The 9600GT isn't really the same as a 8800GT. Sure they perform closely with the 8800GT in some scenario's, there is a significant difference once you go up in resolution and/or are running a game that is shader heavy.
That said however, I do agree that the 9600GT is the best card for the guy given that his max res is 1280x1024 and he's only got a 300watt psu to work with. At the resolutions he's running, the difference between the 9600GT and 8800GT would be minimal.