the core 216 is pretty much $300, thats a bit pushing it, the 4870 is about $240, not counting the mail in rebates
4870:
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100257L Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
Core 216:
Newegg.com - EVGA 896-P3-1267-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 Superclocked Edition 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
if its the exact same performance, wouldnt the 4870 just be better ? so basically the 4870 overally owns the GTX 260, 9800GX2, im not even going to mention the 4850
The gtx260 or 4870 are the only cards you should really be looking at if you plan on going 1680 or above in resolution. The gx2 is a POOR card. Trust me i had 2 of them, and now have 2 gtx260s and 2 4870s. The GTX260 is going to give you a better warranty (evga) and it seems like the new drivers (180+) are pulling a lot of extra performance out of the card.
Newegg.com - EVGA 896-P3-1260-AR GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
How about that for a good card. Newer than the GX2 and will kill crysis at 1680. Plus you get free far cry 2 and $40 mail in rebate
Looks like a great deal to me