What the upcoming release of the HD 4870 X2 will do to prices? I hope they don't do an NVidia and just price it as high as possible. What would be nice would be to have it in the $399 range and get the 4870/4850 dropped to the$ 249/$149 range.

Something needs to be done. The age of $500+ video cards must end. Soon! :)

Prelim pricing have the cards at $499, but as you know the market drives the price, so I wouldn't be suprised to see it around $550 or higher at launch, especially if it is a soft launch.  ATI has been good about hard launching it's products lately though, so maybe it will hold true to it's original pricing strategy.  I think another factor will be  actual performance levels in comparison with the GTX280 and it's pricing at that point in time.

Not only that, but they have to consider taking as much profit as possible. AMD is losing money and their stock is plumeting. They might not be able to pressure Nvidia by setting the 4870X2 at a low price because it could hurt themselves more than Nvidia. There are lots of things to consider when pricing a product.

RyuGTX:

Not only that, but they have to consider taking as much profit as possible. AMD is losing money and their stock is plumeting. They might not be able to pressure Nvidia by setting the 4870X2 at a low price because it could hurt themselves more than Nvidia. There are lots of things to consider when pricing a product.

 

Excellent points for sure. There is a fine line they have to walk between maxing profits and giving consumers the impression they are being milked for as much cash as possible. Set the price too high and you make more money but alieanate your customer base. Set it too low and the customers are happy but your bottom line looks like the GDP of a third world country.

The point about setting the price to high and alienating your customers is a very valid one. I was a staunch NVidia fan for a long time, but after being "forced" to buy one over priced card after another because they could get away with it because of lack of competition has fostered a dislike of NVidia with me. The first chance I got to jump ship I took it. NVidia won for a bit and got my money, but in the end they lost because I will likely never go back.I'm fairly certain I am not alone in this feeling.

nECrO1967:

RyuGTX:

Not only that, but they have to consider taking as much profit as possible. AMD is losing money and their stock is plumeting. They might not be able to pressure Nvidia by setting the 4870X2 at a low price because it could hurt themselves more than Nvidia. There are lots of things to consider when pricing a product.

 

 

Excellent points for sure. There is a fine line they have to walk between maxing profits and giving consumers the impression they are being milked for as much cash as possible. Set the price too high and you make more money but alieanate your customer base. Set it too low and the customers are happy but your bottom line looks like the GDP of a third world country.

 

The point about setting the price to high and alienating your customers is a very valid one. I was a staunch NVidia fan for a long time, but after being "forced" to buy one over priced card after another because they could get away with it because of lack of competition has fostered a dislike of NVidia with me. The first chance I got to jump ship I took it. NVidia won for a bit and got my money, but in the end they lost because I will likely never go back.I'm fairly certain I am not alone in this feeling.

 

Like everyone else I'm a consumer. But I don't care if Nvidia sets a price too high. There will always be buyers, even at the high price points. You yourself were an example of that. And there are people who will continue to buy it at high points; people who want SLI and even Quad SLI. But there are 2 great things: competition and product cycles. Both which will cause a fall in prices. So you end up hitting all points of different price segments throughout time. So you can end up with a high-end card that was priced out of your budget at one point in time, but is sooner or later affordable. But for those who can't wait, they either plunge for the higher-end cards or stick to their budget and get what is offerent in that price range.

Look at it this way. Nvidia (or AMD) is trying to sell your something; their video cards. Think of yourself as selling your money. If your needs aren't met or you aren't satisfied, then don't sell your money. It is like bargaining. You and Nvidia are equals, you both want something from each other. They aren't forcing you to buy a card and you can't force them to lower prices at your own will. Just think of it this way instead of being a buyer as in the sense of a buyer we feel like we are subject to the prices/power of the company.

Even before the 4850/4870 and the lack of competition. I originally had a 8800GTS 640MB. I was satisfied with it. Then the 8800GT came out for way less but offered better performance. Sure, I was mad. But I sold my GTS and picked up a GT and made $50. Since then, many cards have came out, but I don't feel the need to upgrade. I'm happy where I am right now. Sure, I would love to get a hold of the 4xxx series. Will I really get a benefit from it? Maybe not becuase I'm still going to enjoy playing games. A few extra frames and increased eye candy is nice. But for me personally, saving my money is more important to me right now than those few extra frames and a prettier picture.