It's not like $1,000 cards are anything new. All of the dual-core GPU's and special edition cards have been up there or even higher. That's the standard price for all Nvidia and AMD enthusiast cards. The GTX X80 and HD X970 cards are starting to edge into the enthusiast realm, while the GTX X70 and HD X950 series are becoming the standard high performance cards.

That's why their prices are shooting up to match. Intel and Nvidia are going to obviously keep taking advantage of AMD's limitless failure to compete. If you can't see the value in enthusiast cards though (including their resell value), then sucks to be you. I'll be able to sell both my Titans in a couple of years for $800 and spend a couple hundred more to get the next latest-and-greatest enthusiast cards. Rinse and repeat for 6-8 years.