I just want some quick feedback on which card would be better to get.  I have found both on ebay with buy now prices that I like.  they are both about the same price.

I don't game much but do from time to time.  The 9600 will give me core image but the 9200 has double the ram.

Please help me make this choice.  Its driving me crazy!@# 

It's up to you, if you don't play games then go with the 9600.

Honestly, it depends. What system will you use it for (the 9200 works better on the old PCI PowerMacs, but the 9600 does well in the B&W) and what will you use it for?

I ended up buying the 9600.  The 9200 I was considering was a flashed PC AGP version.  The 9600 that I bought is a genuine apple part.  Its going into my MDD Dual 867.

I get the point about them both being older cards but I am still using my MDD dual 867 and its all the power I need. I'm not one of those people that needs the latest and the greatest. My mac suits me in every way other than video. I'm still using the stock 32MB Nvidia Geforce 4 and it leaves a lot to be desired at 1680x1050 as it uses every bit of the vram to run that res in millions of colours..

I am also really looking forward to core image. The seller even claims the 9600 supports core animation!

Actually, I think you made the best choice. Not because of the flashed components (I've used several flashed cards with no problem at all) but because of the Core Animation. You're going to want that PM to run Leopard and Core is supposed to be a big thing.