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Hey hawkeye, do not take the following personally. I am answering the question generically for anyone who may be reading and I am specifically speaking to people in the United States (in case Aussies are lurking). It is all about how much success you are currently having finding gold with a metal detector. If the amount of gold nuggets you have found so far with a metal detector is measured in ounces than the GPX 4800 is the better investment. The likelihood is you can pay for the difference in gold. If you do not have a proven history as a successful prospector than you simply may be spending extra money to not find gold. I figure the vast majority of nugget detectors in the US never pay for themselves ever. They get bought but never get used seriously enough to keep up with battery costs let alone paying for the detector. All you ever pay for in a detector is an edge in recovering targets. Usually that means that extra inch, or simply the ability to ignore rocks another detector beeps on. But the extra capability means nothing if not put to practical use in a good location. If you constantly hunt ground where bedrock is a foot or less the ATX is going to do a good job. If the gold in the location tends to be small, like a couple grams or less, the ATX is going to do a good job. The deeper the ground and the bigger the nuggets, the better the GPX looks by comparison. For me personally there is another factor. Pure ergonomics. When I go to Alaska this summer aiming to go detecting every day for 30 days for as many hours as I can each day, I would rather be handling the GPX from a physical aspect. The detector on arm is lighter, and I can change batteries or coils with no fuss, no muss. I have hundreds of coil options. For this reason only if both detectors had identical performance and an identical price I would be using the GPX. And for this reason only I am willing to pay more money for a GPX. If Garrett comes out with an ATX model that weighs around four pounds or less in a well balanced package that forgoes the special connectors on coils and headphones in lieu of standard connectors and a single drop in battery - and that has a good set of light weight coils - now I may very well put the GPX aside even if it might be the better unit for some gold in some conditions. For me the detector is a work tool and if it can measurably improve my working conditions and comfort than it may mean I hunt more and longer, and that may mean more gold. That is the detector I am waiting for, whether it be from Garrett, Minelab, or someone else Just my thoughts and applying my mental filters as regards detectors. You do have to think hard about and apply your own wants and needs. This may help - I am going to be testing a GPX against an ATX all day tomorrow! So I may have more to add to this discussion on Friday. In fact, you can count on it.