DH Review: ATI HD 3870 X2

Zardon · Jan 28, 2008, 11:20 PM

Thanks for the info brutus, glad they retracted that statement as it was incorrect and rather insulting.

Anyway lets move back to the subject of the card, anyone got one ordered? any nvidia users moving?

Venatus · Jan 28, 2008, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zardon

Anyway lets move back to the subject of the card, anyone got one ordered? any nvidia users moving?

Followed the flame war from [H] over here and liked your review, based on both yours and [H] review I plunged and bought the visiontek 3870x2 and the asus maximus formula for it to finish my build. I'll take some pics and post them when everything gets here.

Pretty excited actually. Upgrading my old agp system with a x800 in it

brutusmaximus · Jan 28, 2008, 11:55 PM

welcome aboard man. nice to see a few new faces. hope the card works out well for ya.

JustinSane · Jan 29, 2008, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Venatus

Followed the flame war from [H] over here and liked your review, based on both yours and [H] review I plunged and bought the visiontek 3870x2 and the asus maximus formula for it to finish my build. I'll take some pics and post them when everything gets here.

Pretty excited actually. Upgrading my old agp system with a x800 in it

Here from [H] as well. Finally found another respectable review site to add to the very short list. I really want one of these cards!

JuicyBrain · Jan 29, 2008, 01:35 AM

Hi, I registered here because I will be viewing your site more often. One of the best X2 reviews I have seen yet. I love the highly professional look and I love you guys attitude. Like many I come from [H] and I am sick of Kyle and his massive ego. I think timedemos have their place as long as their custom and not out of box timedemos. Its hard to repeat your exact steps in every single game and seems a bit unscientific when comparing one GPU vs another. In your real world tests at least you run everything even accross the board and I appreciate that.

Thank you

theBrain.

ChaosMinionX · Jan 29, 2008, 02:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zardon

Thanks for the info brutus, glad they retracted that statement as it was incorrect and rather insulting.

Anyway lets move back to the subject of the card, anyone got one ordered? any nvidia users moving?

Ive got 2 on the way, asus cards.

**kris23** · Jan 29, 2008, 02:27 AM

goddamn CMX.......

popegold · Jan 29, 2008, 02:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zardon

Thanks for the info brutus, glad they retracted that statement as it was incorrect and rather insulting.

Anyway lets move back to the subject of the card, anyone got one ordered? any nvidia users moving?

Another [H] ardCOPer joing the fray over here... love the place

Well now KYLE at [H] is calling out DH specifically.... he is asking for the settings used on COD4 and the specific OS

he is showing a screen shot of his setting on his 3870x2 review forum thread...and is asking DH for the same

Blacklash · Jan 29, 2008, 02:48 AM

I found this interesting from another HD 3870 X2 review-

4xAA|16xAF

8xAA|16xAF

Source:
ComputerBase - Test: ATi Radeon HD 3870 X2 (Seite 24)

It's kinda funny some guys were saying the HD 3870 X2 wouldn't be a "2560x card".

**kris23** · Jan 29, 2008, 02:52 AM

100FPS at 8x AA and 16x AF...... dood...... just dood.....

Blacklash · Jan 29, 2008, 02:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kris23

100FPS at 8x AA and 16x AF...... dood...... just dood.....

Those are performance percents not FPS. Unless I am misunderstanding something. I don't speak German

So to me it says from all the benches done @ 2560x with 4xAA|16xAF the Ultra gives you 97% of the performance of the HD 3870 X2 on average. When you move to 8xAA|16xAF @ 2560x it can only deliver 49.

I've heard it said before the nVidia cards pass ATi cards @ 4xAA and the ATi cards often "catch up" @ 8xAA.

@Zardon

I own an overclocked 8800GTX in my primary rig. I have also ordered a HD 3870 X2. I haven't sold the GTX and I've had it since they were released. If the HD 3870 X2 proves itself to me it will end up in my overclocked Q6600 G-0 rig. If not it will be moved to my spider platform comp. Of course if DX10.1 ever suddenly or unexpectedly goes into use I'd definitely move it back.

cozumel · Jan 29, 2008, 02:57 AM

Okay, so I bought the EVGA 8800GT with intention of stepping up during February/March but am now tempted to return to ATI. So checking the spec on th 3870x2 it's PCIe 2.0. Would this mean I would take performance hit using the card on my DS4 mobo and is it better to run the card on a X38, X48 or Nvidia 7xx series mobo to get maximum performance?

It's great to have competition (from ATI) again and I can't wait for Nvidia to release the 9xxx series and multi GPU. Interesting to see what NVidia do with their 9xxx series pricing as the 3870x2 is priced around the same level as the 8800GTX.

A warm welcome to all you new members.

**kris23** · Jan 29, 2008, 02:59 AM

i doubt that thing takes up full X16 1.1 bandwidth though.....

**kris23** · Jan 29, 2008, 03:00 AM

im also kinda tempted to retrurn my HIS card and get one of these X2s, seems a much better move for the money.

ChaosMinionX · Jan 29, 2008, 03:13 AM

I have 2 Diamond HD3870s with DuOrbs sitting around

cozumel · Jan 29, 2008, 03:17 AM

It's left me terribly confused about which way to go with upgrade. But that's a good thing. ATI seem to have released a card at an excellent price level with gaming performance equal or higher than NVIdia but with better video capabilities. An all-round 'jack of-all-trades' that beats NVidia new product release date by maybe as much as two months. This could be an interesting few months of battle between ati and nvidia.

cozumel · Jan 29, 2008, 03:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChaosMinionX

I have 2 Diamond HD3870s with DuOrbs sitting around

**kris23** · Jan 29, 2008, 03:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChaosMinionX

I have 2 Diamond HD3870s with DuOrbs sitting around

can you send those my way? i wish to learn about how crossfire works

please?

Zardon · Jan 29, 2008, 08:34 AM

A warm welcome to all the new guys joining up. Hang around and make sure you enter the competition thread to win a 3870 X2 !

***Veridian3*** · Jan 29, 2008, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by popegold

Another [H] ardCOPer joing the fray over here... love the place

Well now KYLE at [H] is calling out DH specifically.... he is asking for the settings used on COD4 and the specific OS

he is showing a screen shot of his setting on his 3870x2 review forum thread...and is asking DH for the same

Hi the settings used on our test are on the COD page, click the 1st screenshot. Also it was Vista 32bit.

I think the difference in performance is purely down to the level used.

Zardon · Jan 29, 2008, 11:44 AM

Incidentally the price in the UK is around the £300-£310 mark (we waited until stock was available in a few big places), which I think is great value for money.

Venatus · Jan 30, 2008, 01:19 AM

Got my e-mail that everything shipped this morning, should have some goodies up and running by this weekend, well depending on if I finish a couple other projects around the house first.

Zardon · Jan 30, 2008, 08:30 AM

post some pictures if you get a chance wouldn't mind seeing your system.

**temeteus82** · Jan 30, 2008, 08:35 AM

Hey I was pondering where was the FSX with SP2??? If I remember correctly SP2 brings the DX10 support to FSX.

btw. Blazing Angels 2 looked really nice I might get that

ET3D · Jan 30, 2008, 10:38 AM

I agree it's a nice review, and was well worth reading for the discussion of the minimum frame rate.

I'm curious what you can get pairing two such cards in crossfire.

And now I'm feeling the pain of winning a mid range card.

My 3870 now feels so old.

Kizo · Jan 30, 2008, 10:57 AM

About the german site results,
there is a rumour that I've seen, based on those results and some other, that 3xx0 cards have better performance with 8x AA, then with 4x on the same resolutiona and settings. With that in mind, HD3870 X2 should rock with 8x AA.
I can't confirm it, of course.

Damn those rumours and alegations!

Alex · Jan 30, 2008, 11:22 AM

come on guys, digg DH's article. hardocps is getting a lot of discussion on digg, and it sucks ass.

JuicyBrain · Jan 31, 2008, 12:18 AM

I Dugg DH review, Hardocp review is thriving on controversy. If they want to do custom in game benchmarking then do it the same on all cards accross the board. (Not different settings for each card) They really went out of their way to show Nvidia in the best possible light. Which happens to be their sponsor.

I am not flaming anyone I have just noticed this trend with most major releases on Hardocp. They have a were so elite attitude that condesends upon anyone who like more information regarding their method or people who would like numbers to compliment it. "If you dont like it leave is a typical answer from Kyle". When a reviewer questions his results and or methods.

Hes found out that the more angry he can make people the more money he can make from click dollars. Pretty sweet deal eh ?

SSXeon · Jan 31, 2008, 03:57 AM

Great review! When the Crossfire X drivers come we should see alot of the left over issues resolved, still a sexy and fast card. 196w is amazing too!

JuicyBrain · Jan 31, 2008, 07:05 AM

I wonder if it would be more performance to get 2 of the HIS turbo ICE Q 3870 or 1 3870x2. The overclock and high speed DDR 4 seems like it would really perform in crossfire.

Jan 28, 2008, 11:55 PM	#33
brutusmaximus DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 520 Rep Power: 65	welcome aboard man. nice to see a few new faces. hope the card works out well for ya. __________________

Jan 29, 2008, 02:27 AM	#37
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 5,414 Rep Power: 80	goddamn CMX....... __________________ Driverheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (9/4/09) New i5 systems with more to come! Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Jan 29, 2008, 02:48 AM	#39
Blacklash Che cazzo stai dicendo? Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Old Vizima Posts: 117 Rep Power: 42	I found this interesting from another HD 3870 X2 review- 4xAA\|16xAF 8xAA\|16xAF Source: ComputerBase - Test: ATi Radeon HD 3870 X2 (Seite 24) It's kinda funny some guys were saying the HD 3870 X2 wouldn't be a "2560x card". __________________ AMD Phenom II X6 1055T @ 4.0GHz (1.45v)\|GeIL Black Dragon DDR3 1600 (4x2Gb) ASUS Crosshair IV (AMD 890FX)\|Powercolor Radeon HD 5870 1Gb (x2)\|Acer GD235HZbid WD VelociRaptor 150Gb HD (x2)\|Pioneer DVR-2920Q\|LG GH22LS30\|Klipsch Groove PM20 2.0 SilverStone OP1000-E\|SilverStone TJ10-B\|Xigmatek HDT-S1284EE\|Vista Home Premium x64 SP2

Jan 29, 2008, 02:52 AM	#40
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 5,414 Rep Power: 80	100FPS at 8x AA and 16x AF...... dood...... just dood..... __________________ Driverheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (9/4/09) New i5 systems with more to come! Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Jan 29, 2008, 02:57 AM	#42
cozumel I'm dangerous but cute... Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Under the waves... Posts: 3,576 Rep Power: 49	Okay, so I bought the EVGA 8800GT with intention of stepping up during February/March but am now tempted to return to ATI. So checking the spec on th 3870x2 it's PCIe 2.0. Would this mean I would take performance hit using the card on my DS4 mobo and is it better to run the card on a X38, X48 or Nvidia 7xx series mobo to get maximum performance? It's great to have competition (from ATI) again and I can't wait for Nvidia to release the 9xxx series and multi GPU. Interesting to see what NVidia do with their 9xxx series pricing as the 3870x2 is priced around the same level as the 8800GTX. A warm welcome to all you new members. __________________ Don't worry about money - Be a beach bum! Scuba Rocks

Jan 28, 2008, 11:20 PM	#31
Zardon DriverHeaven Founder Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 32,480 Rep Power: 168	Thanks for the info brutus, glad they retracted that statement as it was incorrect and rather insulting. Anyway lets move back to the subject of the card, anyone got one ordered? any nvidia users moving?

Jan 29, 2008, 01:35 AM	#35
JuicyBrain DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: USA Posts: 7 Rep Power: 0	Hi, I registered here because I will be viewing your site more often. One of the best X2 reviews I have seen yet. I love the highly professional look and I love you guys attitude. Like many I come from [H] and I am sick of Kyle and his massive ego. I think timedemos have their place as long as their custom and not out of box timedemos. Its hard to repeat your exact steps in every single game and seems a bit unscientific when comparing one GPU vs another. In your real world tests at least you run everything even accross the board and I appreciate that. Thank you theBrain.

Jan 29, 2008, 02:59 AM	#43
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 5,414 Rep Power: 80	i doubt that thing takes up full X16 1.1 bandwidth though..... __________________ Driverheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (9/4/09) New i5 systems with more to come! Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Jan 29, 2008, 03:00 AM	#44
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 5,414 Rep Power: 80	im also kinda tempted to retrurn my HIS card and get one of these X2s, seems a much better move for the money. __________________ Driverheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (9/4/09) New i5 systems with more to come! Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Jan 29, 2008, 03:13 AM	#45
ChaosMinionX USB 3 dot oh Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: New York Posts: 1,906 Rep Power: 34	I have 2 Diamond HD3870s with DuOrbs sitting around __________________ ::Heatware:: How you can help DriverHeaven by using Digg!

Jan 29, 2008, 03:17 AM	#46
cozumel I'm dangerous but cute... Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Under the waves... Posts: 3,576 Rep Power: 49	It's left me terribly confused about which way to go with upgrade. But that's a good thing. ATI seem to have released a card at an excellent price level with gaming performance equal or higher than NVIdia but with better video capabilities. An all-round 'jack of-all-trades' that beats NVidia new product release date by maybe as much as two months. This could be an interesting few months of battle between ati and nvidia. __________________ Don't worry about money - Be a beach bum! Scuba Rocks

Jan 29, 2008, 08:34 AM	#49
Zardon DriverHeaven Founder Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 32,480 Rep Power: 168	A warm welcome to all the new guys joining up. Hang around and make sure you enter the competition thread to win a 3870 X2 !

Jan 29, 2008, 11:44 AM	#51
Zardon DriverHeaven Founder Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 32,480 Rep Power: 168	Incidentally the price in the UK is around the £300-£310 mark (we waited until stock was available in a few big places), which I think is great value for money.

Jan 30, 2008, 01:19 AM	#52
Venatus DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 4 Rep Power: 0	Got my e-mail that everything shipped this morning, should have some goodies up and running by this weekend, well depending on if I finish a couple other projects around the house first.

Jan 30, 2008, 08:30 AM	#53
Zardon DriverHeaven Founder Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 32,480 Rep Power: 168	post some pictures if you get a chance wouldn't mind seeing your system.

Jan 30, 2008, 10:38 AM	#55
ET3D Hopeless Dreamer Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Dreamland, near the pool of infinite graphics cards Posts: 2,978 Rep Power: 89	I agree it's a nice review, and was well worth reading for the discussion of the minimum frame rate. I'm curious what you can get pairing two such cards in crossfire. And now I'm feeling the pain of winning a mid range card. My 3870 now feels so old.

Jan 30, 2008, 10:57 AM	#56
Kizo HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 130 Rep Power: 26	About the german site results, there is a rumour that I've seen, based on those results and some other, that 3xx0 cards have better performance with 8x AA, then with 4x on the same resolutiona and settings. With that in mind, HD3870 X2 should rock with 8x AA. I can't confirm it, of course. Damn those rumours and alegations!

Jan 30, 2008, 11:22 AM	#57
Alex Driverheaven Lover Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 260 Rep Power: 34	come on guys, digg DH's article. hardocps is getting a lot of discussion on digg, and it sucks ass.

Jan 31, 2008, 12:18 AM	#58
JuicyBrain DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: USA Posts: 7 Rep Power: 0	I Dugg DH review, Hardocp review is thriving on controversy. If they want to do custom in game benchmarking then do it the same on all cards accross the board. (Not different settings for each card) They really went out of their way to show Nvidia in the best possible light. Which happens to be their sponsor. I am not flaming anyone I have just noticed this trend with most major releases on Hardocp. They have a were so elite attitude that condesends upon anyone who like more information regarding their method or people who would like numbers to compliment it. "If you dont like it leave is a typical answer from Kyle". When a reviewer questions his results and or methods. Hes found out that the more angry he can make people the more money he can make from click dollars. Pretty sweet deal eh ?

Jan 31, 2008, 03:57 AM	#59
SSXeon ATi Freak!! Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Virginia, US Posts: 501 Rep Power: 0	Great review! When the Crossfire X drivers come we should see alot of the left over issues resolved, still a sexy and fast card. 196w is amazing too! __________________ XFX HD4890 1024MB @ 950/4400Mhz Have issues with your Catalyst driver? Please report it to ATi

Jan 31, 2008, 07:05 AM	#60
JuicyBrain DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: USA Posts: 7 Rep Power: 0	I wonder if it would be more performance to get 2 of the HIS turbo ICE Q 3870 or 1 3870x2. The overclock and high speed DDR 4 seems like it would really perform in crossfire.