Need advice on upstaging war w/ friend

I am currently searching for a new video card after finally setting some money aside and some birthday cash. A buddy of mine recently got a 5870 2gb card and consistently rubs it in my face since i have a 4870. I have been doing some extensive research on cards and just cant seem to find the best bang for my buck. I have only two requirements: it must be between $350-450 and be better than his 5870 (yes I know its silly). I do a lot of gaming at 1920x1080 and actually do need a video card. I am not getting one just for bragging rights....but the card needs to be noticebly better than a 5870. Ive been looking at the 6970, but it just seems overpriced when you look at benchmark and frame rates compared to the 5870. I currently play Bad Company 2. I am also considering crossfire or SLI (I have an 8x crossfire motherboard). I am open to Nvidia, ATI, and AMD. I have a power supply that is more than capable as well. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

anyone??