap. I've asked a few friends from work and hear they can range from $150-$400.

I can look on the internet for myself, yes, but I would like to find out any recommendations the Major Geeks can offer as guidelines for my purchase. All I'm looking for, basically, is a powerful video card that can "put out" so to speak. We all like stunning graphics, yes? Any help or suggestions the community can give me will be very much appreciated and will be considered expert opinion, of course! I can expect nothing less from the Geeks here.

 

right now a 9600xt is about 150$ which will give you the juice necessary to play sc pt...i would recommend holding on to your 3d card for a month n a half when the new cards come out and will lower the price of the 9800pro/xt to under 200

 

Sorry for my persistance, but I posted this just to bump this back up. I didn't exactly get all the recommendations I had hoped for. Like I mentioned before, any suggestions or recommendations are greatly appreciated. And thank you, Omegamerc, for replying and giving a well thought suggestion.

 

I love my Built by ATI Radeon 9600XT. It has handled everthing I have thrown at it. It comes stock at 500 MHZ core clock and 600 MHz memory clock. I have run mine at 590 MHz and 640 MHz respectively since day one. With a Arctic Cooling VGA Silencer (another $25.00 to $30.00 but well worth it).