8800GTX vs 3870x2

muon · 29 Jan 2008 at 17:54

Not if you believe the absurd HardOCP review where the they made a comment that every other review site uses canned benchmarks.

Why people still take that site seriously i dont know.

hers one of the most respected non-english review sites, and as you can see it would not be worth the hit selling the 8800gtx and purchasing the 3870x2. Even if you increase the resolution and add AA/AF.

http://www.computerbase.de/artikel/...on_hd_3870_x2/24/#abschnitt_performancerating

mightynimrod · 29 Jan 2008 at 17:58

Cheers for the replies fellas, looks like i'll keep my GTX then.

Just out of interest, what clocking utils are you lot using to clock the gfx cards??

Having laptops for the past 2 years has taken it's toll on me overclocking-wise.

I used to use coolbits on all NV cards i had and ATi tool on ATi cards.

MeatLoaf · 29 Jan 2008 at 18:00

Im using ntune on my new 8800GTX, got it to 650/2000/1523 so far

psychas · 29 Jan 2008 at 18:05

if it was 240£ would be great but now does not worth it

Elrein · 29 Jan 2008 at 18:05

IMO ATi are gunna struggle from here on in unless they bring out a new core, there latest one beats the ultra by a small margin and its using 2 GPU's :O

nVidia is gunna spank this ones ass all the way home when they release the next line...........

Shame really i want to go back to ATi but @ the moment there is no reason whatsoever, the x800xt was the last ATi i had and from there on in is been a downhill slide

caithomas44 · 29 Jan 2008 at 18:15

stick with the nvidia until the new 9800gtx comes out in a few months time, as normal ATI have brought out a card that is only marginally better. As such, as soon as nvidia release their new cards, ATI will get a kick in the pants, really no point in getting a 3870x2 unless you play at 1080p and wish to loose lots of money (because you will want a 9000 series nvidia, you know you will)

marscay · 29 Jan 2008 at 18:19

Jihad said:
Unless you wanna just get a new toy for benchmark "fun" then no it's probably not worth it.

My 8800GT plays everything I throw at it fine at 1920x1080 including Crysis on High, I'm guessing it's only worth getting an X2 over a GTX at a high res like 2560x1600 where singles start to chug.

i ditched my GTX for 2 3870's ages ago, i'm @ 1920x1200.

extremely glad i did coz the ATI's thump the GTX in everything and cost me about £20 all up for the exchange.

you're definition of fine varies from mine, Crysis COD4 Bioshock ...i can go on and on ...they all PLAY far smoother than the GTX did.

i haven't kept up with x2 news as i'm not bothered.....aren't they keeping up with 2 3870's yet?

Fire Wizard · 29 Jan 2008 at 18:22

Hello Elrein and caithomas44, I wouldn't entirely agree with the both of you.

The ATI 3870X2 is better than the Nvidia 8800 Ultra and is certainly worth purchasing especially when you take into account the price that it is currently selling at. I do believe that Gerard bought one at a very reasonable price.

Now, when Nvidia release their new graphics card, it will most probably beat the ATI 3870 X2. However, it will most likely be quite a bit more expensive than the ATI 3870 X2 too.

MoRT489 · 29 Jan 2008 at 18:26

Hi marscay, any complaints/incompatibilities with 3870 xfire? would be using it at 22" and cant decide whether to get one 8800GTS or 2 3870s tbh :confused:

caithomas44 · 29 Jan 2008 at 18:36

Fire Wizard said:
Hello Elrein and caithomas44, I wouldn't entirely agree with the both of you. The ATI 3870X2 is better than the Nvidia 8800 Ultra and is certainly worth purchasing especially when you take into account the price that it is currently selling at. I do believe that Gerard bought one at a very reasonable price.

Now, when Nvidia release their new graphics card, it will most probably beat the ATI 3870 X2. However, it will most likely be quite a bit more expensive than the ATI 3870 X2 too.

it doesnt thump the ultra really, 2 or 3 fps in most reviews :S you can do that by overclocking, any new nvidia will slaughter it unfortunatley (for those ati fans).

If you are building a new rig "now" then a 3870x2 is a good choice, though if you already have an ultra or GTX and are contemplating a change, then wait because in 2 months time the 3870x2 will be what the ati 1950xt was to the nvidia 8800 series

muon · 29 Jan 2008 at 18:37

Elrein said:
IMO ATi are gunna struggle from here on in unless they bring out a new core, there latest one beats the ultra by a small margin and its using 2 GPU's :O

nVidia is gunna spank this ones ass all the way home when they release the next line...........

But this was never supposed to be new architecture. Nvidia's 9800gx2 which is supposed to 2 x 8800GT in SLI (???) wont beat the 8800ultra as convincingly as you think if you go by the 8800gt SLI benchmarks.

muon · 29 Jan 2008 at 18:39

caithomas44 said:
If you are building a new rig "now" then a 3870x2 is a good choice, though if you already have an ultra or GTX and are contemplating a change, then wait because in 2 months time the 3870x2 will be what the ati 1950xt was to the nvidia 8800 series

But why ignore ATI's new architecure taht might be coming about in the 3Q of this year?

Margaret · 29 Jan 2008 at 18:39

MystaEB said:
Your definition of "fine" must be 15 FPS then, because on a GT you won't be getting much more than that in Crysis on high at 1920x1200.

1920x1080, and no my definition of fine is 25-35 actually with 1.1 patch and my custom config.

BTW I'm only talking about the first 2 levels so far, the tank bit in the game dipped to the low 20's but for the most part was very smooth.

you're definition of fine varies from mine, Crysis COD4 Bioshock ...i can go on and on ...they all PLAY far smoother than the GTX did.

Crysis, see above, CoD4 plays superb maxed out with 4xAA, BioShock plays great maxed out no AA and no slowdown yet very smooth I'm at Nepunes Bounty atm.

I also find a GT less than "fine" and 1920x1200. Really seems to struggle at times.

Then either my GT is something special or my config is doing wonders, OR perhaps 1920x1200 is a much bigger performance hit than 1080? Doubt it.

I'm not lying at all here either, I've flamed people who blatantly lied about performance in the past (e.g. I'm running Crysis on High at 1680x1050with 4xAA very smooth BS posts)

queamin · 29 Jan 2008 at 19:11

later on in crysis it will slow down some

queamin · 29 Jan 2008 at 19:11

delete double post

luismenendez · 29 Jan 2008 at 19:31

Jihad said:
1920x1080, and no my definition of fine is 25-35 actually with 1.1 patch and my custom config.

you said it, 8800 gt @ high settings and custom config so not Crysis default high

My 8800gts 320MB with high and custom config gets 31 fraps at 1680x1050

marscay · 29 Jan 2008 at 19:36

creed said:
Hi marscay, any complaints/incompatibilities with 3870 xfire? would be using it at 22" and cant decide whether to get one 8800GTS or 2 3870s tbh

not really, drivers have been particularly good because they've been working on X2 i guess instead of it taking a back seat like it used to.

you can't go wrong with either, 3870 crossfire will generally be noticably faster but also cost a bit more.

Margaret · 29 Jan 2008 at 20:03

luismenendez said:
you said it, 8800 gt @ high settings and custom config so not Crysis default high

The config I use looks much better than default High...I don't use a custom config for performance I use it for better graphics, tbh having enabled the sun rays, more motion blur and EdgeAA I'm pretty sure my config gives lowers FPS than default High.

My 8800gts 320MB with high and custom config gets 31 fraps at 1680x1050

So? You're aware the 8800GTS is quite far behind an 8800GT right?

I'm not lying, my 8800GT runs every game I have fine (UT3, Gears, CoD4, BioShock, Crysis, TF2 etc at 1920x1080) and I wouldn't upgrade for likes of Crysis, which is only alright, it's not amazing.

Also by fine, 60 fps most the time on all, CoD4 4xAA very rarely dips (multiplayer pretty much never does), UT3 does dip when there's tons of action on screen in Warfare, BioShock I haven't had any dips in yets all at 1920x1080.

Final8y · 29 Jan 2008 at 21:47

LoadsaMoney said:
GTX is better all round, get the 3870 X2 and if you try to play a game thats not crossfire supported yet, then your going to be running it on 1 very expensive single 3870, until ATi get some drivers out

Dont be so sure http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/01/28/ati_r680_the_rage_fury_maxx_2/page9.html
Be advised that the CrossFire of HD 3870 crashed systematically right after the game was loaded.

But the 3870x2 Dual GPUed it just fine.

LoadsaMoney · 29 Jan 2008 at 21:56

Im talking about the X2, not crossfired 3870's, if the game is not crossfire supported in the drivers, then the 3870 X2 will run as a single 3870, as it will only use one of its cores, and it will be an expensive one, as the X2 is £300 on here, that means your playing that game on a £300 3870 until ATi add the crossfire support for that game into the drivers, so you can use both your cores.