Best GFX for $250.00

[Timman_24]

i got my radeon 7950 brand new for ~$300 and its pretty much on par or slightly faster than your $280 gtx580.... all while using anywhere from 30-100 less watts of power.

dont get me wrong, i would much rather have say a gtx660 if it ever comes out but the 78XX/79XX series is better than all of nvidias last gen stuff.

Yeah, but can you still get the 7950 for 300? If not, then it is irrelevent what you got yours for. I see a few for 320 after a mail in rebate, but I wouldn't hassle with those. If you really want to stretch the dollar, you can sell the steam codes for the 3 games that are bundled with the card for around 30-40 dollars total to mitigate the cost. That 280 580 deal is a steal for the performance. I would get that any day over the other options listed in this thread.

I tend to lean to nvidia these days. I've owned tons of both brands and have had an easier time with nvidia. I like their driver package much more than catalyst.