Hi there
First of all some of you need to get a grip!! The fact is whether you like it or not both NVIDIA and ATI hold OcUK as their best bet for high-end sales this means they listen to myself closely as I am the PM within OcUK for graphics and make all the purchasing decisions. Plus I have in depth knowledge of hardware, especially graphics card afterall I used to be into the technology and overclocking big time some years back and the knowledge is never forgetton. Lets look back, I told you all the specifications of the R520 some months ago and was flamed and informed I was most probably incorrect yet as it turns out I was correct and within 50MHz to the actual clock speeds. How do I know such things is because both ATI and NVIDIA visit OcUK regular giving us information and gifts as they need their number ONE E-Tailor to be in the know of what is going on, hence why I have to sign several NDA's. However I do attempt to provide a service and information wherever possible to members on this forum. Now some people appreciate me giving information but as those in the know things change daily in this indsutry so specifications, availability and pricing can change on a daily basis. The ones who do have a moan are those who are either not in the know or are just been jealous, all I can say is get a grip, its computer hardware and there are far more important things in life...
Fact is if ATI had 1000's of X1800 XT's to go round then OcUK would be one of the cheapest in the UK on the X1800 XT's but the fact is ATI don't have the stock to go round and out of the incoming stock into the UK which will be a very small amount for November then we are certainly not going to give the stock away. If ATI get their act together and begin to ship 1000's then prices will drop, but at the moment ATI will not be shipping anywhere near those quantities until 2006 and Crossfire edition cards of R520 won't show until December.
Take a look at the facts:- 1. OcUK is the only stockist of HIS X1800 XL and with plenty in stock at a great low price on special offer this week.
2. We also have stock of both Sapphire and Connect3D X1800 XL in stock at competitive prices, no other Etailor can match our IN STOCK selection of X1800 XL!
3. OcUK will recieve more stock of X1800 XT than any other Etailor, we should also be first..... We would have been first on X1800 XL just the fact that our shipments got messed up badly and then got further held up in customs.
4. OcUK has given the best deals on NVIDIA cards, the BFG 7800 GT as low as £179+VAT and even now is £199+VAT for what is considered the best 7800 GT on the market with its lifetime warranty and higher than standard clock speeds. Were also competitive on all the other cards and were first and have always had good stock levels on the models.
5. OcUK was the only UK Etailor with stock of 7800 GTX on launch day from 4 different leading brands (BFG, Gigabyte, Leadtek & XFX) and have never been out of stock since launch day on product. Only one other competitor managed to have 1 brand in stock on day of launch, thats OcUK been the best again.
6. Sapphire GTO2's are only available from OcUK now I believe as we have had over 90% of the UK stock allocation and we were also first by nearly 2 weeks!!
Now regarding ATI and Crossfire solutions. OcUK does have the DFI Crossfire boards in stock, not sure if we are first or not but DFI seem to think that we are as Jeff Chen who is the MD of Europe direct shipped the stock to us and gave us most of it, maybe others have had small amounts but who knows. Regarding Sapphire Crossfire we could have had stock sooner but they aint exactly hugely popular so we turned down Sapphire and told them to ship stock via the usual methods as there was no rush, if they had been more sucessful we would have been first.
The fact is that this time round NVIDIA have completely destroyed ATI as SLi is so much better established and you don't need a master card for it to work. Plus the 7800 series is the far better buy and was available on June 22nd, ATI are still struggling and were now approaching November. On November 7th OcUK will be launch partner with NVIDIA on the new faster clocked 512MB 7800 GTX which will furth establish NVIDIA as performance leader and OcUK will have priority allocation on 512MB cards which could also mean we have exclusivity and unlike ATI NVIDIA will be shipping plenty of stock throughout November. So basically what is the point of ATI's X1800 XT, NVIDIA will have a better product with availability sooner and no doubt for less money too.
I keep screaming at ATI to get a move on as NVIDIA are kicking their asses and am doing my best to help/advice them and though ATI do listen NVIDIA listen better and are quicker to act. Its in the best interest for me and OcUK to sell both brands as were not biased towards either company but my honest opionion is that NVIDIA is the better buy, especially on the 7800 GT's. I am pushing ATI for a $50 price drop on the X1800 XL which will hopefully happen to make it more competitive against the 7800 GT and screaming for ATI to get more allocation and to get it here sooner on X1800 XT.
I can stop making post about what is going on in the industry and some will be accurate and some will not, though that highly depends on the time viewed. A statement made by me two weeks could be completely the opposite today and anyone with common sense would realise that in this market place a lot can happen/change in the space of 24 hours. If people can't accept this then I will just stop posting as it makes no difference to me and will give me more time to get on with my work. Its your loss and not mine.
