A helathy does of competition in this market is going to drive the efficiency and performance up and at the same time keep the prices down to a reasonable degree. Now if only AMD would man up and make a core i7 killer then the pain will have been brought.
If nothing else, the RIAA has proven that the end of online anonymity is coming. Why is anyone surprised that this is happening? It's sketchy, and from what I understand barely legal, but it's gaining momentum.