Eh, you can get 5850 extremes for $160 or less if you hunt around a bit, and they will do 400Mhps at stock voltage. Since the demise of the Newegg 5830 for $109 deal, 5850s have been the new sweet spot IMO.
The 5850 and 5870 were always THE cards to get before supply dried up. Then everybody had to settle for 5830s.
Thanks, that makes sense, but was before my time. I've been picking up 5850s when I can for around $150, and I'll take that over a 5830 for $109. They are comparable in terms of $/Mh, but the 5850s are more efficient.