Front diff failure/4.44 sanity check

[Ricter]

So after noticing the dreaded 'baseball card in the spokes' sound from my 92 AWD the other day I dropped it off at the local Subaru specialist for verification that the front diff was the culprit. Not surprisingly it is.

So now I'm looking at options and would like some feedback here. My transmission, minus some minor slippage when cold, is in good shape.

Should I just have the diff replaced and call it a day?

The tech at the shop mentioned upgrading to a diff/trans from late 90s model outback. After looking around here I'm guessing that would be what equates to the 4.44 swap. Am I correct in that assumption? If that's the case can someone tell me what all is involved in that swap so I can have a sanity check on what they tell me? Does that include the entire front trans/diff assembly and the rear diff? Just a portion of that, or all that plus something more?

Ideally I'd like to have manual swap done, but I simply don't have the funds for that at the moment. How much does a manual swap usually run in cost vs a 4.44 swap?

Thanks.