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Originally Posted by AAA

I think the only reason people will want the 470 or 480 is due to the increase in graphics memory and their faith in Nvidia's reputation to be for enthusiasts.

Prices won't drop very much if at all, they never do.

Hope to see if Nvidia really changed their game up on the way they build their GPUs.

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They haven't. The GTX480 still has a huge, expensive, hot monolithic core. The GTX470 is a GTX480 that didn't make the cut (nothing wrong with that).

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Originally Posted by Warsaw

They haven't.

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Buzzkill. Thanks for that ther info. +rep

e: can't

I think nVidia has hit the critical point for getting performance out of big GPU cores. The ATi solution is much smaller, and yet it produces the same performance. So with ATi, you get a better price to performance ratio with less heat and more scalability. I honestly can't see any reason to go with nVidia right now unless:

• You use Linux most of the time
  
• You want 3D
  
• You use CUDA for GPGPU functions

They are presently behind in the GPU race. They've finally brought the GTX480 to its imminent release, but they have done so right on the cusp of a refresh on the HD5000 line according to AMD's time table. When the HD6000 comes around, nVidia will still be arout six months behind at best, and a whole generation behind at worst. If they hadn't expanded into mobile components and GPGPU functions, they'd be in a bad way right about now.

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Originally Posted by Warsaw

• You use Linux most of the time
  
• You want 3D
  
• You use CUDA for GPGPU functions

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How bad/good are ATI's drivers for Linux atm? I heard they're improving, but to what level?

Also, How's stream going?

Not a clue. Last ATi card I used was the Radeon 7000, back when ATi was king of Linux drivers in the first place. As for Stream, well, CUDA has better results. They are equally fast, but CUDA provides the better picture.

Okay, if I want to watch a lot of movies, have great image quality, play games ranging from Halo to Crysis Warhead (and other future games), do a lot of productivity/web surfing, have great support/drivers/warranty (64-bit), should I go with XFX ATI HD5000 series (more specifically the 5800s)?

Yes. ATi will play Halo better than nVidia, and at the moment it's more powerful than anything nVidia has to offer as far as Crysis is concerned.

Thanks. Also, which ATI card has the best price/performance and also per watt ratio: HD5870, HD5850, HD5830, or HD5770?

Probably the 5850; it sips power and cranks frames.

I have the 5850, hell of a card, and its more powerful than the GTX 285.