I think the ATI Radeon 8500 is a great card. We need competition.
I just worry about their drivers and game compatibility. I was thinking about getting a Radeon 8500 (probably OEM), but decided to go with GF3 Ti200 instead.
The money I saved getting the GF3 Ti200 will help me buy a Radeon R300 or GF4 or 5 next year. The new DOOM game is the reason for this, as I definitly want to get the fastest video card I can afford to buy just before the game is released.