Graphics cards are a big deal with computer gamers and powerhouse PCs. With people who know the industry well, you can happily talk for hours about graphics cards due to the sheer number of different options available. The only problem is that the high-end cards - ideal for people trying to build a powerhouse - come with a price to match.
AMD are cutting their Radeon HD 7000 line-up"s prices, the company announced to Anandtech today. NVIDIA"s GTX 680 took the crown for performance, so AMD"s cards lost their money-generating ability quickly. The adjustment does not come as a surprise for this very reason.
The speed of AMD"s price reduction is quite remarkable though, since the GTX 680 is still very much in-demand and, in some locations, in low supply. AMD is still the only option for readily available high-end graphics cards, so it might make sense for the company to drop prices in preparation for the GTX 680 coming back in force.
AMD will be reducing the prices on three of the 7000 series cards: the 7970 (down from $549 to $479), the 7950 (down from $449 to $399), and the 7770 ($159 to $139). The 7770 was the lowest of the 7000 series cards, apart from the 7750. Cutting the price has another effect: it means people might go for the 7900 models instead of the 7800s. To sweeten the deal on two already-capable cards, AMD are offering a promotion they call "Three for Free".
As it is, most retailers are offering a promotion for the 7900s, with a free copy of DiRT 3 included. Now, three games come along: DiRT Showdown, Nexuiz, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution, complete with the Missing Link DLC. For anyone who remembers, Deus Ex was a major partner game for AMD when it was released in 2011. The other two games aren"t due out until next month, so it"s definitely worth keeping an eye out for the cards and holding out. You could probably even balance out some of the cost by selling the games, if they are not to your taste. I"d recommend keeping Deus Ex though. The games are given away as Steam keys, as usual.
AMD"s 7900 series is weaker than the GTX 680 on paper, but for the people who don"t really mind which card they"re going to be using, the AMD offerings could be that little bit more tempting due to their extra value. The 7770 was plagued at release with excessive pricing, but the reduction goes some way to balance that problem out. The 6850, which is faster, still costs around the same, but at least there"s a second 28nm option.