Sapphire 3870 X2 - $485.99 + shipping

A

Alpha&Omega

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 24, 2007
Messages
228
For those who want to get in on the 3870 X2, here it is.

I think that Motherboardpro may have been one of the first retailers out there offering it.

The price is a little below what I expected ($550) which is good.

This beats an 8800Ultra for a much lower cost and the drivers aren't really mature yet either.

:)

Sapphire 3870 X2
 
Not bad! MSRP is still a little unclear, but even if it's $450 I think an extra $30 is worth it given the NDA was pushed back... :) Just wish I had that kind of cash...
 
Meh. I wish they'd make a real high end product. Slapping 2 mid-range cards together is not a good solution.
 
Xaijin said:
Meh. I wish they'd make a real high end product. Slapping 2 mid-range cards together is not a good solution.
Click to expand...

Obviously you do not know what a good card is..This is a great card..Heck the 3870 is a great card..

Man, I hate Nvidia fan boys..
 
^^ I Agree!

Meh. I wish they'd make a real high end product. Slapping 2 mid-range cards together is not a good solution.
Click to expand...

So I assume you must feel the same about the 7950x2 too huh?
 
I love nVidia. I used to run ATI, but a few years back I started using more nVidia GPUs for stability purposes on my builds. Haven't regretted it. Every nVidia card I've had so far, including my BFG 8800GT has exceeded expectations of overclockability and stability. I am a huge fan of nVidia and they wipe the midrange spot with the 8800GT, obviously, because it's hard to find those cards at MSRP. When they are put on "sale" they disappear like hotcakes...

That aside, this card is exceptional, and to get one from a decent name like Sapphire IN STOCK and only $30 or so above MSRP right on the day it's released is fantastic. Thanks to the OP for an EXTREMELY hot deal. While this card is indeed two GPUs in one, they've really done their homework and implemented it in a way that it works better than any other 2 in 1 GPU solution out there. It has few of the setbacks of a true dual card setup and most of the benefits of a single high-end card. Performance matching or beating the 8800 Ultra in most tests for under 500 dollars? Anyone who thinks this is not a great deal is nuts. 2 3870s in Crossfire would barely consume the power and put out the heat of an Ultra. This card with the 3870's X2 will consume similar power and make similar noise and maybe a tad more heat than an ultra, but give you equal or better performance. This is the king of hot deals right now, especially being so new. When we see drivers mature it's going to clean the Ultra's clock in almost every game, excepting some of the extremely overclocked ultras out there.

That's my take as an nVidia "fanboy" (4 nVidia GPUs running in current builds vs. only one integrated ATI GPU).

Anyone who wants to know more about this card can check this link:

http://www.fpslabs.com/reviews/video/amd-radeon-hd-3870-x2-review

Here's an excerpt from it:

"In the introduction we said that if the HD 3870 X2 performed better than the 8800Ultra then, considering price points, its release would effectively be as impressive as the launch of the 8800GT. Well, what we’ve seen today is a clear indication that the R680-based video card is definitely superior to the 8800Ultra, which maintains a street price of well over $600. MSRP of the HD 3870 X2 is set at $449 –a bargain considering the HD 3870, essentially half of the X2, goes for about $230. Now, given AMD’s recent history of availability woes, we don’t expect very many of these cards to be available for $449. Then again, a trip to the major e-tailers doesn’t exactly produce too many results for 8800GT’s at MSRP. All of these things considered, it is hard to gage whether or not the HD 3870 X2 will be successful in the marketplace."
 
Another reason it's better than a normal SLI or Crossfire dual GPU setup:

"One of the advantages of the HD 3870 X2 over two HD 3870’s is that while the two GPU’s are linked via an internal CrossFire connection, they do not suffer all of the limitations of CrossFire –specifically, the inability to run multiple displays (which is supposed to be addressed via software in the near future)."

Link
 
damn im soo tempted,but i think my 8800 gts 640 with hold off for a while still,maybe if i upgrade my 20 in ch widescreen monitor to 24 or bigger then this card would look better:eek:
 
wow, seems like in some tests the 3870 x2 wipes the floor with the 8800gt's in sli, and in others matches the performance or is 5-10% behind. Not bad considering it's prbly still in beta for the drivers.
 
serious question: would this fit in a Shuttle SP35P2 Pro? 8800GTX can fit but the stock 8800 ultra's signature bulging fan doesn't.

basically is this longer or shorter than an 8800GTX? how about height?
 
It is indeed a great card but I still don't know how long the success of it will last. I'm still waiting to see if the 9800GX2 will be the better card. The best thing going for this is the price. It will bring Nvidias offerings way down. This should be better than the 8800 ultra. The 8800 Ultra is running on older technology now & is a single GPU solution. Saying that it's better is quite an unfair comparison. Even if the 8800 Ultra is the best single card out there for Nvidia atm. Now saying that it's better than 8800GT's in sli is an better argument. Even if the 8800GT's are in SLI, the are more equal in terms of what each delivers. It's about time they got it right. Took AMD long enough. Let's see how long they can keep it up now.

-DarkLegacy
 
The new technology for both companies is basically die-shrinks and faster clocks. Nothing really new...

Still, Im surprised there arnt any reviews out. Besides the chinese one.
 
Theres like 4 or 5 reviews out already! Just google 3870x2. I'm still debating wether to order this now or wait for the Egg and some of the bigger etailers to get them in to see the pricing. Should have ordered from Ewiz for 459 but they are sold out now :(
 
jordan12 said:
Obviously you do not know what a good card is..This is a great card..Heck the 3870 is a great card..

Man, I hate Nvidia fan boys..
Click to expand...

I love how people are so quick to pull out the fanboy card. I actually dont own any nvidia products, but nice try.

The 3870 is a good card, no question about it. I have no idea why you even brought that up. You're talking about a mid range card. I'm talking about a "high end" product, which is a half assed attempt. Granted, it still performs, but I wouldn't settle for it. They could have released something new instead of this.

nvidia could release a 8800 GTS GX2 and people would be calling it a "good card" but the people who see it for what it really is (half assed). I'm not debating its performance prowess, but its execution.

BX_TECH_GOD said:
^^ I Agree!



So I assume you must feel the same about the 7950x2 too huh?
Click to expand...

At least the 7950 GX2 was 2 high end products slapped together, not mid range. And it was released too late. Such is the same for the 3870 x2, since nvidia's new cards are right around the corner.
 
I dont see how an ATI 3870 is a mid range card...It is, or was until the 3870X2 was released, ATI's top end card.

And it is still very close in performance to the 8800GT.

So in reality, it isnt a mid range card yet..I just felt I needed to defend it, simply because I have felt that people bash it for no reason..

My apologies if I sounded rude..Wasnt my intent..
 
Xaijin said:
I love how people are so quick to pull out the fanboy card. I actually dont own any nvidia products, but nice try.

The 3870 is a good card, no question about it. I have no idea why you even brought that up. You're talking about a mid range card. I'm talking about a "high end" product, which is a half assed attempt. Granted, it still performs, but I wouldn't settle for it. They could have released something new instead of this.
Click to expand...

Did you even read the article on my post? Even though this beats the ultra with BARELY more power consumption and heat output for LESS MONEY you don't consider it a high end product? It might be two GPU's strapped together to make one product, but it's still ONE PRODUCT, and right now, the most high end overall. There are things they did with this setup that are unique and new, which make it different from an ordinary crossifre/SLI setup. Read the linked article on my earlier post and you will see. Takes up scarcely more space than an ultra and only occupies one slot. The 3870's are so freaking efficient that two of them consume just a tad more wattage at load, and probably less at idle than an Ultra or GTX, yet give you better performance.

I don't think getting the 3870 X2 is "settling" for anything. Even though they are using existing technology, the employment strategy is new, as are the performance numbers. Even with immature drivers the performance is fantastic. There is no stock single card or similarly priced multi GPU solution that beats it. To get it for less than $500 is a HOT DEAL.

You said:
"Meh. I wish they'd make a real high end product. Slapping 2 mid-range cards together is not a good solution."

Why is this "not a good solution"? I challenge you to find a better one for the price. Please stop crapping this hot deal thread with naysaying, my friend, unless you have evidence that it's not a hot deal.
 
Alpha&#937 said:
For those who want to get in on the 3870 X2, here it is.

I think that Motherboardpro may have been one of the first retailers out there offering it.

The price is a little below what I expected ($550) which is good.

This beats an 8800Ultra for a much lower cost and the drivers aren't really mature yet either.

:)

Sapphire 3870 X2
Click to expand...
The 8800 Ultra still a little faster.
1210234_080120_R680_crysisnoaa_thumb.jpg
 
I dont see how one single game benchmark is proving that the Ultra is faster..


Give me a break.
 
Even if the 3870x2 does beat the 8800 ultra, keep in mind that the ultra came out a long time ago and the 3870x2 just came out. Soon, nvidia will be puttint out the 9000-series (I wish they'd rename it, to me a 9800 = ATI's best radeon ever) and will once again own both the mid-range and the high-end. Intel will forever own the low-end imo. Good deal though, I have no beefs with ATI or nvidia, whatever gives more power for the money.
 
Faster in Crysis. Wait and see what happens in Crysis with more mature drivers.... And check benchmarks in other games via the link I listed above.
 
jordan12 said:
I dont see how an ATI 3870 is a mid range card...It is, or was until the 3870X2 was released, ATI's top end card.

And it is still very close in performance to the 8800GT.

So in reality, it isnt a mid range card yet..I just felt I needed to defend it, simply because I have felt that people bash it for no reason..

My apologies if I sounded rude..Wasnt my intent..
Click to expand...

It's mid range in the performance scale. Just cause it's their best doesnt mean it's high end. When the 2900 came out, it was a little better/worse than a 8800 GTS. Still didnt make it a high end product.

SirKronan said:
Did you even read the article on my post? Even though this beats the ultra with BARELY more power consumption and heat output for LESS MONEY you don't consider it a high end product?
Click to expand...

I did read it. So I'm going to call you out on it. Did YOU read it? Because I'd like to ask you at what point did they benchmark it against the Ultra? I can point out multiple instances that it loses to the GTX and GTS. Which is, quite frankly, terrible when you consider the GTX has been out for over a year.

Since when did lower power consumption/heat output/money play a role in determining "a high end product"? I think you are confused with good value and efficiency vs "high end". All of that goes out the window when determining a high end product, all that matters is whatever pushes out the most FPS. Everything in your link is talking about value. If the Ultra came down in MSRP, then you'd see every reviewer trumpet their horn differently. The 8800GT and 3870 are good values, and I'd take either over an Ultra, but that still doesnt make it any worse. No one argues that a Veyron isnt one of the fastest cars around, but a STi or Evo is probably the better value.

And I did call it a high end product. A half assed one at that.

It might be two GPU's strapped together to make one product, but it's still ONE PRODUCT, and right now, the most high end overall. There are things they did with this setup that are unique and new, which make it different from an ordinary crossifre/SLI setup. Read the linked article on my earlier post and you will see. Takes up scarcely more space than an ultra and only occupies one slot. The 3870's are so freaking efficient that two of them consume just a tad more wattage at load, and probably less at idle than an Ultra or GTX, yet give you better performance.
Click to expand...

No, by your link that you provided it is not the "most high end overall". And when you consider the value received for the people that bought the GTX when it was out day one, this pales in comparison, since it took ATi 1 year to challenge nvidia, and nvidia's products are coming out soon.

I don't think getting the 3870 X2 is "settling" for anything. Even though they are using existing technology, the employment strategy is new, as are the performance numbers. Even with immature drivers the performance is fantastic. There is no stock single card or similarly priced multi GPU solution that beats it. To get it for less than $500 is a HOT DEAL.
Click to expand...

You can find 8800GT 512MB's from $205-240 easily and SLI it, which in some benchmarks beat it. But we all know SLI has terrible implementation anyway.

And it loses in your link to a G92 GTS in Crysis and in creamypie's to an Ultra.

You said:
"Meh. I wish they'd make a real high end product. Slapping 2 mid-range cards together is not a good solution."

Why is this "not a good solution"?
Click to expand...

Again, it is half assed. I want a real high end product that is not made from 2 mid range cards. They're giving nvidia no real competition, they could just as easily push back their new cards and "settle" for a dual Ultra solution instead (but that would be the lazy approach).

Like I said earlier, nvidia's new cards are coming out soon and this will pale in comparison.

Edit: Oh, and look at what [H] had to say about it:
In every game except Half Life 2: Episode 2, the GeForce 8800 GTX delivered higher framerates. Keep in mind we are simply using a stock clocked GeForce 8800 GTX, so this doesn’t take into consideration a partner overclocked video card or the 8800 Ultra.

The Radeon HD 3870 X2 does not beat a stock clocked GeForce 8800 GTX right now; it only comes close to its performance level. It took AMD this long to come up with a video card that almost matches a GeForce 8800 GTX in performance and it took two GPUs to do it.
Click to expand...
 
Some of your criticisms are valid, and I see where you're coming from. My point is that I agree with the OP that it's a great product at a great price. I don't think it's a half-@$$'ed product at all. Ultra (or close to ultra as you put it) performance for a lot less money, and several benefits over your normal GPU setup, as pointed out in FPS's article.
 
More supporting evidence for the value of this card:

"ATi won in 13 out of the 17 tests. However, ATi has yet to optimize their driver for the R680, and it is obvious. What is more obvious is that the HD 3870X2 thoroughly outperforms the 8800 Ultra on many levels. There were areas where the ATi card outperformed NVIDIA by as much as 77%. The favoring of architectures, such as Lost Planet, won a few for NVIDIA, but most of the losses were attributed to the ATi drivers. ATi also had the best performance per watt numbers."

http://www.bhfo.org/news/news-articles/hd-3870x2-benchmarked-r680-2.html

"While running the video cards for fifteen minutes at full load, they recorded power draw and temperature readings. The 8800 Ultra maintains a 72C or 161.6F core temperature while drawing 303 watts. The HD 3870X2 maintains a 79C or 174.2F core temperature while drawing 334 watts. Contrary to initial impressions, the power draw and thermal tests favor AMD-ATi. Even though the ATi card uses more power, and sits about 7C or 12.6F hotter than the 8800 ultra, the performance per watt of the ATi card is far greater. This equals out to more performance for less in electricity costs. "

http://www.bhfo.org/news/news-articles/hd-3870x2-benchmarked-r680-3.html

Performance/power efficiency is a sign of a superior/high end product, not a half-@$$'ed product.

The author's conclusion:
"The 8800 Ultra is NVIDIA's ultimate retail offering, but ATi's contribution provides a healthy dose of realism for the aging king. This should definitely provide a needed boost to AMD's expected financial come back in 2H08. NVIDIA will react with their 9800X2, but only one fact is clear, the new card from ATi beats the long-standing 8800 Ultra. Once AMD achieves consistency, this will be an interesting battle."

Read here.


Crysis appears to be an exception, not the norm:

http://en.expreview.com/?p=219#more-219

Fudzilla.com also finds the 3870X2 slightly faster than the Ultra overall, but only by a couple of percent.

http://www.fudzilla.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5356&Itemid=1&limit=1&limitstart=1

Here's another review:

http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/Graphics-cards/ATI-Radeon-HD-3870X2-1-GB/Page-3.html

Tom's review, just out today, also gives the performance crown to the 3870X2, although only by 7% performance over the Ultra, overall. Drivers and a few games that don't quite scale as well yet are the only thing holding this beast back. Even with those drawbacks this card still has an overall performance edge over the Ultra for a LOT less money. It also outperforms two 3870's in crossfire. You can't argue with the facts I provided, as much as you want to. Regardless of how long the Ultra has been out, the 3870 is faster with most benchmarks/games, costs less, and still consumes about the same wattage, puts out about the same heat, and takes up a single slot. Every link I've posted agrees with that. End of discussion.

If it's still not the end of discussion for you, maybe you can understand a graphical representation:

1210234_R680vs8800U_080120.jpg
 
I dont deny that it's the value king, for the 1 or 2 months until nvidia launches (or the people with the GTX for over a year). But lots of people are saying that the 3870 x2 seemingly does better in timed demos, yet [H]'s conclusions differ. Of course, [H]'s methodology is flawed in that no benchmark will ever run the same, but the difference is still minimal at best.

And I believe Toms claimed that the R700 isnt coming out until 2009 (08 just started). Thats my whole issue because it's the 2900 all over again. It just disgusts me the way AMD is running the company after the buyout.
 
Xaijin said:
I dont deny that it's the value king, for the 1 or 2 months until nvidia launches (or the people with the GTX for over a year). But lots of people are saying that the 3870 x2 seemingly does better in timed demos, yet [H]'s conclusions differ. Of course, [H]'s methodology is flawed in that no benchmark will ever run the same, but the difference is still minimal at best.

And I believe Toms claimed that the R700 isnt coming out until 2009 (08 just started). Thats my whole issue because it's the 2900 all over again. It just disgusts me the way AMD is running the company after the buyout.
Click to expand...

Yeah, after some thought I stand by your criticism that while AMD's employment of the 3870X2 has some new ways of doing it, it's still based on older/current technology, vs. something 100% fresh and new, whereas the Ultra was based on a brand new single GPU platform when it came out. It is, nevertheless, a much-needed life preserver for ATI in the current graphics market. This can keep them afloat with its excellent performance/value ratio until their new setup comes out.
 
How in the name of God do you guys get enough cash each month to spend $500 on a new card? Is the new one scrape metal?
 
jordan12 said:
Obviously you do not know what a good card is..This is a great card..Heck the 3870 is a great card..

Man, I hate Nvidia fan boys..
Click to expand...

The only thing I preferred with Nvidia is that many of the manufacturers offer lifetime warranties on their end (eVGA, XFX, BFG, etc) but I got a Visiontek 3870 and they are the only ATI manufacturer who offers a lifetime warranty so my issue was solved and I only paid like $170. The 3870 is great!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top