I have a 256mb 9600 xt and :
it wont play quake 3, i tried it on medium setting at 800X600 and although frame rates are o.k (~30fps) the screen is sliced in the middle when turning.
Will play Farcry on Medium Settings, i get about 30fps on 1046X760 resolution (or whatever it is..)
will play Call of Duty on maximum setting with no hicups1000X700.
Command and Conquer Generals also works smoothly on medium setting at ~1000X700 resolution, i haven't tried high settings as i dont think it would run that well anyway.
NFS:U - smooth as silk on high setting 1000X700 resolution
It's a good card for the price, my previous card was a 9200 which was very crappy compared to the 9600XT.
my cpu is pretty average so maybe with a better cpu quake 3 and farcry would run better.