1) 80x80 is the industry standard for forums, currently CFC members are resizing them but they look "crappy", you notice a lot of them have a dark greasy haze.
2) It won't affect the site's performance as the current file size of 4k doesn't need to be changed, just the pixel dimensions.
3) There are several members using 80x80 avatars, but many of us don't want to disobey the rules.
4) People who don't like custom avatars have them turned off anyway so they won't notice any change.
My 4 cents:
1. 80^2 is way too big. even 50x50 is plenty for an avatar. The avartar is not an art gallery... it is to mark and personlize the poster. I even more streneously would like to see a reduction down from 65^2, or really even total elimination of direct user-uploaded avatars. I think the should be uploaded, and then approved and added to the standard list, and then a user could select them (but I realize it would take extra work, yadda yadda....).
2. As much as you want to show me an 80x80 avatar, I don't want to see it

. That increase would be more than 50% larger in size over the current 65x65

. BTW, I don't want to turn off all Avatars.
So the primary function of the Forum should be the guiding principle... is it to post avatars in all threads/posts, or is the function of a Forum to discuss things? Maybe TF can start a thread in Site Feedback called "Home of the 80x80 Avatar Thread", and people that want begger Avatars can post there with them.... where everyone else can peruse them at their convenience. As for the logic of "everyone else does it, so CFC should too".... hehe, that's just silly. Maybe they should actually use 100x100 avatars, or 30x30 Avatars. There is no "standard". Apolton requires 500 posts to get a custom Avatar. Are people advocating CFC increase from 300 to 500?
3. I assumed there was a cutoff (e.g., rejection of oversized Avatars) in the upload script, or something. If not, then the mods will doubtless nail the culprits. If you notice a henious rulebreaker, inform the poster (or a mod). Probably the poster didn't even realize it.
4. I don't like custom Avatars, but I don't turn them off. I use them like PaleHorse76 does... to quickly spot people, esp. in a long thread. I know people by their Avatar, when possible. Of course, it messes me up a bit when people keep switching, LOL. Esp. Swtich's pentagon thing, and AoA's disappearing Hannibal for some weird kid.
So I look at it as the glass is half full, not half empty. That is, people now can have custom avatars, and those Avatars are far larger than the 50x50 that would be very adequate.
Someone will always want more, which is human nature... but we already have more than enough.
