ATi Radeon 8500LE?

[theshrubb]

Well, I hate to start a "which card" thread, but...

I'm in trouble. My GF2GTS burned out a bit unexpectedly, leaving me with no PC and about $200US to buy a new card. I'm looking to move away from NVIDIA so, I'm looking at an ATi Radeon 8500LE 128meg. I'm looking for intelligent opinions from people that own or have experience with this card. I'd also like to hear about any alternatives for under $200US. Some things I'd like to know.

1.) How will it perform with my current system (specs will be at bottom)?
2.) Are you happy with the performance/features of the card?
3.) Have you had any trouble with the card? Any overall trouble? Game/Application specific trouble?
4.) What version drivers would you reccomend and where did you get them?
5.) Does the card accelerate the WinXP interface such as the Detonator 4's do?
6.) Any specific comments/raves/rants about the card or the Radeon 8500 line in general?

Thanks! All of your help is GREATLY appreciated!!

Here's my specs:
WinXP Pro build 2600
AMD Athlon 1.4GHz@266FSB
Shuttle AK31 v2 Motherboard
512 megs PC2100 DDR RAM
40 gig WD ATA100/7200RPM
20 gig WD ATA66/5400RPM
Creative 12X PC-DVD
Sony 8x4x32 CD-RW
VisionTek GeForce2 GTS 64meg (*dead*)
SoundBlaster Live! Value
Creative Dxr3 Hardware MPEG2
Dual 3Com 3C905B-TX 10/100 NIC (For connection sharing)

 

[rbV5]

Be advised that the ATI 128MB 8500LE is a single head VGA card, not a dual head card with DVI support like the other 8500 Radeon's.

For a bit less money, I think the Retail 8500 64MB is a better deal. Better features, faster card, less money.