That is true. I wanted to wait too but my rig has been sitting for a couple of months waiting for this card. I ended up getting one when I was sleep walking...I couldn't control it...
(that is what I tell the wife anyway)
This will be my first ATI card so I can't recommend any supplier over the other. Right now, they are all the same card...VT, HIS, Sapphire, PC...they are just slapping their stickers on HS and selling them. It would come down to how well they support their card if you choose to get a reference design right now. There is a thread not too far down with a discussion about the different suppliers.
I am not sure about the noise levels on the aftermarkets. I am thinking about getting an aftermarket too but I am going to wait to see how ATI tackles the fan speeds. The HS on the 4870 has heatpipes...it looks like it has potential...often though looks don't mean squat so it could be absolute junk. Since I like the rear exhaust dual slot cooling, am going to replace their thermal paste with the stuff I put on my CPU and see how that goes over.
The best air cooling setup so far that I have seen has been the Accelero S1 rev2 and the Thermalright HR-3 that sailer mentioned. They are meant to be passive but if you slap a 120mm fan on there....YIPES! The only problem is that I imagine it would take up at least 3 slots with the fan on. I think the xigmatek battle axe takes up 4 slots.
The larger the fan though the quieter it should be. A good 120mm on low-med speed is almost silent and wouldn't sound like your case was going to fly away.