AMD and NVIDIA
The two GPU vendors themselves were pretty measured in their responses, but the competitive sub-plot is still apparent in their words.
"NVIDIA wanted to ensure that customers made the best decision available to them when purchasing a graphics card at the £200 price point - we felt it was important for them to read reviews, such as the one on HEXUS, on launch day comparing us with our competitors and then be able to buy cards immediately," said Ben Berraondo, UK PR manager for NVIDIA.
"Thanks to the hard work of our partners and the excellent distributors and retailers in the UK the NVIDIA GeForce GTX275 is available today at a fantastic price."
Meanwhile Andrew Buxton, European director for the component channel at AMD, was quick to point out the free availability of the 4890.
"At the time of launch earlier this morning, we were delighted to have over 3,000 HD 4890 units available on shelf, available for purchase across the UK, giving consumers immediate access to the best graphics performance at a sub-£200 price-point," said Buxton.
"We've seen a fantastic response to this launch from end-users, as well as our AIB and etailer partners, and moving forward will continue with our commitment to offer the best performance at every price while maintaining technology leadership to meet evolving performance and enthusiast graphics market needs."
It must be noted, however, that HEXUS was unable to find any 4890s for under £200 in its launch day pricing comparison.