Hd5870 - $299

[gumballguy]

Was it ever substantiated that the 5000 series is truly a brand new architecture (and not a 4000 series with relatively fewer changes, ie dx11 reworking and a smaller node)? 'Brand new' is a subjective term, but you know what I mean.

I'm still of the mindset that it could be a very short cycle time to the 6000 series... and that the 6000's were what we were expecting performance wise.

At the end of the day, I wont jump straight on it. Truth be told I'll wait for sata3/usb3/cheaper ssds... because I have to use the same system for things other than games. I fear more that the first batch of motherboards with these features will have such things connected poorly such that they operate much slower than they should more than I worry about ATI's next gen.

Whatever video card is fastest when a motherboard with those features comes out, is what I will get.

On a side note.. I would have assumed in X2 setups (never owned one) that one card can practically shut off completely when not gaming. Given all the whinging about multi card setups and drivers, why not get a mobo with 2x16 slots and just crossfire? That way you can always sell the second vid card if it doesnt work out for you. Less board options / less power consumption at load?