nVidia's history is replete with such examples...does the FX5800 ring any bells? I'm not singling out the 5870 vs the GTX280, but the companies approach as a whole. nVidia will do anything it takes to win, regardless of the sacrifices it makes. AMD's approach is more considered.

Why *shouldn't* i put down noise as a consideration? I leave my rig up 24/7 and sleep in the same room, i dont want a loud ass fan whirring away. My 4850's are almost silent. The last nVidia card i had sounded like a 747 at takeoff almost all the time, and could still barely maintain 50*c idle temps.