high end single card solution

[nman729]

well, ati has certanly impressed a bunch of people with the 3870x2. but i want to know when we will see a single card that can do the same thing, something like a 8800gtx. some games dont use cross fire, thats why im asking.

totally random, do the 3870/3870x2 support dx10.1?

 

[stridervm]

Well, since the 3870x2 is always being compared performance wise to the 8800GTX Ultra, this is the one you're looking for. But of course the successor for that video card is also coming soon. The 9800GTX.

But some people say the 9800GX2 should beat the 3870x2 although it's a dual card in one slot solution as well.

 

[aardwolf]

Yes, the hd3870x2 supports directx 10.1. I'm running it right now, and it flies.

 

[nman729]

well, i want the option to sli. and i have heard the nvidia chipsets suck weiner. thats why i want an ati card, and an intel chipset.

 

[aardwolf]

well, i want the option to sli. and i have heard the nvidia chipsets suck weiner. thats why i want an ati card, and an intel chipset.

Even as someone who bought the HD3870x2 (2 of em ), I would not say that. If you look at benchmarks, the hd3870x2 edges out the 8800 ultra on most games, but not all -- and it's not a blowout. This is a tight race & will probably come down to price vs. which of the two cards can scale out better. 2x9800GX2 or 2x3870x2? That'll be the decider as far as I'm concerned for this half-generation (while both companies get their acts together for a REAL new GPU).

 

[Dirty_Harry2]

well, i want the option to sli. and i have heard the nvidia chipsets suck weiner. thats why i want an ati card, and an intel chipset.

As much as I wish this were true, Nvidia owns the graphics card market right now. The 3870X2 is the best card out right now, but not by much. The great thing though is that it is almost 200 bucks cheaper than the Ultra. Then again the Ultra is now old news and it still is pretty much on par with the 3870 X2 on most things. I have a Feeling when Nvidia comes out with the 9800 they will smoke ATI, but then there is the R700.

Hope...

 

[dostanio]

aardwolf would you reckon its well worth buying a 3870x2? I am considering it, or an 8800gts 512

 

[amd_fanboi]

3870X2... quite a bit better than the GTS, i would imagine, especially what with support for quad-gpus and dx10.1 whuich might just become more improtant in the near future

 

[rgeist554]

aardwolf would you reckon its well worth buying a 3870x2? I am considering it, or an 8800gts 512

What are you currently using for a graphics card and monitor? What games to you play?

As for Nvidia chipsets, I tend to not like them either. I currently own one and the support is less than what it should be. It also seems like people who owned boards w/ the Nvidia chipset had to beg / plead to get some BIOS released for Wolfdale support. *shrug*

 

[aardwolf]

aardwolf would you reckon its well worth buying a 3870x2? I am considering it, or an 8800gts 512

Personally, yes, I am extremely happy with the performance I am getting out of the card. I would recommend against the GTS if that's the comparison.

3870x2 vs 8800gt : 8800gt wins on the price/performance curve
3870x2 vs 8800gts: 3870x2 wins on better performance (most games), and better price/performance
3870x2 vs 8800ultra: 3870x2 edges out 8800ultra on many games... I don't believe this is up to "most games", but with later drivers it should be.

3870x2 vs 9800: I believe this will go to the 9800, but time will tell.

rgeist554 asks the most leading questions, though. If you're gaming at 1024x768, probably 1280 (and want to keep gaming at that resolution), then go for the GTS. If you want to go for the higher resolutions, especially over 2000 pixels wide, I'd go for the 3870x2. (I'm running at 1600x1200 now... have to put off the monitor upgrade for a few months).

 

[aardwolf]

Oh, and lest I forget... one of the downsides of my card (it's a reference model though) is the heat. It's not fantastic for heat, but compared to 2 cards (say 2 3870's), it's not double a single card's heat output.

Overclocking becomes interesting though. The hot air exhausting from over the sink of the inner GPU has to contribute to / mingle with the heat over the 2nd GPU before it can exits the card's cooling enclosure.

 

[yipsl]

Yes, the hd3870x2 supports directx 10.1. I'm running it right now, and it flies.

I got mine last week, but had to turn around and order a new PSU. The Antec Neo 650 should be here tomorrow. The Antec Nine Hundred case arrived today. I'll move my components over and then finally benchmark and play The Witcher and LOTR Online, plus older titles like Oblivion.

My system when it's all set up:

Athlon X2 4600+
MSI 690V board
3870x2
100 gig Maxtor SATA
2x 160 gig WD SATA
Antec Neo 650
Sony DVD R/RW
Antec Nine Hundred case

I'll be CPU limited at 1024 x 768, but I will get a really nice monitor middle of next month, probably a 24" LCD.

The thing is, the 4870's due in June, it's reported as costing $299 and will be 50% faster than a 3870, which is the range of our 3870x2's. There will also be a 4870x2 at $499. That all makes me think of a CPU plus mother board plus 1000 watt PSU upgrade for Crossfire down the line. Maybe this time next year.

 

[yipsl]

Oh, and lest I forget... one of the downsides of my card (it's a reference model though) is the heat. It's not fantastic for heat, but compared to 2 cards (say 2 3870's), it's not double a single card's heat output.

Overclocking becomes interesting though. The hot air exhausting from over the sink of the inner GPU has to contribute to / mingle with the heat over the 2nd GPU before it can exits the card's cooling enclosure.

Yes, the fan on the 3870x2 is a wonder to behold. I got the MSI factory overclocked version and tried to get it running with just the 6 pin PCIe, but I realized it needed the 8 pin too, and MSI tech support confirmed it. I did get to experience the noise and output of that fan!

They were out of adapters and had included only two 2 molex to 6 pin PCIe. My Antec Neo 550 had two of those. ATI's site listed the Neo 650 as a certified PSU for one 3870x2, so I ordered that. I didn't even see any 8 pin adapters at Newegg and the guy at Fry's tried to sell me a single molex to 8 pin Xeon motherboard adapter, but I passed on that. :lol:

well, ati has certanly impressed a bunch of people with the 3870x2. but i want to know when we will see a single card that can do the same thing, something like a 8800gtx. some games dont use cross fire, thats why im asking.

totally random, do the 3870/3870x2 support dx10.1?

Yes, they support DX10.1

Nordic Hardware says that the 4870 and 4870x2 will be out in June:

http://www.nordichardware.com/index.php?news=1&action=more&id=7356

 

[nman729]

the thing is, i dont want to wait untill june... ill probably end up with getting a 3870x2 and maybe a p35 board, im not interested in crossfiring two x2s.

 

[dostanio]

aardwolf would you reckon its well worth buying a 3870x2? I am considering it, or an 8800gts 512

What are you currently using for a graphics card and monitor? What games to you play?

As for Nvidia chipsets, I tend to not like them either. I currently own one and the support is less than what it should be. It also seems like people who owned boards w/ the Nvidia chipset had to beg / plead to get some BIOS released for Wolfdale support. *shrug*

Thanks alot aardwolf! very usefull

I have a 8400gs 256 which is very poor.

I have an 22inch Acer, so b looking at that resolution.

I like FPS alot and RPG, call of duty 4, oblivion, half life 2, might consider crysis, ive also got an eye for the future Alan wake?

Money is not an issue am willing to spend well for a graphic card, but if i can get one well priced that would b great means i have sum spare money to spend on other stuff. (the £200 price tag of the 8800gts is very attrative) although if the 3870X2 offers a huge improvement wouldnt mind spending £70 more! thanks

 

[nman729]

when is toms vga chart gonna add the 3870x2?

 

[aardwolf]

Running crysis well on it @ 1600x1200, all settings maxed out. Haven't even overclocked anything yet (w/ a q6600 cpu & 4 gigs of ddr2 800).

I believe you'll see a decent improvement at 1600x1200, but I don't think I'd say "huge". However the big X factor is the drivers... ATI's current drivers for the 3870x2 are nascent. If you wait for the comparisons for the Catalyst 8.3 set, you may see even better performance & it could tilt the scales a bit more toward the 3870x2 (certainly if you're ever considering crossfireX).