It is very not normal for you to have two dead 9600XT in a row. Have you thought about the reason? For example, crappy PSU, or OVERclocked? You can't blame ATI for such unusual experience, try to find out the cause.
I would recommend a 9800Pro as well. It is the best buy at this time. For only $200 you get only 5% less performance than the top card 9800XT at stock, and after overclocking it can easily surpass XT. Consider I got mine last spring for around $400, and there is still nothing I see as a true upgrade. Now everyone can grab is for only $200, and getting the similar benchmark scores. Lucky you.