reddozen :
only problem with that idea is that;
2900 = $400~$500
2600 X2 = $250~$270
I'm sure with an X2 i'll be able to play damn near anything I want with very few exceptions or problems. Not to mention that I honestly don't see the point to blowing $400+ on a video card that will be obsolete in 6 months and 25%~50% less cost. I'm more than happy to bide my time and wait for a price drop on any and everything. I'm not trying to divert from the fact that the 2900 is a better card, it's just the fact that not everyone is willing to pay so much for a video card.
here is my problem with your logic:
higher-end card on release = $400-$500 bucks.
after 6 months, the card is hardly obsolete in the sense of functionality or market demand... and THAT determines when the price drops just as much as a newer model release does. Take the 8800gts right now: Released almost a YEAR ago and it is still only ~50 bucks under your magic $400 mark. It is also hardly experiencing functional obsolescence...
Take my current 1900xt512 that was $500 right when it came out. (which is when I bought it) My logic has always been to buy the most you can afford at the time, always reading reviews and watching the tech directions... So at the moment I was upgrading the 1900s came out and I jumped. I gamed for 6 months and still saw no drop in price. (I always look back on what I bought to modify my thinking for the next upgrade)
I am (obviously) still gaming on this card very well w/o being forced to make any sacrifice in quality. I have not seen a game force me to lower settings... yet... (crysis may do that, or UT3... but we will see) It is now well over 1.5 years old and still very viable. If I had waited until the price came down I would have saved (maybe) $100 but been gaming on my finally overtaxed 9700pro that was over 3 years old. (which I also bought at $400 I believe)
Now, my 9700pro is still living in a secondary system... but was my primary gamer for over 3 years and rocked it. I expect to at least get 2 years out of this 1900 if not more. (can't expect it to last like the workhorse 9700 but it is possible) So basically over 5 years I have bought 2 cards and been gaming at or near the top-end for all that time.
Every friend I had that bought the 9600/FX5700 mainstream cards after I got my 9700 were replacing them with an x700 or 6600 (or a now cheaper 9800) as soon as they were released. My 9700 (oc'd by then) was still viable but showing its age by the time of the 1000/7000 generation so I went to the 1900. They then jumped to a 7600 (or a now cheaper 6800/x850) and/or then jumped to an 8600.
figure that out, even setting the baseline price for those cards at $220 (generous IMO) you have 4 different card purchases for ~880 bucks. In that same time mine was 2 purchases at $900. For my extra 20 I only turned down my settings towards the end to the life of my 9700, which brought me to the level my friends were gaming at. (about 6 months) For the rest of that 5 or so years I was (and still am) gaming at the top-end of visual quality. If you upgrade less, then you are REALLY scraping the bottom of the visual barrel, like some that are still using a 6600 on games like Oblivion.
What I am saying is that you end up spending the same but getting a better gaming experience by getting a high-end card when you upgrade. They last longer so you upgrade less (as long as you didn't buy the high-end FX5800
)
Of course, if you just plain don't have the scratch... then my argument is moot and you have to do what you gotta do...
...rock on man.