Why do you keep insisting your gtx 460 runs everything maxed out? I had a gtx 460 1gb I just sold and it didn't max everything. Can you not understand while you may be just fine humming along at 30fps most of us aren't. I use a 120hz monitor and I like seeing 80fps minimum when possible. If I could buy a gtx 680 and get 10-15 more fps than the gtx 580 I'm using I'd buy it. Some people game with 3 or more monitors or on a ultra high resolution screen. There is a market and purpose for the high end cards or they wouldn't sell them.
a) we probably play different games. so your requirements are different than mine.
b) if you can justify 10-15 FPS for $100s of dollars....more power to you. To me it doesn't make a difference, but I'm also a casual gamer so....
c) 3 monitor set up is worthless TO ME (again opinion). I would rather have 1 big screen vs 3 little screens with bezels.
As long as we agree you get no/very little graphical quality increase.
There is plenty of room for image quality improvement from the settings that reviewers use, and it's not a small improvement either it's a huge improvement. When I spend "hundreds", I demand to have the best possible quality discernible to my eyes. Some will be satisfied with simple MSAA with no transparency, shimmering textures, and tearing frames, while some notice the difference and demand TRSSAA, high quality texture filtering, and 60 perfect full frames.
Your 460 might handle everything you throw at it the way you expect it to, not necessarily the way I expect it to.
To each their own, the market caters to everyone.
Look, I've seen 3 monitor and even 30" 2560xXXXX monitor set ups running SLI 580. Graphic quality difference is MINIMAL at best.
It's a simple fact that Gaming industry has not reached any major Graphical milestones since original Crysis. We are stuck....so yes, it doesn't make a difference/sense to ME to spend all that money for VERY little improvement.
Once the next milestone is here....I might think about it. Meanwhile, you guys go ahead and spend $500-1000 on GPU set ups.
PS. I would rather put an extra payment towards my mortgage....