Radeon 9100 is actually the same card as an 8500, but I'd probably take it over a ti 4200 if I planned to use AF at all. Also, remember that unless your motherboard supports AGP 8x, that feature is useless because you wont be able to take advantage of it(even if you do, I don't think it gave much of an increase). You have to keep in mind, if you buy computer equipment that is cheap, you'll just have to upgrade more and you might even spend more in the long run. I used to buy low end to save cash, but now I figure there is no point in doing so. If you're strapped for cash, you might not have a choice, but after taxes my card was about $293(that's CANADIAN prices a month ago), and with the conversion it's become a card worth $110 more. The before tax price of a 9500 non-pro is only about $240 CDN if you know where to look, which is about the same price as a Ti 4200 8x, and is a MUCH better card.
I've not been too impressed with nVIDIA's overpriced cards lately, especially after the GeForce FX fiasco. I used to want nVIDIA cards, but why would you pay more to get less? Grab a 9500 non-pro with the 9700 PCB and 128 MB RAM and do the conversion, you'll be glad you did.
