Very nice review the card seems pretty good for the money. I have every faith that once Nvidia announces/releases rival cards AMD are in the position to lower these prices in accordance to current gen prices, so overall it doesn't seem too pricey although I can't blame AMD for taking advantage of early adopters while waiting for an Nvidia rival to hit..

I gotta admit I wasn't expecting the 7870 to be that powerful. I know typically the new mid-range card replaces the previous high end card, but normally it's a like for like swap. I was surprised when most tests put the 7870 between 14 and 20% faster than the 6970. That was a pleasant surprise.. I may have to do a little saving and get one of these though I am still cautious of what Nvidia are planning. I really don't wanna jump in and get a new HD 7series card only for Nvidia to release new cards that on all levels just destroy it. I guess as hard as it will be to wait I'll have to be patient..

kinda sad performance relative to the gtx580.

new gen should succeed it by a healthy margin.