ATI HD3850 512mb card avaliable now @ $209 in newegg.

Just noticed that newegg put up a 512mb HD3850. Plus 3 other 3850s are in stock, 5 8800GTs, 2 3870s @ $250.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] xpress+2.0

I know right? 512mb 3850 is probably the best budget card.

different companies sometimes have different prices.

Never heard of the company but a heck of a good price .... looks like I already lost $20.00 on mine .... but it's from a long established -- well known company ..... if that matters at all . By the time the warranties run out those cards they will be severly outdated and worth about zilch anyway . I have about 15-20 old video cards in my junk box that still work .... lifetime warranties .... but could'nt get a dollar for any of them ----- LOL

I was thinking of taking all those cards - controllers - sound cards - mother boards and memeory and epoxying them to a sheet of luan plywood and making a wall of them for my computer room . Then my wife asked who was going to keep the dust off them cause they would grab alot .... when I smiled at her .... she said screw you ... not me .... so I dropped the idea .

Visiontek used to make nVidia cards in the FX era, then went into receivership, and then started selling ATi cards.

It has a history of making great cards, but I think like Hercules that history was back when they could make their cards noticeably different than anyone else. Like Gainward those old 'specialty' card makers had trouble in the US market trying to make these special card yet competing against large price differences, and the increase in self-tweaked cards and tools like Rivatuner,ATiTool,etc.

I'm pretty sure the reference design for all 3850s have single slot coolers, but the manufacturers can put whatever cooler they wish on whatever card they wish.