And you time reinstalling systems is worth?
?
It takes 30 min to swap out CPU + Mobo. Then you use the new parts for another 12-15 months. You don't have 30 min to spare on your hobby on 1 weekend?
not to mention how the hell he is getting by with 150-200 a year. That, I don't believe....who would buy used hardware at essentially the same price as new hardware
See you are thinking about it wrong. For example, last couple months there have been deals on a $200-215 HD5870. Say you had a GTX275, you could have sold that card for $80-$100 to someone who wants to SLI perhaps and the total cash upgrade would have cost you about $115-120 only. In 8-10 months from now, you can then just resell this HD5870 for prob $130. Chances are there will be a card that's 50%+ faster for $280 by the end of this year. That's $150 right there. Next year, do the same thing. Most of the guys who run the best graphics cards on our forums resell older hardware to offset the costs. People who buy $400-500 cards and hold them for 4-5 years, now that's a strategy I don't agree with.
You think people are spending $500 on a GTX480 and then they spend
another $500 on a GTX580, and then another $500 on the GTX680, totalling $1500 in cash outlay? Maybe those who don't care about $$ at all do. Others probably sell the 480 for $400 8 months after release, just weeks before GTX580 lands (and use a spare card in the meantime). Then when the 580 comes out, it only costs $100-150 to upgrade to. Since the 580 is the fastest card, it will hold its value for a long time until something faster comes out (such as the 680 or the 7970). They'll dump the 580 before its value is eroded and step up to the next fastest card.