I stopped keeping track of ATi's x8x0 (something something)'s a long time ago....Not that they aren't fast, there are just too many and half aren't available.

LOL X800 TOO MUCH AM I RITE!!! LOLOLOL

Ok serious post ahead. I got a 6800GT but I hated paying the price for it. I wanted a nice ATi card. However at these prices, no thanks. The 12 pipeline X800pro should be no where near the $400 dollar mark. I looked at the 6800GT and the X800pro, and at that price point. You know where I went.

HAY ATI, CHANGE THE PRICE POINT AND MAKE IT WORTHWHILE!!!!!

please. I am done.

The X800XLs have been available in the UK for a couple of weeks now at £199, which works out at under $400

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/copy_of_X800_Series.html

These are Dual DVI and VIVO cards. Apparently the OCUK guys really beat on ATI for allocation and pricing - they couldn't get down to the $299 equivalent, but there is the Dual DVI and VIVO as a bonus.

Man, I am glad I didnt wait for the PCI-E bandwagon.

I was able to sell my 9800NP for $125 local, so I didnt pay any S&H.

Then, while looking for a video card, I was able to find two used cards for such good prices that I bought them both.

A BFG 6800GT and a BFG 6800NU for around $500 FOR THE PAIR.
Both have a lifetime warranty, which really makes me happy, after having a piece of cr*p eVga card die after 14 months.

I have been a ATI guy for a long time, but gotta go with whoever gives me the most for my money at a given time.

Well it has become pretty clear ATI was just blowing smoke with it's press releases to take the attention away from Nvidia during the holiday season, it's starting to seem more reasonable to expect the products eventual prices to be at least +$50 on top of what they specified at paper launch.

I'm trying to reserve my judgement, or rather hoping that once the cards have had a chance to saturate the market they will reach their suggested MSRP. It feels like we've been waiting a long time because most of us are impatient towards this type of thing, but it has only been 1 & ½ months since we were told they were coming which is not all that long from a business POV. So perhaps there is still hope... I hope.

Speaking of supply and demand.
If people are currently willing to shell out $400 for a 6800GT enough for them to be sold out, why should anyone believe that vendors won't just mark-up the price of a comparable card (X800XL) to the same price.
More often than not, consumers determine the price for a product.
So if you guys want the price to come down . . . just stop caring about the card so much.

These prices are insane...

Are some of us THAT poorly endowed that we have to spend $700 on a video card? I mean, I'm hung like a gerbil and I'm fine with my 5950 Ultra. But then again I do have a 500whp 4 cylinder VW, so I can't really speak.

Sad as it is, my paycheck could be described as "in the mid-$600s." :(

What the heck is going on here?

Usually if ATI and Nvidia claim $499 it can be found under that price. Now it's impossible to find it at the suggested and insane price of $499.

If I was to buy a graphics card I would certainly be looking at a Geforce 6600 GT. You could easily acquire one for $180 and it will have all the features. Including working video acceleration (unlike some Geforce 6800 owners).

Right now I don't see any reason why to upgrade from my Radeon 9500 Pro.

With all the talk about overpriced graphic cards and R520 as well as NV50 just around the corner, why upgrade now? It's not like anyone is having problems running Doom3 or HL2 on their PCs.

It's going to be a while before games start looking like the Unreal 3 engine.

Wow, youch. That's expensive. Major OEMs are probably sucking up a great deal of capacity, but I would expect them to focus mostly on very-high-end as well as low-end-to-midrange cards. If the X800 is showing up so far beyond MSRP, I really wonder where the supply is going...