List on a Giant Anthem X 29er is around $2,600. That gets you the Maestro suspension, Fox at both ends and a serviceable SLX drivetrain.
$2,800 gets you a
Transition Covert 29 3. That gets you a Kashima Float rear, a Fox 34 front and a solid, well-picked component mix for the money.
Or for a little less, they've got the
Bandit 29 3; still with a Kashima Float shock, a little shorter 32 fork. Plus you get a company that's big enough to offer value and still small enough to care about their customers
.