9800 selling, but why no significant ATI price drops?!

[aldente]

I was waiting for the 9800 to drop so I could scoop up a 9700NP at, or less than, $200. Now that the 9800s are out though, I see no real price drop in the ATI line! What gives?

 

[d00m]

I was also waiting for a price drop....

Maybe it will come in a week or so.

 

[Viper96720]

I think the prices dropped already. 9700Pro went from the $350 range to $299.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Originally posted by: aldente
I was waiting for the 9800 to drop so I could scoop up a 9700NP at, or less than, $200. Now that the 9800s are out though, I see no real price drop in the ATI line! What gives?

Unfortunately, the cost of the R300 chip and PCB will likely prevent the 9700NP from falling much, if at all, below the $200 price point.

The Radeon 9700Pro costs $300 retail at BestBuy and CircuitCity. I'd say that's a pretty good price. Hell, you can't find it much cheaper than that online.

 

[scrubman]

well for my $.02 i think that it will not go down much because of the other cards that will be released soon will need to have their place in the price line up and you cant have the 9700pro in their price range when it is superior in performance...

 

[eklass]

i decided that it was worth $27 not to wait (got the FIC 9700 NP from newegg for $227)

 

[boyRacer]

<--- didn't wait

 

[seawolf21]

I think the price did drop to $299.

 

[Hottie]

because there is no competition, when Nvidia's new product <cough> f....x....<cough> is widely available there maybe a chance.

 

[Lonyo]

If a $399 to $299 price change isn't a drop, then what the hell is?!

 

[CurtCold]

Originally posted by: Hottie
because there is no competition, when Nvidia's new product <cough> f....x....<cough> is widely available there maybe a chance.

Exactly, just like AMD and INTEL. When one outperforms the other, there are price drops. I still think for the price, and performance you can get out of the 9000's series radeons you can't go wrong.

Paid $167 for my 9500pro, and there is nothing wrong with that.

 

[chizow]

Its not about competition, its about costs. There's no reason for ATi to drop prices on their R300 cores, they each fill a market segment that doesn't compete with their own products. Once competing products are released in those segments, expect the older parts to disappear, not sell for a markdown. There might be a 3-week span or so where leftover inventory goes on clearance, but I don't expect a widespread firesale and continued production of the older R300's. Fab lines once producing R300 will shift to R350, and the new parts will fill in the vacuum left from R300's discontinuation.

ATi hasn't been maximizing their profits on their R300 core having to fill much 2 much lower market segments with an expensive .15 part with 110 million transistors. The 9500 and 9500pro have recently met supply bottlenecks b/c of this, as ATi shifts its focus to the 9600/pro in the $150-$200 mid-tier market. The 9800pro takes the high end at $400, the $9700pro fills in the $300, and the variants (TX, OEM pro, non-pro) fill in the $200-$300 range. Once the 9700 variants are exhausted, and 9800pro yields improve, you'll see the 9800 non-pro's fill in the market segment vacated by the 9700 variants. If you want the best bang for the buck right now, I'd go for the 9700 non-pro.

Chiz