mdm-adphWell, like imperialreign said, the 4870x2 came out right at $499. I remember that, too.

Just wondering if they'll keep to their word!

Some 4870x2's came out at $499, but depending on the week, sometimes none were under $500, I personally bought mine for $515, and it was the lowest I could find that week. If they keep it around $400 for top end single GPU cards they are doing fine, dual GPU cards, especially top of the line ones are always going to be 2x or even 2.5x the price of the single GPU version (2.5x maybe just because 1 slot, some people dont have room for a full size mobo and need 2 gpu's in one slot).

adrianxrun nvidia ....run for your life :)

a killer card :)

LOL I would never buy another ATI card as long as I live !

Nothing but trouble IMHO .

tricksonLOL I would never buy another ATI card as long as I live !

Nothing but trouble IMHO .

Ha! I'm just the opposite. To each their own, though I have no idea what your post has to do with the topic of this thread. ;)

BingeTerrible card, worse price. :toast:

tricksonLOL I would never buy another ATI card as long as I live !

Nothing but trouble IMHO .

Why would you say that?

inferKNOXi33.tinypic.com/6ofswk.jpg
Why would you say that?

because he is a fanboy(broblably):p

1Kurgan1Some 4870x2's came out at $499, but depending on the week, sometimes none were under $500, I personally bought mine for $515, and it was the lowest I could find that week. If they keep it around $400 for top end single GPU cards they are doing fine, dual GPU cards, especially top of the line ones are always going to be 2x or even 2.5x the price of the single GPU version (2.5x maybe just because 1 slot, some people dont have room for a full size mobo and need 2 gpu's in one slot).

I won't dispute that some 4870x2s were above the $500 mark - but those were retailer set prices . . . retailers were trying to cash-in with a little mark-up as well. Especially if the prices are changing week to week, that's at the retailer end, not the MSRP.

MSRP is simply that, a suggestion - a manufacturer can't force a retailer to sell their goods at, lower or above those prices. Granted, the retailer is already paying less than the MSRP for the goods, but if they want to mark the price up above the MSRP, the retailer takes that chance that they might not sell as many products as their competitor.

Regarding the US market - we're lucky to have newegg. They've become so friggin huge that they can usually sell goods below the MSRP, and it beats the pulp out of other online retailers.

AltecV1because he is a fanboy(broblably):p

No just my honest opinion is all . :D

AltecV1because he is a fanboy(broblably):p

Binge no doubt, but I don't think trickson.

inferKNOXBinge no doubt, but I don't think trickson.

thank you . No no fanboy here just some one that has been burned ( literally ) from ATI . I would love to have the DX11 card and all the goods ATI offer but man nothing but trouble IMHO .

imperialreignI won't dispute that some 4870x2s were above the $500 mark - but those were retailer set prices . . . retailers were trying to cash-in with a little mark-up as well. Especially if the prices are changing week to week, that's at the retailer end, not the MSRP.

MSRP is simply that, a suggestion - a manufacturer can't force a retailer to sell their goods at, lower or above those prices. Granted, the retailer is already paying less than the MSRP for the goods, but if they want to mark the price up above the MSRP, the retailer takes that chance that they might not sell as many products as their competitor.

Regarding the US market - we're lucky to have newegg. They've become so friggin huge that they can usually sell goods below the MSRP, and it beats the pulp out of other online retailers.

MSRP don't really matter to me, it's end cost out of my wallet. I bought my card in late October and they were released in Mid August, so it was a full 2 months after release and it was still over $500, and that was from ZZP, at that time I bought from there because even Newegg prices were higher than that.

Either way, to expect a dual GPU card with 2 of the best GPU's on the market to come in under $500, it just isnt going to happen. The 5870 is $360 and the 5850 is $260, this lies between those in performance, so we'll say $300 if this was a single GPU variant. That would mean retail should be around $600 - $650. And if a full clocked 5970 lands I would expect that to be $700 - $750.

I just assume when they said cards under $500, that they meant single GPU cards, to have top end come in dual GPU and be under $500 off the bat is impossible, they arent going to take a loss like that.

erockerHa! I'm just the opposite. To each their own, though I have no idea what your post has to do with the topic of this thread. ;)

Could be astroturfing. Usually when the posts seem completely out of left field, that's what it is.

SasquiThey've been killing NVidia on that front. A normal 5870 costs $400, where a 295 is $600. Performance difference is about 10% (if that).

Hopefully, the availability picks up!

Yup and I remember when the 8800GTX/8800 Ultra costed as much as the 295 does today.

What I want to see is some real I MEAN real cooling coming from ATI . There cards rock ! But when they over heat ( Like they always have done to me ) they tend to take a huge hit in performance .

tricksonLOL I would never buy another ATI card as long as I live !

Nothing but trouble IMHO .

tricksonthank you . No no fanboy here just some one that has been burned ( literally ) from ATI . I would love to have the DX11 card and all the goods ATI offer but man nothing but trouble IMHO .

tricksonWhat I want to see is some real I MEAN real cooling coming from ATI . There cards rock ! But when they over heat ( Like they always have done to me ) they tend to take a huge hit in performance .

It sucks being in the minortity with such things. I think we understand by now, ATi is nothing but trouble in your opinion. Thanks for sharing this very important information. I think you should just use Nvidia.

tricksonWhat I want to see is some real I MEAN real cooling coming from ATI . There cards rock ! But when they over heat ( Like they always have done to me ) they tend to take a huge hit in performance .

Never have had problems with ATI cards having heat troubles, nor have the gamers I play with and many are using the 4870X2. Perhaps you don't have proper airflow going through your case?

I am a bit surprised by the length of that thing. How long is it exactly?

Something that long may require a lot of users to upgrade their cases just to fit one or two.

~

~ 10" I don't need to upgrade, my case fits it just fine and its from 2001/2002.

eidairaman1~ 10" I don't need to upgrade, my case fits it just fine and its from 2001/2002.

isn't the length actually closer to 11"? i mean, the HD5870 is already 11" isn't it?

ya my bad, i was thinking the 5870. Probably around the same size.

inferKNOXi33.tinypic.com/6ofswk.jpg
Why would you say that?

Don't quote lump me with that other guy. I have valid reasons to say what I am saying. The card runs slower than 2x 5870s, and the price listed in the topic of this thread is atrocious for the perf.

This card is close to 13" long by the way.

what do you think, you have to remember, you are running the card off a Single PCI E Bus vs 2 cards in tandem, now if you want a major jump try 2 5970s.

BingeDon't quote lump me with that other guy. I have valid reasons to say what I am saying. The card runs slower than 2x 5870s, and the price listed in the topic of this thread is atrocious for the perf.

This card is close to 13" long by the way.

slower? comparatively? and by how much? were these preliminary benches done with "beta" drivers? what game or benchmark was used for testing?

I assume so, considering full driver support for these cards hasn't even been hinted at by ATI, yet - the cards aren't to market, either . . . whereas the 5870s are on the shelf, there's official drivers for them available . . .

If you ask me, I don't see how one could state the above reason as being "valid" as the card's performance has yet to be *officially* verified.

tricksonWhat I want to see is some real I MEAN real cooling coming from ATI . There cards rock ! But when they over heat ( Like they always have done to me ) they tend to take a huge hit in performance .

Now, I'll admit that ATI's earlier cards have run quite warm in the past . . . even compared to nVidia's most of the time . . . hell, the HD3870s were notorious for running right around 100C . . .

But, from my experience with two HD4870s, and two 4870x2s, they've run cool. I've yet to see any of these cards break 80C under full load . . . even idle stays right around 55C. They're some of the coolest running ATI cards I've ever owned . . .

And considering the new R800 GPUs are based off the RV700s . . . I'd expect the same level of thermal operation . . .

1Kurgan1MSRP don't really matter to me, it's end cost out of my wallet. I bought my card in late October and they were released in Mid August, so it was a full 2 months after release and it was still over $500, and that was from ZZP, at that time I bought from there because even Newegg prices were higher than that.

Either way, to expect a dual GPU card with 2 of the best GPU's on the market to come in under $500, it just isnt going to happen. The 5870 is $360 and the 5850 is $260, this lies between those in performance, so we'll say $300 if this was a single GPU variant. That would mean retail should be around $600 - $650. And if a full clocked 5970 lands I would expect that to be $700 - $750.

I just assume when they said cards under $500, that they meant single GPU cards, to have top end come in dual GPU and be under $500 off the bat is impossible, they arent going to take a loss like that.

I can see that point . . . all I'm trying to state is that we can't blame ATI if the cards are being sold over $500.

I'd bet damn good money that we'll see the same price tiering as when the 4870x2 was released. The x2s will enter at $499, and the rest of the series will be bumped down at least $30-$90 (depending on the model).

The way I figure, ATI know $500 is right about the most that the average general enthusiast is willing to spend on a GPU (meaning someone that wants upper-end but might not be fully up-and-up on the tech scene) . . . pricing in that bracket is golden for them, and they've proven this with the last two series (both the HD4000s and the HD3000s). nVidia love the $500+ bracket, and even when their upper-end cards are only ~15% faster, the average joe isn't going to be willing to dump another $150-$300 with a semi-marginal increase in performance (note: for all out there, I say semi-marginal as the performance gain varies between both cards and games . . . we all know that some games favor one hardware type over another). Along with the $500 arena, you get those that if they're looking at nVidia's upper-end GPUs - if you're going to spend $700+ for a card, you could throw in another $200-$300 and have two dual-GPU cards that can easily handle anything you throw at them . . .

The pricing game is a big deal when it comes to video hardware sales . . . and, sadly, the first to market with each new series gets to "name the game" so-to-speak.

imperialreignslower? comparatively? and by how much? were these preliminary benches done with "beta" drivers? what game or benchmark was used for testing?

I assume so, considering full driver support for these cards hasn't even been hinted at by ATI, yet - the cards aren't to market, either . . . whereas the 5870s are on the shelf, there's official drivers for them available . . .

If you ask me, I don't see how one could state the above reason as being "valid" as the card's performance has yet to be *officially* verified.

I'm guessing 13-25% below 5870s in crossfire only because of Wolf's tests in underclocking his 5870 down to the rated specs of the dual card. I am making an estimate and a statement based on opinion based on experience as well as some independant testing done by others. The 4870x2 performed about 10% less than 4870s in CF at the same OC. I have to admit that from what I've heard the 4870 drivers were more mature in their time than the 5870 drivers have been since release. If you want to assume that I made my judgement based off of ES cards, and pre-release drivers than you can pick up a pitchfork and torch with the rest of the fanboy hunters.

A small prayer for my life. Oh lord, protect me from the wrath of the ignorants who claim the worst of me.

Despite all the slander I still think this is going to do worse than 2x 5870s in CF, and I think the price mentioned by the OP is still ridiculous.

BingeDespite all the slander I still think this is going to do worse than 2x 5870s in CF, and I think the price mentioned by the OP is still ridiculous.

Everybody is entitled to their own opinion(s).

Lets stop there. :shadedshu

KantasticEverybody is entitled to their own opinion(s).

Lets stop there. :shadedshu

Thank you knight in shining armor! ;)