Geforce GTS 450 appears on shelves

[SKYMTL]

Why not? If the performance and features are comparable, then you should.

That's my point.

The features aren't comparable on the cards people have been comparing this new card to. The GTX 260, GTS 250, 9800 GTX+, etc all have a lack of DX11 and OpenGL 4.1 while their efficiency is lower and they are a bit less compact in terms of size as well.

Here is my point in simple terms: a last generation product (MSRP or otherwise) cannot be compared on a level footing with a current generation product due to differences in features, etc. If you never intend on using the features then sure, the last generation will ALWAYS be a more sensible purchase right before the transition to the latest products due to sell-off prices. Then again, if companies nit-picked about the particulars like some people here, this market would have stagnated long ago.

Naturally, if the features are the same like they were with the long list of G80 derivatives then of course comparisons need to be made.

I think of it this way: the ultra high end is usually clear cut since it MUST act as a flagship by bringing advances in performance. More moderate price ranges on the other hand usually get a bit muddied when going from generation to generation. This is due to the natural pricing overlap in a crowded segment that always occurs during the transition between outgoing and incoming architectures.