It's been more than two months since AMD launched the Radeon HD 5000 series, the world's first DirectX 11 cards manufactured in TSMC's troubled 40nm process.

Sadly, two months on, it's virtually impossible to get HD 5800 cards in most markets and the situation isn't much better when it comes to 5900 series products. AMD execs said the shortage should be resolved by the end of November, but it's obvious AMD is still struggling to meet demand.

A quick search on our price search engine reveals that you're much more likely to get struck by lighting than find an HD 5850 in European retail. Getting an HD 5870 is somewhat easier, as it's available in a couple of stores at €400+. The cheaper HD 5850 is a much better deal, as it should sell for around €200.

Oddly enough, getting a dual-GPU HD 5970 is a bit easier, but its still far from widely available. Prices range from €575 to over €640, not what we'd call cheap.

Fortunately, HD 5700 availability has greatly improved over the past several weeks. They are readily available in most major EU markets and the prices are very competitive. HD 5750 prices start at under €100 and this sounds like a great deal for casual gamers or consumers on a budget. An HD 5770 will cost you at least €121, but most sell for €130+.

We can only hope AMD manages to muster some stock over the next couple of weeks, but with Nvidia's Fermi nowhere in sight, there is no doubt demand for 5000 series products will remain strong over the next couple of months.