Ugh...again....9800 pro is better then 9700pro, but not by leaps and bounds. However, you can get it for less than that $50 diff. you were talking about. 5900 is the best "value" right now, buy I personally feel it is worth it to go for the 9800pro.
It all depends, how much are we talking, without knwing the real value, only the difference i would stick with a 9700 pro, wich is an excelent card, the best of the three in value/performance in my opinion....
u can see the BUCKCHART in Toms hardware, the 9700 is the only 200+ card that got a value/perf as big as the 50 dollars cards.
And best of all, when u crank up all the rings and bells it has the best value of ALL cards today.