At £165 the 5830 is a decent card.
I think most of the hate stemmed from the perception that these pushed up the price of 5850s
I thought it was that it cost about the same as the 5850 (~£10 less or there about on release) yet was far slower (to the extent where it often struggled to beat the 4890 in many launch reviews).
if you can afford 165 for a 5830, I suggest you save up a bit more and get a 5850.
(using pencil)