Yeah cheers for the replies guys. I think I'll wait a month longer to see if it comes down in price or back into stock for that matter.
Do you think there will be anymore revisions of the 580 before the new generation of cards come out?
I waited 1 month for stock of the corsair 600T White to come back into stock only to find the 580 lightning has went out of stock which is why I was looking on further shores (what shores? Ill have a pint please!, sorry couldn't resist) to buy it.
Everywhere else seems to be charging over the odds for this card including, sorry OC, here too!
AS people told you, its basically not worth it, customs often open up things to check whats in them and whoever you buy from would want to include a receipt, and you want proof of purchase so you can deal with MSI. If the card failed MSI might not want to honour warranty as they'll know it was sold in the USA, which could mean huge shipping cost back to the states to RMA it.
Difference between 570 and 580gtx, in benchmarks, minor, in reality, un-noticeable. 30fps or 33fps, 60 or 66fps, you don't notice that kind of performance. Going from 15 to 30, or 30 to 60 you notice.
So basically, throw all your cash at the worst value card on the market, or buy a significantly better value 570gtx, or even keep moving down the performance range for increased value.
570gtx/6970 offer superb performance, and 580gtx's are simple NOT worth £100 more, let alone the cost of the Lightning edition.
Save your money, buy a fairly standard 570gtx with a decent cooler, or even go for something like 560ti sli.
If you make 200k a year, and don't care, buy 2x the best cards around, why not, if you want good value, go for a better value card.
Personally I'd say the 6950 was probably the best combination of top performance and best value around at the moment, though assuming you can't get ones that unlock anymore they aren't quite as good value. 570gtx is still a good card, at £225 they were significantly better value though. Maybe wait and find a good one day deal at various retailers, see if you can get a 570gtx for cheaper.
While paying £250-400 on a new card can be okay value, I'd only ever spend that much early on in the lifespan of a new generation. IE £400 for a top end card with 12-18months to go as fastest card, £400 for a card that is only the fastest for 1-3 months...... I wouldn't bother.
