What is the single fastest card I can buy right now?

mx1mx1

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 1, 2003
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205
What is the single fastest gaming card I can buy today that is in stock today from a store or a online store?

Need a new card and I know it's going to cost a bit of money. Looking to order probably today or tomorrow at the latest.

Don't really want SLI and dont really want to overclock. Just need 1 expensive fast card that is in stock and a good online, trustworthy place to order from.

Thanks for all the help. :)
 
What they said. 8800 Ultra is going to be the fastest single card with no overclocking you can buy in retail currently. Not exactly cost efficient since the 8800 GTS 512MB is nearly as fast and almost half the price, but the Ultra is a bit faster in most scenarios.
 
Either the MSI NX8800 Ultra OC Edition or the EVGA 8800 Ultra Superclocked.

The MSI has faster clock speed (5mhz more) and ram (50mhz more), but the EVGA has a faster shader clockspeed (150mhz). I think the EVGA card would be the better buy if you do not plan on overclocking. The MSI is a lot cheaper though.
 
Turns out there are 2 cards even faster, the XFX 8800 Ultra XXX, it runs 15mhz faster core than the MSI, same memory speed as the MSI, and 25mhz faster shader clock than the EVGA! It is the fastest air cooled card you can get.

However...if you want to watercool (and spend $$$$$$$), the Leadteck Winfast PX8800 Ultra Leviathan runs a clockspeed 9mhz faster than the XFX card, and the memory 22mhz faster than the XFX, don't know about the shader though.

I would now recommend the XFX card if you want the absolute fastest single card that requires no extra effort from you. No overclocking needed, its done for you. If you have the money, then go for it.
 
-10

He said SINGLE. ;)

(No matter its on one PCIE slot, those are 2 GPU's.)

Yeah, the poster acted as if he didn't want to mess with SLI or Crossfire. The 3870X2's performance is largely based on how well a game operates under Crossfire.
 
I would really like a XFX 8800 Ultra XXX or a EVGA 8800 Ultra Superclocked but I cant find them in stock anywhere. I kind of looks like these cards were discontinued?

Anyone know a site that has these in stock?
 
I have checked everywhere I can think of for the XFX ultra XXX or the EVGA ultra superclocked.

Unless someone knows where I can order one of these?
Would the MSI Ultra be the next best one?
 
I was looking for them too, just to see if they were available, but I couldn't find them anywhere. If you keep looking I am sure you will find one somewhere.
 
Either the Geforce 8800 Ultra or the Radeon 3870 X2. A factory overclocked 8800GTX would also be a great option. If you aren't running a display over 24" I'd say grab an 8800GTS 512MB. Great bang for your buck right there.
 
keenzo.com has the EVGA 8800 Ultra Superclocked if you were looking to buy one right away. Good luck.
 
keenzo.com has the EVGA 8800 Ultra Superclocked if you were looking to buy one right away. Good luck.

That is what I'd buy if it were me. I'd go with that and use the Step-up program when the 9-Series parts come out.
 
-10

He said SINGLE. ;)

(No matter its on one PCIE slot, those are 2 GPU's.)

Yes he said SINGLE. SINGLE CARD. Nowhere did the OP say single GPU. Geez. And the 3870x2 does NOT require "messing with SLI or Crossfire".

Why don't you guys go do some damn homework.
 
Yes he said SINGLE. SINGLE CARD. Nowhere did the OP say single GPU. Geez. And the 3870x2 does NOT require "messing with SLI or Crossfire".

Why don't you guys go do some damn homework.

I have done my homework, how about you? Games that dont scale well in Crossfire do not perform as well on an X2. Before you start yelling and cursing at people you may wish to check your facts.

Wanted to add that this may change with more mature drivers for the card, I was reading a review earlier today where it did remarkably well on some newer drivers.
 
Regardless, one of those super overclocked 8800 Ultra's would be better than the X2. He said he wanted an expensive card, so the Ultra fits the bill perfectly.
 
I have done my homework, how about you? Games that dont scale well in Crossfire do not perform as well on an X2. Before you start yelling and cursing at people you may wish to check your facts.

LOL. You could say I've done my homework. Essentially every hardware review site except hardocp says that the fastest single card available right now is the 3870x2.

I also own 2 3870x2's myself, as well as two 8800GTS 512's. I've also owned a GTX in the past. I can tell you that in just about every modern game the 3870x2 is faster than my OC'd GTX was or faster than a single overclocked GTS512.

The OP asked for opinions on the fastest single card available right now. Based on my own extensive experience, which I'm confident is more extensive than your own, I recommended the 3870x2. The fact that the 8800U is discontinued and still very expensive when you can find it factored into my decision to recommend the ATi card.

pc1x1 decided to contribute by discrediting my recommendation.
 
3870x2 is fastest single card out right now. Do some research for yourself and read around all the reviews as this question will raise much bias amongst posters, However if you read around the various forums everyone who has owned both the 3870x2 and the GTX/Ultra except for one person that i've seen seem to agree the 3870x2 is the fastest as well as 99% of the reviews out there. If money is really no object buy them both,test them and return whichever is slower, I have a feeling you'll end up returning the Ultra ;)

Cheers
 
I just checked keenzo.com and I cant seem to find the Ultra Superclocked on there.

Do you have a link? Or did you mean the GTX Superclocked?

Thanks. :)
 
I have been hearing about performance issues in older games with 3870x2. I don't know what the exact details are but it seems that this is more likely to happen when playing older games in XP instead of Vista. It sounds like that drivers for 3870x2 lack optimization for XP, maybe ATi is only focusing on optimization for Vista now?
 
Based on my own extensive experience, which I'm confident is more extensive than your own, I recommended the 3870x2.

pc1x1 decided to contribute by discrediting my recommendation.

The only thing you seem to have experience in is thinly veiled personal attacks.
 
Weird. Now I can't seem to find it anymore. What I did to find it the first time was to go to google shopping and I just started typing 8800 ultra and eventually I found one that was in stock.
 
Just as a recap: The 3870 X2 does not require any extra crossfiring know how. It's built into the card, and is a SINGLE card. (This is directed to those that seemed to make it out like the 3870 X2 requires some kind of extra configuration).

With that said, I'd definitely go with the 3870 X2. While it may be finicky with some games NOW, newer drivers that are coming out will increase performance (And, just for further information, it's common knowledge that you get a better performance increase from Crossfire, which is what the 3870 X2 utilizes, rather than SLI - Nvidia's take). Not only will the new drivers (In March) increase performance, but they will allow for X2 crossfire...which means you'll be able to crossfire 2, 3870 X2's (4 GPU's!)

Furthermore, the kicker is that the 3870 X2 is nearly 200 dollars cheaper on most sites!

3870 X2, without a doubt.
 
I have been hearing about performance issues in older games with 3870x2. I don't know what the exact details are but it seems that this is more likely to happen when playing older games in XP instead of Vista. It sounds like that drivers for 3870x2 lack optimization for XP, maybe ATi is only focusing on optimization for Vista now?

This is bullshit, all my old games run great,get what pleases you the most, but for my money it was the $449.00 HD 3870 X2.
 
I have kind of been thinking of getting a 3870X2 but the thing is I do play alot of older PC games as well as new games. Some of the pc games I play are 2, 3 or 4 years old so I don't know if the 3870X2 would be good for this? I do play most of the new games too though so I need the card to be able to do both.
 
Oops, didn't see that when I posted. So the 3870X2 is definitely 100% compatible with all older PC games?
 
Oops, didn't see that when I posted. So the 3870X2 is definitely 100% compatible with all older PC games?

Should be, but they might not all support both GPUs. Though the older games won't need two GPUs.
 
Should be, but they might not all support both GPUs. Though the older games won't need two GPUs.

Yarr, a few newer games just dont scale as well though to take enough advantage, and an Ultra will outpeform it.

So you could go either way really, i think ATI Has a better antistropic filtering modes or something though.
 
The intelligence of you guys is certainly questionable, :rolleyes:, why would he say single card in the context he did.

Also when will you people understand, the 3870x2 (SEE THE X2!!, WOW!) is not a single card. If it was a single card, I would be able to Crossfire Two of them in my 975x chipset. Its two cards miniaturized into a single pcb, :eek:. Do you your homework, and if you refute this your sirs are idiots.

I came into the [H] Forum because I thought there were intelligent users here, and there are a few, but theres so many scrubs, just look at most of the threads, and half of them are arguments on Facts, its on the name 3870 TIMES 2. It is not a single card, get over yourselves. I am not even going to bother to respond, a rebuttle, IMO you don't argue with facts.



Thread Point:
a 8800 GTS is your best bet, period, you won't regret it as much as getting an Ultra once the new gen comes. Buying an Ultra now, wouldn't make sense, benefit wise etc.
 
The intelligence of you guys is certainly questionable, :rolleyes:, why would he say single card in the context he did.

Also when will you people understand, the 3870x2 (SEE THE X2!!, WOW!) is not a single card. If it was a single card, I would be able to Crossfire Two of them in my 975x chipset. Its two cards miniaturized into a single pcb, :eek:. Do you your homework, and if you refute this your sirs are idiots.

I came into the [H] Forum because I thought there were intelligent users here, and there are a few, but theres so many scrubs, just look at most of the threads, and half of them are arguments on Facts, its on the name 3870 TIMES 2. It is not a single card, get over yourselves. I am not even going to bother to respond, a rebuttle, IMO you don't argue with facts.

Your intelligence is borderline retarded too. The 3870x2 is a single video card. A GPU is not a video card, and vice versa. The X2 is two GPUs, but one card (both physically and as far as the OS is concerned). You *will* be able to crossfire two of them, but your argument that it can't be a single video card because you can't crossfire them at the moment is simply idiotic. Logic FTW :rolleyes:
 
The intelligence of you guys is certainly questionable, :rolleyes:, why would he say single card in the context he did.

Also when will you people understand, the 3870x2 (SEE THE X2!!, WOW!) is not a single card. If it was a single card, I would be able to Crossfire Two of them in my 975x chipset. Its two cards miniaturized into a single pcb, :eek:. Do you your homework, and if you refute this your sirs are idiots.

I came into the [H] Forum because I thought there were intelligent users here, and there are a few, but theres so many scrubs, just look at most of the threads, and half of them are arguments on Facts, its on the name 3870 TIMES 2. It is not a single card, get over yourselves. I am not even going to bother to respond, a rebuttle, IMO you don't argue with facts.


Thread Point:
a 8800 GTS is your best bet, period, you won't regret it as much as getting an Ultra once the new gen comes. Buying an Ultra now, wouldn't make sense, benefit wise etc.

I don't think it's the intelligence of us that's questionable so much as the terminology we are all using here. When we say "single card", we are talking, from a consumer perspective, a single product. It doesn't matter how many gpus or 'cards' this product contains - the fact remains it is a single product, a SINGLE piece of hardware, however intricately MINIATURIZED, as you so eloquantly put it.

Furthermore, we all have addressed that it utilizes CROSSFIRE, implying that it is essentially 2 'cards' in one, not a single gpu. However, the thing to note here is that he isn't buying two 3870's and then configuring them in Crossfire...it is already done (That was my point!).

To add to this even more, as I mentioned, the new drivers coming out in March WILL allow you to crossfire TWO 3870 X2 (meaning 4 GPU's).

I still stand by the 3870 X2.
 
I don't think it's the intelligence of us that's questionable so much as the terminology we are all using here. When we say "single card", we are talking, from a consumer perspective, a single product. It doesn't matter how many gpus or 'cards' this product contains - the fact remains it is a single product, a SINGLE piece of hardware, however intricately MINIATURIZED, as you so eloquantly put it.

Furthermore, we all have addressed that it utilizes CROSSFIRE, implying that it is essentially 2 'cards' in one, not a single gpu. However, the thing to note here is that he isn't buying two 3870's and then configuring them in Crossfire...it is already done (That was my point!).

I still stand by the 3870 X2.

Right, we are on the same page here, so I believe its right to think hes not your average consumer, that by him saying single and wanting to avoid SLI, he is also alienating anything based on the technology, SLI or CF. If we have to dumb things down for your average consumer that just because the card is a single pcb, its a single card, this forum isn't as [H] as I thought it would be. Its nice, but I was hoping it was more [H]X2 :p

Just to ADD: Theres alot of reasons that the 3870x2 in its current form will also fail at being the fastest single also, just look at its bus speed, its terrible for two gpus. Pricewise, benefit wise, and avoiding the downfalls of scalling, 8800 GTS is the way to go, its pretty straightforward.

On that note, I'll be picking up a 3870x2, because thats what my mobo likes and is the best 4 DVI slot solution at the moment.
 
Your intelligence is borderline retarded too. The 3870x2 is a single video card. A GPU is not a video card, and vice versa. The X2 is two GPUs, but one card (both physically and as far as the OS is concerned). You *will* be able to crossfire two of them, but your argument that it can't be a single video card because you can't crossfire them at the moment is simply idiotic. Logic FTW :rolleyes:

Thats not what I said, learn to read, Zetherin got it though, Ill address him, because hes can read ;). He knows what I am saying, and on technicality I am right, but whatever.

If the question was, whats the fastest possible single PCIE slot solution, 3870x2 is it, for now....

2 Mini cards, aren't one, and no OS doesn't think its one card, thats just what the driver tells the OS, the driver knows its 2, sighs....

Just to ADD; and to blow your mind! Look at the architecture of the 3870x2, Its 2 mini cards, they don't have a single ram as one card, they both have 512mb of ram each, and talk through internal crossfire, etc, etc look at the reference documents, read......, etc, etc.
 
Wow, a lot of argument of the definition of a single card. My definition of single card is that it fits in a single slot. Not going to get into the fight here, that’s my definition and I believe that it’s a reasonable, if not technically exhaustive definition. So the 3870X2 qualifies.

The debate here has been between the 8800 Ultra and the 3870X2, which I would agree with, right now these are the two fastest single cards. With that said, I don’t see the X2 as the clear winner over the Ultra, it depends on the game. I have an MSI Ultra and it’s a fine card, and the 3870X2 might be better in some cases but it’s not worth upgrading to from an Ultra. I think most Ultra owners would agree with this. Now if I were buying a card right now, I could see getting the 3870X2 over the Ultra.

To be honest, this is a bad time to buy a high-end GPU. But if you have the need, I’d go with the 3870X2.
 
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