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what so wrong with the 2900 cards

ozzyDe

ozzyDe

ozzyDe

Associate
Joined
31 Mar 2006
Posts
349
Why is it that the nvidia 880gt cards are always recommended before a card like
a TI Radeon HD 2900 GT which is less than a £100 when the ati seems to mach the 8800gt cards but they cost £200 + more.

I want to upgrade my system completely going over to Am2 so its new everyting
which won't leave me with much to spent on a graphic cards and I was thinking of a 2900 but will it make me feel like a underdog compared to an 800GT and if so why?

cheers
Dean
 
Why am2? AM2+ is here and there is at least one affordable mobo based on it.

Anyway HD2900 series was loud, power hungry, and under performing. Sure it doesnt cost a lot, but Gts only have 256MB of VRAM, i suggest going with HD3850 or HD3870, they are redesigns of HD2900, smaller, quieter, and similar if not better performers.

HD3870 gets my vote. What res do you play at anyway?
 
I was thinking of a 2900 but will it make me feel like a underdog compared to an 800GT and if so why
Click to expand...

Because the GT blows the 2900 in to the deck, your not just an underdog, your a complete muppet to go with a 2900 over a GT, anyway the 2900's have been replaced by the 3800 series.
 
Right now on a rebuild its still better to go intel if you want to OC a little. (and I am a AMD fan and only on intel due to fire with Crosshair mobo).
 
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The 2900 series are weak and very power consuming - if you've been looking at the amount of shaders the 2900 and 3800 series have, forget it, they work a completely different way to nVidia's method and are generally a lot less efficient.

Besides, you'd have to be bloomin' barmy to go for a 2900 GT when the 3850 outperforms it, is the same price, is quieter and consumes a metric crapload less energy.
 
Why are you building a new pc around amd ? Surely your aware they are getting destroyed by intel. Their current quads are to expensive and dont overclock past 2.4 properly and need the new b3 stepping before becoming diserable.

And about the 2900. Likes been said above:

1) gets destroyed by any hint of AA in games
2) Always has been the underdog by quite a large margin compared to competition
3) To hot
4) To loud
5) To power hungry
 
The 3870 matches the 8800 GT in some benchmarks (please, owners of the 8800 GT, don't try and undermine that comment out of pride), but very seldom actually overtakes it, the 8800 GT mostly has the upper hand on it.

Now, the 3870 matches and often beats the 2900 XT in most benchmarks.

The 2900 GT is a crippled card, it is essentially two thirds of a 2900 Pro (240 shaders vs. 320, 256-bit bus vs. 512-bit...). It's only ever been seen in a very small variety of benchmarks, and the X1950 Pro was its closest competitor. The 3850 can be had for the same price (as the 2900 GT), and has the full amount of shaders while consuming much less power.
 
Lightnix said:
The 3870 matches the 8800 GT in some benchmarks (please, owners of the 8800 GT, don't try and undermine that comment out of pride), but very seldom actually overtakes it, the 8800 GT mostly has the upper hand on it.

Now, the 3870 matches and often beats the 2900 XT in most benchmarks.

The 2900 GT is a crippled card, it is essentially two thirds of a 2900 Pro (240 shaders vs. 320, 256-bit bus vs. 512-bit...). It's only ever been seen in a very small variety of benchmarks, and the X1950 Pro was its closest competitor. The 3850 can be had for the same price (as the 2900 GT), and has the full amount of shaders while consuming much less power.
Click to expand...

Where does the 3870 match the 8800GT then? 1 game perhaps? Sims possibly? A game which isn't very gpu limited like team fortress perhaps?

No one is putting it down out of pride. its a good card for the price but the 8800 GT is still the better buy.
 
The 3870 is close to the 8800gt in several benchmarks actually. No it doesn't beat it by loads, or anything like that, but for the price of it compared to the GT you cannot argue.

It's a good card, and for a cheaper price, it performs slightly less than the card that costs more.
 
Its a good card, but i find it annoying when he claims we are putting it down out of pride. Why tell someone to get a 3870 when we know the 8800 is better?

Benchmarks ive seen have show it averaging 45% slower. But they were earlyer benchmarks so perhaps drivers have helped out but new drivers for the 8800 GT would ahve also made it faster.
 
Indeed, all a matter of which you prefer, and can afford really :)

I'd be tempted by the 3870, merely cause it would be a good upgrade for me. I've seen a few people having issues with the GT as well, esp temp ones. But nothing from the norm obviously.
 
Delvis said:
The 3870 is close to the 8800gt in several benchmarks actually. No it doesn't beat it by loads, or anything like that, but for the price of it compared to the GT you cannot argue.
Click to expand...
85% the performance of an 8800GT on average, according to Anandtech.

So it's a complete toss-up really. It comes down to whether you want cheaper card or better card with a single-slot cooling design and possibly better image quality if the 3800 Series = 2900 Series in that regard.
 
When your over 30fps, in most game 5fps won't make much difference.

Then again it depends how picky you are.

But yes, the 8800GT is better.
 
Just went on the hunt for benchmarks.

So far first benchmark i found shows the 8800 GTS 640mb to be faster then the 3870. Which im quite supriced about. Especialy when the GT is significantly faster then the GTS.

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/sapphire_hd_3870/10.htm

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/sapphire_hd_3870/9.htm

8800 GTS quite a lot ahead at the lower resolutions. Piped at the higher ones though:

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/sapphire_hd_3870/8.htm

Bioshock however seems to run a lot better on tjhe 3870 over the GTS

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/sapphire_hd_3870/12.htm


GT faster then the 3870:

http://www.techspot.com/review/76-asus-radeon-hd-3870/page7.html

http://www.techspot.com/review/76-asus-radeon-hd-3870/page5.html

http://www.techspot.com/review/76-asus-radeon-hd-3870/page4.html (not in the first benchmark but gets overtaken, not suer what that is)


Cant find the one i want showing a big break down with it being quite a bit slower. Shame it was on this forum though.

Point is claiming people are just dissing the 3870 because of their pride for the 8800 GT is clearly not true. The 3870 is a gereat card for the price however.
 
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ozzyDe said:
ATI Radeon HD 2900 GT which is less than a £100 when the ati seems to mach the 8800gt cards but they cost £200 + more.
Click to expand...

The 2900GT is severaly crippled with 256bit mem and only 240stream processors so don't mistaken it with the more powerful 2900pro/xt, and even that is slower than 8800GT in most cases.

You can get the pro for £150 but if you wait a few weeks the price of 8800GT will fall to around that point so it's a no brainer. Plus the 2900XT/pro/gt have now reached end of life so you are getting outdated hardwares. (darn I sound like easyrider!)
 
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Delvis said:
When your over 30fps, in most game 5fps won't make much difference.

Then again it depends how picky you are.

But yes, the 8800GT is better.
Click to expand...


Just over 30FPS is not ideal, 40FPS at least and 60FPS to be really fluid is the magic number.

So saying 5FPS more over 30FPS does not matter aint true, every 1FPS counts.
 
I do believe I said 'some' with a fair amount of emphasis on the word. I even stated that the 8800 GT is the better card overall, but if you're not completely willing to accept that your graphics card isn't superior in every way known to man then here on this page you'll see the 3870 beating the 8800 GT by 3% or so just to irritate you:

http://anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3151&p=6
 
The 3800's and 2900's all suffer from the same problem, damn good cards without AA but with aa there is a considerable loss in performance. Myself, I can live with it for now until the next gen hits. I personally dont mind the jaggies too much though like any person I would like some AA.
 
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