SLI my old card, buy 2 new ATIs or 2 new NVIDIAs

Hello. So I have a 9800GT 1024mb card. I bought it in January, not knowing that it would be discontinued right around then (that particular card by PNY).

I was wondering, if I were to make a new gaming computer - on a budget - would it be smart to buy a new 9800GT 1024mb (~$140!?) or two ATI cards (HD 4850 or 4870?) or two new NVIDIA cards (probably quite expensive).

Obviously two new cards would give me much better performance than just getting another 9800GT 1024mb... However, does the increase in performance warrant 100 to 200 dollars more?

Also, do you think the GeForce 2xx GPUs will go down drastically in price when the 3xxs come out? Would they be comparable to ATI cards of similar specs?

based on http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] 404-7.html
I would think two ATI cards (HD 48xx) would be my best bang for my buck (because the GeForce GTX 285 is way more expensive than the HD 48xx CURRENTLY ... like I could buy two ATIs for the price of ONE NVIDIA???)

So let me organize what I've said:

1. Is buying another 9800GT fruitless?

2. Will GeForce GTX 285 cards go down drastically in price once the 3xx series comes out?

3. Does that even matter since ATI cards are way cheaper?

4. (a new question) If I were to stick to NVIDIA (that's all I've had, forever) - should I wait a little while for the GTX 285's price to drop or just get a second 9800GT?

The reason I ask this is because of the article I read on here where I read this:
"One more thing: SLI versus CrossFire. Oy. In certain games, ATI simply kicks butt. Its performance with one Radeon HD 4870 X2 simply walks Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 285, despite the fact that the two models we used are priced similarly. But add a second, and in some cases SLI gets close to doubling performance, while ATI not only fails to scale well, but outright loses its lead. Left 4 Dead, Grand Theft Auto, and Crysis are three examples. ATI still wins out in S.T.A.L.K.E.R., but SLI buys more performance for Nvidia. ATI simply dominates Far Cry 2, no matter which way you cut it. Even still, we'd like to see ATI match the scaling Nvidia is getting from SLI. At least then our point that gamers are better off with a second graphics card versus a pricey CPU would be easier to drive home."
http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] 03-11.html
(I am definitely considering the Intel i5 750 processor)

Thanks!

@ alfred6, what motherboard are you using?

SLi works just fine on my stock E8400 TVM, a Quad is not a necessity.

I don't think there is a difference, just most of the time people forget that the actual model name for an ATI card is HD4870 for example. I didn't google it, so I could be totally wrong on this, but I am pretty sure it is no matter.

You should start your own thread rather than just hijacking someone else's.

Nah, it's the opposite here mate and you get point's for starting a thread. yay!

Currently I'm using an EVGA 680i TR edition or something.. I'll definitely be getting a new 1156 socket board though if I get the new core i5 CPU.

Pretty much, my graphics is potentially my least lacking area of my current computer. I have a super slow processor (Core 2 2.13GHz.. running at 1.6GHz due to a power issue) and obviously old mobo and RAM accordingly. So in order to make the core i5 750 jump I realize I'll have to buy not only the CPU, but the new DDR3 RAM, a new 1156 board, a new PSU (mine is terrible since it doesn't support 8 pins for the CPU power - thus 1.6GHz on my 2.13GHz rated CPU..) and maybe even an aftermarket cooler.

This computer is from August 2007, so I can start to justify getting a new one right around now.. but the reason I am torn is because my graphics card is the newest part of the machine. However, it seems like a bad idea to allow graphics to become my weakest part (then again, I could always replace my graphics later, since the PCIe slot isn't changing nearly as fast as CPU sockets).

Thanks for the responses though. I'm interested in what you've got to add mousemonkey.

Sounds good. I'll keep a watch on good 9800GT deals. Unfortunately they seem to be priced almost the same as in January (140 now, 150 then.. but I got mine with a free COD5 game, so it was essentially $100 in my mind)

When you say really cheap, i'm assuming like less than 80 bucks. They may have an awesome deal like that in the next 2-3 months due to the time of the year and also how old the 9800GT is... and if they release newer cards.. hehe.