Assuming you don't upgrade mobos with each video card, which no one does, choosing Ati or Nvidia essentially means being stuck with one make or the other.
Until someone develops a Xfire/SLI certified mobo, which I don't see happening.
Ati did have a clear lead in price to performance with the 4870/4850, but that forced Nvidia to adjust their prices significantly on the GTX280/260 as well as their G92 based lineup. Good deals on 9800GTX and 9800GX2s to be had currently.
Either way, the consumer was the clear winner.
In some ways the GTX260 is still a better card than the HD4870, but it boils down to which applications (games) you're running as well as the price you're able to buy them at.
Just bought a 4870 for $225 after rebate even though I have a preference for Nvidia cards. This means in the future, I'll be buying a Xfire mobo and a second 4870 card.
Doing the "buy a cheap pre-configured CPU and then upgrade it" can be a decent strategy (still far easier than a complete build), but depending on your upgrade path, it can actually end up costing more over the long run unless you are strict about what you're planning on upgrading.
I've done this myself, but feel that a complete build allows for using better quality, hand picked components at roughly the same prices, maybe more, maybe less depending upon the deals you can pick up in sourcing parts.
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