I agree as well, i used an XT at school for a whole year, and bought myself an XTi in the summer, i find that the XTi can get less noisy shots at higher ISO's than the XT, which would have been a big help at a basket ball game i had to shoot with the XT. the newer screen that eliminates the monochrome screen on the XT is nice. sensor cleaning feature, greater FPS, its all pluses for me when it comes to the XTi, great camera, and im glad i bought it.
I found this little comparison over at the Canon Forums, thought id share...
read the whole thing here
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=247482
XTI---
1) New 10.1 effective Megapixel CMOS sensor (versus 8.0 on the Rebel XT)
>> so we've already determined it's not a big difference
2) New dust reduction system
>> sounds like a good thing to have, does dust affect the life of the camera or just the image quality? (ie. spots on the picture) And how would you clean the dust without this feature?
3) Large 2.5" LCD display (versus 1.8" on the XT)
>> this seems like a nice feature, being able to see things a little more clearly
No more LCD info display (the main LCD is used instead)
>> well this creates room for a bigger LCD, anyone who's experienced both types of info displays, does this make it easier to use?
4) 9-point autofocus system (versus 7-point)
>> this one I don't know anything about
can someone explain what exactly this means, and if 2 more points makes much of a difference?
5) Can now take more shots in a row in burst mode (27 vs 14 JPEG, 10 vs 6 RAW)
>> always been interested in having this feature on a camera, it nearly has double the amount of pictures in a row
6) New Picture Styles feature, first seen on the EOS-5D and 30D
>> I guess this makes it a little more user friendly for someone who doesn't know the best manual settings for landscape, portrait etc
7) Battery life is 10% lower than on the XT
>> I think I read this is due to the larger LCD, 10% doesn't sound like a lot but when actually using it do you notice it more? Also read the battery grip adds more battery life.
----------And a rebuttal------------
I have both the XT and XTi. Bottom line is the XTi is worth the extra money...
1) New 10.1 effective Megapixel CMOS sensor (versus 8.0 on the Rebel XT)
Not a big difference but if printing you gain about an 1 inch on an 8 inch print or so.
2) New dust reduction system
Works fine...doesnt hurt to have it. One less hassle to deal with.
3) Large 2.5" LCD display (versus 1.8" on the XT)
The number one reason to get the Xti... Super fast image review and camera settings much, much easier and fast to select. Also easier to read menu.
4) 9-point autofocus system (versus 7-point)
Number two reason to get the Xti...I shot sports with the Xti and not the XT so I cant compare...all I can say is when shooting sports with the Xti and 70-200 f2.8 IS lens, 99% of all images are in focus and scary sharp.
If shooting in low light the Xti would probably be a better than the XT....but my XT does an admiral job.
5) Can now take more shots in a row in burst mode (27 vs 14 JPEG, 10 vs 6 RAW)
Every little bit helps!
7) Battery life is 10% lower than on the XT
Its really not an issue. The Xtis LCD will suck the life out of the batteries fairly quickly...but I set mine to off and can shoot all day on one battery.