The GTX 280 and GTX 260 came out about a month ago now, and they were both nice pieces of hardware. Fast pieces of hardware? Certainly. However one thing both of these cards were not, was inexpensive.

ATI came out of the left side of the left field with a zippy HD 4850 and a thunderous HD 4870, which stacked up well to the GTX 260 and GTX 280 for much less. Prices of these cards did not necessarily reflect relative levels of gaming performance. Originally, the GTX 280 was $650, the GTX 260 was $450, while the HD 4850 was $200, and the HD 4870 $299.

NVIDIA just could not compete effectively at their initial prices for their products. So, while prices often dropped quickly for video cards, the price of the GTX 280 has taken a precipitous plunge. Bi-weekly price cuts have led today for the GTX 280 going for $450 on online retailers, and even less in some places, with the offer of a mail in rebate. The GTX 260 as fallen to two thirds of its original price, now going for $300. 

Perhaps fearing a customer backlash, or perhaps out of the kindness of their hearts (or maybe a mix of both) board partners EVGA, XFX, and BFG have all offered rebates and $120 cash back if you bought one a GTX 280 or GTX 260 recently.

Here are the links to further information: EVGA fans go here, XFX followers can go here, and BFG'ers check out this page.