Old(er) cards vs. New

[hegulator]

One thing i've always been curious about, and wished the [H] would maybe include in their reviews of new video cards is how they compare to the high-end, last-gen cards.

For example, when the [H] reviewed the HD 3870's and 3850's, they compared them to nvidia's current-gen offering in that price range (8800GT-GTS), but what about other cards in that price range? How does a 3850 and/or 3870 compare to like a 7900GT OC card? I know the 7900's arn't really being sold much, but you can still find 'em.

I'm just thinking back to the days when Radeon 9800 pros were outperforming similarly priced GeForce cards in most games long after their "shelf life," and I think it would be interesting to see how some of the older cards stack up to the mid-to-higher range new cards.

Thoughts?

 

[MrHood22]

the x850xt used to be a pretty high end card didn't it?

I have a broken one unfortunately and It stacked up pretty close to a 7600GT KO. I can send you the Excel document that I did when I tested my x850xt, 8600GT OC, 7600GT KO, and 8800GT OC if you want.

 

[Droc]

I know Toms isnt the best, but their VGA charts can be a good reference.

http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_2007.html

 

[arthur_tuxedo]

HD 3850 will demolish and embarass any 7-series card short of the 7950 GX2, 3870 more so.

 

[hegulator]

That comparison on Tom's is what i'm talking about. Stacking up a few generations worth of cards and seeing how they do in a variety of games.

I kind of wish the H would do something like that. I get the feeling things may get interesting in the 150 dollar range.

 

[Kowan]

Agreed. That would be a great referrence tool for users. Maybe Brent could talk Kyle into giving him some help creating and maintaining one.

 

[Dangman]

While not exactly what you're looking for, here's a comparison between the HD 3850 and the 7950GT and x1950XTX:
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3151&p=9

Considering that the 7950GT outperforms the 7900GS and the X1950XTX outperforms the x1950Pro, the above should be a pretty good indication as to how good the HD 3850 is.

 

[hegulator]

While not exactly what you're looking for, here's a comparison between the HD 3850 and the 7950GT and x1950XTX:
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3151&p=9

Considering that the 7950GT outperforms the 7900GS and the X1950XTX outperforms the x1950Pro, the above should be a pretty good indication as to how good the HD 3850 is.

Wow, that's really interesting. Seems like it would be worth replacing my 7900GT OC with even a lowly 3850.

Thanks for the link.

 

[Dangman]

NP.

 

[NEODARK]

I also been looking at a similar alternative to my current 7900GTX being replaced by the 8800GT, but still unsure since Crysis still struggles with it.

ah well, when is the next gen coming out, I want the NVIDIA 9800's

 

[Grimham]

I know Toms isnt the best, but their VGA charts can be a good reference.

http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_2007.html

There's nothing wrong with Tom's. It's as accurate/in depth as any review site out there and better than most. The only thing I don't like about them is it seems they're trying to branch out in too many areas, and in my opinion they don't do enough hardware reviews anymore.