ATI 3870XT vs 8800GT Official review @ Legionhardware

Emlyn_Dewar · 14 Nov 2007 at 20:11

I dunno, it's at the right price to steal a few sales, that vr-zone review posted above doesn't look too shabby.
The 3850 looks a great card for the price, and from the credible reviews floating around at the moment the 3870 looks to be alright. It's not an 8800GT and I don't hold much hope for drivers unlocking much more potential, however, it's not rubbish.

TheRealDeal · 14 Nov 2007 at 20:12

Personally I would probably almost opt for the 3870 for a few reasons we have already mentioned - the noise level is great, the 8800GT is really just a loud and hence annoying card. Really who wants to bother messing around with aftermarket coolers and taking the risk of voiding the warranty? Stock also doesn’t seem to be an issue and price is pretty good. The inclusion of HDMI and UVD are nice so it could be retired to my HTPC when the true next generation cards come out and as someone who tests the Catalyst drivers monthly I’ve seen firsthand the improvements that happened on the high-end AMD offerings and I don’t doubt in no time this card will be screaming along.

Thats what the guy from tweaktown thinks he would take a 3870 over a gt.

gareth170 · 14 Nov 2007 at 20:13

jrodga2k5 said:
Yeah and I just need to tweak these 7.10 drivers so I can test it out again lol!

Loadsa what file is it im looking for cos there is a bunch of em!

CX_53101.ini i think

Raikiri · 14 Nov 2007 at 20:15

TheRealDeal said:
Really who wants to bother messing around with aftermarket coolers and taking the risk of voiding the warranty?

I do, it's fun

yeti said:
i have an x1950 pro with accelero S1 +120mm fan which produces less than 4db noise- that cooler fits on the 8800gt . Its a no brainer for me.

The only way a 120mm fan is producing less than 4db (you can't really measure that low) would be if it's not plugged in

yeti · 14 Nov 2007 at 20:15

the noise level is great, the 8800GT is really just a loud and hence annoying card.

i have an x1950 pro with accelero S1 +120mm fan which produces less than 4db noise- that cooler fits on the 8800gt . Its a no brainer for me.

jrodga2k5 · 14 Nov 2007 at 20:17

Raikiri said:
I do, it's fun

And anyways, how can they tell?

Iv had 3 card replaced after changing the coolers

TheRealDeal · 14 Nov 2007 at 20:18

You must do some nice handy work lol.

Raikiri · 14 Nov 2007 at 20:19

jrodga2k5 said:
And anyways, how can they tell?

Iv had 3 card replaced after changing the coolers

Indeed, just put the...3rd, no 4th different cooler on my old 7800gt :eek:

It's a water block this time though. It's really hard to kill your card anyway and like you say, they don't know any different.

gareth170 · 14 Nov 2007 at 20:20

jrodga2k5 said:
So its faster than the HD2900XT apparently! I need to get those 7.10's on to make sure! And direct x 10 performance is better too....hmmmm!

Drivers: Catalyst Beta (included with driver CD)

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1222/4/page_4_test_system_setup_and_3dmark05/index.html

they used same driver as u..

jrodga2k5 · 14 Nov 2007 at 20:20

TheRealDeal said:
You must do some nice handy work lol.

Just dont be too messy

gareth170 said:
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1222/4/page_4_test_system_setup_and_3dmark05/index.html

they used same driver as u..

this is all so confusing haha! VR Zone say it matches the XT without compromise with the new process! They were quite impressed with the build of the card more than anything!

http://www.vr-zone.com/articles/AMD_Radeon_HD3850_and_HD3870_-_AMD's_salvation?/5392-15.html

At the end of the day, the 55mms have proven to be quite a milestone for AMD. It's much cheaper to produce, power consumption is vastly improved over the R600s, performance is definitely not compromised at the same time. In the near future, we should be seeing more new variations of the HD 3000 series. There has been much speculation about dual PCB/core cards by AMD, as we've heard from theinquirer about the 3870 x2.

With the upcoming launch of the AMD 790FX for quad CrossFire capabilities, the Radeon HD3000 series might really be AMD's salvation!

yeti · 14 Nov 2007 at 20:23

The only way a 120mm fan is producing less than 4db (you can't really measure that low) would be if it's not plugged in

sorry i meant less than 5db

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FG-000-NC&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=4

the loudest thing in my case is the corsair 620w psu 120mm fan i'd like to change it for a quieter one but dont want to mess with the insides of a psu, im a silence freak

jrodga2k5 · 14 Nov 2007 at 20:25

I myte have to test out DirectX10 to see if it does indeed beat the 2900XT

knowledge123 · 14 Nov 2007 at 20:28

DX10 too!

jrodga2k5 · 14 Nov 2007 at 20:30

IL go try some Direct X 10 just now methinks

gareth170 · 14 Nov 2007 at 20:31

jrodga2k5 said:
I myte have to test out DirectX10 to see if it does indeed beat the 2900XT

yep.

but tbh some reviews try to make it look better than what it is..

LoadsaMoney · 14 Nov 2007 at 20:36

See how in that review, in some games now the GT is faster than the GTX with the 169.09's. :cool:

Oops my bad, its the .INF you need to mod.

gareth170 · 14 Nov 2007 at 20:43

the drivers on the cd are ATI 8.43 Driver is this true?

willhub · 14 Nov 2007 at 20:48

The final game of crysis looks well better, less jaggies, better colours, just better tbh.

gareth170 · 14 Nov 2007 at 20:55

knowledge123 said:
DX10 too!

but remember clock to clock. that why it looks faster.

tbh vr-zone review looks about right.

Bleek · 14 Nov 2007 at 21:11

Those reviews have answered my question, the 3870 does indeed out perform the 8800GTS 320MB and the figures look good - I think I'll be making the move to ATI/AMD.