I have Photoshop CS2, which is a bit slow but generally does everything I want. I have recently tried the trial version of CS5, and while the main program itself seems fairly similar (although faster), the real difference I've noticed is with the newer version of Camera RAW.
CS2 has the old, clunky version (no Clarity/Vibrance settings, basic noise reduction, etc.). I can't afford to upgrade to CS5, but I understand that Elements comes with ACR as well, and that's a tenth of the price. I have tried free RAW editors such as RAWTherapee, but they aren't a patch on ACR in my opinion.
Can anyone tell me if Elements' (9) version of ACR is the same as CS5's, or similar? The main points I like in the the later version are the above mentioned settings and Adjustment Brushes.