7970 prices, still a negative???

[Gikaseixas]

So, the 7970 launch price was one the hottest discussion around here and i would to like to know from those who purchased it, their opinion on the matter from a value standpoint given that they have first-hand experience with the new toy. Those that didn't buy one yet can also comment based on what they're reading in forums around the net and the latest overclocking reviews.

 

[Tempered81]

$550 for the 7970 MSRP is too high IMO, but it's sold out everywhere at $570-599+ so there's demand. The GTX580 had an absurd premium at $500, even when an overclocked unlocked HD6950 was nipping at a GTX580's heels for only $250.

$550 is too high, it has deterred me from purchasing a 7970, although I might still buy one in the near future. The cards are just too awesome to pass up.

 

[badb0y]

It's definitely worth it especially if you enjoy overclocking.

 

[boxleitnerb]

Too high. I expect significantly better Perf/$ from a shrink and this is not it. Tahiti is a performance GPU that has no competitor right now. Doesn't make the price right though from my point of view.

 

[Lonyo]

It's worth it relative to current cards from the competition which are currently on the market if you don't mind paying the premium for the fastest GPU.

It's not worth it from a value point of view, and while it shouldn't ever really be, it's less worth it than normal.

Equally, the GTX580 is also not worth $500, especially not now that the HD7970 is out, but at least there are rebates taking them down to ~$440 and up now.

 

[MrK6]

Those that think the $550 price point is too high, did you get in the game after 2007 or what? The 8800GT's were the first "bargain" chips to hit the market and we had a few good years of competition that kept prices lower, comparatively, than they'd ever been. Now that competition is being stifled by supply, we're back to the way things were. Personally, the $550 was worth it for the fun I've had. As badb0y said, if you're an overclocker, this card is even more awesome.

 

[FalseChristian]

Considering the 7970 costs the same as a GTX 580 I think ATI's pricing is fair for the fastest GPU in the solar system.

 

[-Slacker-]

Seems like a fair price to me, compared to the gtx580 at least.

 

[smackababy]

If they are sold out everywhere, I'd say the price is right.

 

[ensign_lee]

For evidence, they are sold out almost EVERYWHERE. Newegg cannot keep them in stock for longer than a few hours. If anything, AMD priced this too low for launch. Seems like they could have made MSRP $600, and they certainly didn't need to drop the FOB price for retailers.

 

[RavenSEAL]

Considering GTX580 was going for around $530~ at release and the 7970 gives 20-30% more performance, no one should be complaining about the price IMO.

 

[Joseph F]

Considering that it's the flagship model (so far) of the 7000 series, No, the price is not too high.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Considering that it's the flagship model (so far) of the 7000 series, No, the price is not too high.

Exactly

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

For me personally it's too high. For the majority of enthusiasts I'd say no since they are sold out basically. So I guess it's priced where it should be.

It does put an interesting spin on things if nvidia releases a gtx 680 and it's 30% faster than the 7970 and nvidia prices it at $500. That would mean that AMD would have to drop the 7970 to $350-$400 for it to sell. Not sure a $150-$200 price drop would sit well with the buyers that paid $550-$600 for the 7970.
Or does nvidia "go along" with AMD pricing and the 6XX series falls right in line with AMD. It will be interesting to see for sure. It seems very odd how nvidia and amd have been right in line with each other as far as performance/$ goes. I'm not saying its collusion but if it's not price collusion I'm not sure what it is honestly.

 

[blackened23]

For me personally it's too high. For the majority of enthusiasts I'd say no since they are sold out basically. So I guess it's priced where it should be.

It does put an interesting spin on things if nvidia releases a gtx 680 and it's 30% faster than the 7970 and nvidia prices it at $500. That would mean that AMD would have to drop the 7970 to $350-$400 for it to sell. Not sure a $150-$200 price drop would sit well with the buyers that paid $550-$600 for the 7970.
Or does nvidia "go along" with AMD pricing and the 6XX series falls right in line with AMD. It will be interesting to see for sure. It seems very odd how nvidia and amd have been right in line with each other as far as performance/$ goes. I'm not saying its collusion but if it's not price collusion I'm not sure what it is honestly.

Well, amd and nv were taken to court over price fixing a few years ago. So i'd tend to believe they're not wanting to enter a price war.

 

[Joseph F]

For me personally it's too high. For the majority of enthusiasts I'd say no since they are sold out basically. So I guess it's priced where it should be.

It does put an interesting spin on things if nvidia releases a gtx 680 and it's 30% faster than the 7970 and nvidia prices it at $500. That would mean that AMD would have to drop the 7970 to $350-$400 for it to sell. Not sure a $150-$200 price drop would sit well with the buyers that paid $550-$600 for the 7970.
Or does nvidia "go along" with AMD pricing and the 6XX series falls right in line with AMD. It will be interesting to see for sure. It seems very odd how nvidia and amd have been right in line with each other as far as performance/$ goes. I'm not saying its collusion but if it's not price collusion I'm not sure what it is honestly.

The price drop you described always happens. Remember in 2008 when the GTX 280 came out at $600 and a month later it was about $450 IIRC because of the Radeon 4870?

 

[JAG87]

The price drop you described always happens. Remember in 2008 when the GTX 280 came out at $600 and a month later it was about $450 IIRC because of the Radeon 4870?

Lol not really. $125 rebates were handed out in July 2008 for early GTX 280 adopters right after the 4870 came out because the GTX 280 was priced outrageously high at launch, when's the last time you remember that happening? That's right, never. If Kepler comes out in March/April and the 7970 gets dropped to $400, you just got shafted out of $150 and I guarantee you're not getting any rebate. If it comes out in February, early adopters might have grounds for complaint for the price being dropped that much so soon.

If you're coming from a very old card and the 7970 is a huge upgrade then you probably don't care, you're probably the type that keeps his hardware for 4+ years, so you'll amortize your expense anyways. But if you're just one generation behind want an actual value in your upgrade rather than wasting money, you're best advised to sit by the river side and wait. Unless you enjoy having the latest and greatest for only a couple of months... personally I usually aim for 18-24 months.

 

[railven]

It does put an interesting spin on things if nvidia releases a gtx 680 and it's 30% faster than the 7970 and nvidia prices it at $500. That would mean that AMD would have to drop the 7970 to $350-$400 for it to sell. Not sure a $150-$200 price drop would sit well with the buyers that paid $550-$600 for the 7970.

Does anyone ever use this as a proper argument against pricing? Suddenly we all forget how anything loses value the moment it faces competition?

If this price situation does happen, I doubt the early adopters would say "damn, wish I waited," they'd probably gloat "hey I had it 4 months ago, learn to finance better."

I remember these flawed counters during the HD format war. "LOL your BDP is now only worth $400, you paid $800, loser!" Then Toshiba pulled the cord and it was "LOL your HDP is free now with a big mac, you paid $300, loser!"

But, but but the price will never come down, next card will be $600, then $650, and in 2014, if we all survive, my HD 10K or GTX 9x0 will require a 10% down payment and a 4.5% 30 year fixed loan!

Remind me to care about the early adopters when I stop being jealous of their disposable income. (In a faint murmur, that use to be me...:'()

 

[superjim]

With the 7970s sold out I didn't realize there were that many people who can justify a $550+ video card. It's one component in a computer and for most people, it's the cheapest (integrated with the mobo), not the most expensive. You can get one hell of a 24" IPS monitor for $500+. Either everyone's in debt/scraping by, only the 1% are buying these or the census bureau is lying to me when they say I'm in the top 10% for income in the US (I drive a 14 year old truck, house is under the average price in my state, besides mortgage, no debt). Or wait, maybe I'm just a cheap@ss, that's probably it.

 

[thilanliyan]

Early adopters of a card with no competition are for sure going to pay a premium. That's how it goes. I hope no early adopters start complaining when the price drops on the 7970...that's how the tech industry moves (usually).

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

With the 7970s sold out I didn't realize there were that many people who can justify a $550+ video card. It's one component in a computer and for most people, it's the cheapest (integrated with the mobo), not the most expensive. You can get one hell of a 24" IPS monitor for $500+. Either everyone's in debt/scraping by, only the 1% are buying these or the census bureau is lying to me when they say I'm in the top 10% for income in the US (I drive a 14 year old truck, house is under the average price in my state, besides mortgage, no debt). Or wait, maybe I'm just a cheap@ss, that's probably it.

I think it's more a priority thing than a money thing. I'm pretty sure most people can come up with $550. Either payday, cash, or credit. It really comes down to your priorities. I just bought a $500 chainsaw. Could of bought a 7970 for a few more bucks. My chainsaw cuts trees and I heat my house for the winter. A 7970 plays pc games. Next I need a utility trailer. Probably will run $800 ish. That money could buy a 7970 and then some. Then again utility trailer can haul firewood, furniture, etc.. 7970 plays pc games. I could go on with a very long list but you should get the point.

 

[96Firebird]

Considering GTX580 was going for around $530~ at release and the 7970 gives 20-30% more performance, no one should be complaining about the price IMO.

I'll give you some time to realize the flaw in this logic...

 

[superjim]

I'll give you some time to realize the flaw in this logic...

It's the old perceived value marketing trick. Raise the price 100% then put the product on "sale" for 50% off!! OMG!! WOW, that's a bargain!!

I'm still trying to teach this concept to my wife....

 

[96Firebird]

With the 7970s sold out I didn't realize there were that many people who can justify a $550+ video card. It's one component in a computer and for most people, it's the cheapest (integrated with the mobo), not the most expensive. You can get one hell of a 24" IPS monitor for $500+. Either everyone's in debt/scraping by, only the 1% are buying these or the census bureau is lying to me when they say I'm in the top 10% for income in the US (I drive a 14 year old truck, house is under the average price in my state, besides mortgage, no debt). Or wait, maybe I'm just a cheap@ss, that's probably it.

It's the old perceived value marketing trick. Raise the price 100% then put the product on "sale" for 50% off!! OMG!! WOW, that's a bargain!!

I'm still trying to teach this concept to my wife....

I'm still trying to teach this concept to my wife....

to my wife....

wife

I think I found where your money goes...

 

[superjim]

I think I found where your money goes...

I knew someone would point that out and I should have mentioned 2 words: separate accounts