I think nothing can touch the 5970s and that includes the futue 7xxx series. The 7xxx series will likely close to double performance per watt and performance per $ however the prices will be back to full retail.
I agree completely. I hated my 5970 at first but seeing the hash/watt performance nothing else comes close, for long-term mining these are hands down the best card. The fan was loud for the first month but after it burned in I lowered my fan speed 10% and it's not much louder than a table fan on high. I wish I had money today to buy some on Newegg with the $100 off promo, hopefully they extend it one more week and I can nab another one. The 7xxx series will be worth it in the long run if their hash/watt performance is close to the estimates so far. Looking forward to those cards
you can get similar perf/watt with normal cards by not over clocking them or undervolting and slightly underclocking (which is how the 5970 does its magic).