# just ordered an HD 3870 xt..



## trog100 (Nov 13, 2007)

should be here tomorrow if i am lucky thursday if i am not..

seems pretty obvious to me that giving the low power consumption of these cards/chips.. within six weeks or so we will see the xtx equivalent which will be two of these chips on the same card.. an 3870xt  x2 or something like that..

the days of cheap top end cards aint gonna last long.. soon it will be "cheap" times two all on the same card.. he he

its just gonna go the same way as cpus have gone.. multicore..

wonder how long i will be able to resist buy the x2 version.. he he

does kinda gall me that the card i paid 375 quid for just over a year ago is now worth about 75 quid if i am lucky thow..

trog


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## DaMulta (Nov 13, 2007)

So did you happen to do this?


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## nflesher87 (Nov 13, 2007)

when are they for sale in the states?


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## trog100 (Nov 13, 2007)

i would guess the states wont be behind the UK.. launch thursday in the UK.. i just jumped the queue a smidge..

trog


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## dolf (Nov 13, 2007)

Whish you good luck with the delivery. Keep us posted about the results after you test it.


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## trog100 (Nov 13, 2007)

they have actually shipped it today it will be here tomorrow morning.. will post the results when i run it..

trog


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## OnBoard (Nov 13, 2007)

Well that was fast, bookmarking this thread in hopes of pictures and benchies 

If you take pictures, could you take one onder the cooler where the memory sink is, to see how much room there is under. Backside of the card welcome too, as same screw hold the stock cooler and the ram & voltagereq.sink. Planning swapping stock cooler to zalman and keep the heasinks, if I get this.

edit: mounting holes diagonal distance across core would be nice too, if it's under 75,5mm / 3 inhces


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## Ripper3 (Nov 13, 2007)

Wow, and I had no idea of when it was to be released!
If your performance from it is good, I may grab the 3850, this 8600GTS is pissing me off.


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## HookeyStreet (Nov 14, 2007)

trog100 said:


> they have actually shipped it today it will be here tomorrow morning.. will post the results when i run it..
> 
> trog



Where have you ordered it from?


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## erocker (Nov 14, 2007)

The 3870 is better than the 8800GT when both are OC'd at thier max.  Just thought I'd throw that in there!


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## Pinchy (Nov 14, 2007)

Wow...there is a store over here that has them as well . I had no idea they were out .

Shame they are $360 :\


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## TonyStark (Nov 14, 2007)

erocker said:


> The 3870 is better than the 8800GT when both are OC'd at thier max.  Just thought I'd throw that in there!



Prove it.


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## erocker (Nov 14, 2007)

Oh, I will!  Based upon the facts that are out there for both cards, you can put it together.
Unfortunately, like most of us, I have to wait untill Thursday to recieve the card.  You can go take a look at VR Forums.


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## trog100 (Nov 14, 2007)

to save me ripping mine to pieces here is some pics..

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2554671&postcount=1065

OC/UK say they have loads of em ship tomorrow arrive on the nda date of the 15th which is thursday this week..

trog

ps.. its interesting just how little press this release has got.. odd..


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## TonyStark (Nov 14, 2007)

hmmm runs just as hot as the HD2900XT. Power draw is 110 Watts less though, which is good. Can't wait for overclock results.


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## erocker (Nov 14, 2007)

trog100 said:


> to save me ripping mine to pieces here is some pics..
> 
> http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2554671&postcount=1065



Yet another garbage example of someone who doesn't know how to set up thier freaking computer correctly.

*Not you Trog, they guy on xtremesystems.


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## JC316 (Nov 14, 2007)

The trog man lives and he brings visions of 3870 overclocking results. You always did have the most interesting threads.


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## insider (Nov 14, 2007)

Cut and paste from XS:

X2900XT:

Idle 83w~
Load 207w~

3870:

Idle 28w~
Load 120w~

Impressive power efficiency gains.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

W1zzard needs to update ATITool for 3870 voltage options!


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## peach1971 (Nov 14, 2007)

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD3870 219,26 EUR here.
http://www.hardwareschotte.de/hardware/preise/proid_9142892/preis_SAPPHIRE+Radeon+HD3870+21122-00-xx

Nice introduction price


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## insider (Nov 14, 2007)

No errors, I think the guy might not have enabled Powerplay on the catalyst control panal.

Edit: Cat 7.11 should have it fully working.


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## trt740 (Nov 14, 2007)

hum just sold my 8800 gt for 320 couldn't resist payed 265.00 might get a 3870 whats the price and whens it gonna have a us release.


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## L|NK|N (Nov 14, 2007)

trt740 said:


> hum just sold my 8800 gt for 320 couldn't resist payed 265.00 might get a 3870 whats the price and whens it gonna have a us release.



I believe it's somewhere in the ballpark of $179-239.  I did read this somewhere today.  I need to find the link again.  Talk about an awesome deal though!


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## peach1971 (Nov 14, 2007)

LiNKiN said:


> I believe it's somewhere in the ballpark of $179-239.  I did read this somewhere today.  I need to find the link again.  Talk about an awesome deal though!



That was certainly a HD3850.


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## HookeyStreet (Nov 14, 2007)

So how will the HD3870 compare (performance/price wise) to the HD2900XT


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## DarkMatter (Nov 14, 2007)

trt740 said:


> hum just sold my 8800 gt for 320 couldn't resist payed 265.00 might get a 3870 whats the price and whens it gonna have a us release.



 You change cards faster than I change girlfriends. And at the same time you make money!!  
I loose money with girlfriends, thats why GCs are better. LOL. I wish graphics cards could fullfill all my needs.


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## trog100 (Nov 14, 2007)

this is only UK stuff but there is quite a lot of comment on this in the OC/UK forums.. some from the horses mouth.. 

mine was £158 plus £10 postage..

see here for UK prices..

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=44361

the horses mouth says they run cool.. go slightly better than the 2900xt.. overclock well.. figures like 850 core 2500 memory (ddr4)..

in reply to a comment about competition from the 8800gt.. horses mouth says ati aint bothered about competition from a card that isnt available.. imagine winky smiley here.. read into this comment what u will.. they sell both cards.. they should know the secrets of why u cant find any 8800gt's anywhere on planet..

this enquirer thread might throw some light on the unavailability of the nvidia card..

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/11/11/nvidia-mystery-thermal-analysis

how well these cards go is all about how they overclock.. stock they are about the same as the 2900xt but overclocked assuming they do they should be noticably better..

the way i read things.. the ati card is designed to overclcok.. the single slot 8800gt isnt.. its on the edge at stock and deliberately so.. they dont want it making a mockery of their flagship offering at double the price.. 

one thing for sure the whole price range of some of the older cards no longer make sense.. ati seem to have shot their own flagship down and so do nvidia.. nvidia having more to lose here than ati.. 

i see a win for ati.. not at first apparent but i recon it will pan out this way..

trog

ps.. the key here is the ati low power draw.. its paving the way for usable multi gpu cards.. this one is just a taster for the real one to come.. two gpus on the same card at a reasonable power draw at real high-end prices.. looking at the 8800gt it seems to me nvidia aint quite ready for this.. the only reason i recon the 8800gt exists (the ones that do) is to blow a whole in the new ati offering.. the 8800gt didnt make sense to me but now it does.. its a torpedo.. he he..


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## patton45 (Nov 14, 2007)

trog100 said:


> should be here tomorrow if i am lucky thursday if i am not..
> 
> seems pretty obvious to me that giving the low power consumption of these cards/chips.. within six weeks or so we will see the xtx equivalent which will be two of these chips on the same card.. an 3870xt  x2 or something like that..
> 
> ...



they have had multicore or dual core graphics cards for nearly a decaded such as the voodoo 5 5500  
im interested to see they 3870 results  keep us posted


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## TonyStark (Nov 14, 2007)

HookeyStreet said:


> So how will the HD3870 compare (performance/price wise) to the HD2900XT



A little bit faster, but much cheaper.


The HD3870 will _probably_ lag behind the HD2900XT at extreme resolutions due to its 256bit memory bus though.


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## insider (Nov 14, 2007)

Someone over at XS already managed 850MHz on core with the 3870 with stock cooling, probably won't be long until we see 1GHz+ on the core.


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## JC316 (Nov 14, 2007)

trt740 said:


> hum just sold my 8800 gt for 320 couldn't resist payed 265.00 might get a 3870 whats the price and whens it gonna have a us release.



Jeez TRT, you are about to overtake me as the king of the system switchers.


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## OnBoard (Nov 14, 2007)

trog100 said:


> to save me ripping mine to pieces here is some pics..
> http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2554671&postcount=1065



Cheers for the pics (that text is quit pathetic, but not like I have to read it, just wanted to see the pics )

edit: seems like memory & voltage heatsink is with their own screws and counting the mounting wholes distance diagonally I got ~72mm. VF900 furthest nipples are 75.5mm So either is uses those and is x1900, 7900 and 8800gt cooler compatible or then the previous ones and needs NVIDIA Geforce FX 59x0 Series compatible cooler.

edit2: "3870, 3850, 1950, 8800gt are all the same size of holes"
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2555645&postcount=1112


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## freeboy (Nov 14, 2007)

Will a DD MAze 5  work on a hd 3870


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## tostator (Nov 14, 2007)

Here in Spain, my wholeseller has the 3850 preanounced at 155 € and the 3870 (512 mb) @192 €. Although there is no stock yet...


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## [I.R.A]_FBi (Nov 14, 2007)

OnBoard said:


> Cheers for the pics (that text is quit pathetic, but not like I have to read it, just wanted to see the pics )
> 
> edit: seems like memory & voltage heatsink is with their own screws and counting the mounting wholes distance diagonally I got ~72mm. VF900 furthest nipples are 75.5mm So either is uses those and is x1900, 7900 and 8800gt cooler compatible or then the previous ones and needs NVIDIA Geforce FX 59x0 Series compatible cooler.
> 
> ...




so any cooler for the above will work?


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## OnBoard (Nov 14, 2007)

Would seem so, but with so tiny core something like thermalright HR wouldn't be my first choice  Those capacitors are tiny, so no clearance issues at least, like Accelero S1 has in some cards. But until I see some aftermarket cooler mounted there, I wouldn't trust it 100%.


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## trog100 (Nov 14, 2007)

a little more tech info..







"An AMD presentation for its upcoming RV670 graphics processor (officially dubbed Radeon HD 3800), has been leaked to media.

Authenticated by several reputable sources, the slides confirm previous expectations regarding the next generation video card's specs and its DirectX 10.1 support.

AMD will officially launch its ATI Radeon HD 3800 series before the end of the month. The launch will consist of two new video cards, HD 3870 and HD 3850. The HD 3870 will be AMD's new hardcore card and is expected to launch at a retail price of $250. The HD 3850 will sell for less than $150. DirectX 10.1, which would ship with Windows Vista Service Pack 1, will be supported by both of these new cards.

The new cards will be the industry's first 55nm GPUs. They will both feature 666 million transistors each, compared to ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT which hosts 700 million 80nm transistors. According to AMD, the move to a smaller processing node results in less power leakage and leads to the HD 3870 having less than half the power draw of the HD 2900 XT.

AMD will also introduce PowerPlay and ATI OverDrive technologies in its new processors. ATI OverDrive allows users to overclock their HD 3800 video cards through ATI Catalyst software. PowerPlay adjusts engine and memory clocks along with voltage levels to optimize GPU utilization.

ATI Radeon HD 3870 will feature 512MB of 1.2 GHz GDDR4 memory on a 256-bit bus. HD 3850 will feature 256MB of 900MHz GDDR3 memory on a 256-bit bus. AMD measures peak board power at 105 Watts, and operating noise at 34 dBA.

Both cards will include 320 stream processors, 16 texture units, and 16 render back-ends. The main difference between the two cards, though, will be their clock speeds. Radeon HD 3870 will clock at 775+ MHz, while Radeon HD 3850 will be clocked at 670MHz."

mine is tracked as on the delivery van but still aint arrived on my doorstep.. he he..

trog


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## theonetruewill (Nov 14, 2007)

JC316 said:


> Jeez TRT, you are about to overtake me as the king of the system switchers.



I reckon he's already beaten you. Take a look at how many 3D06 entries he has! This is no slur on you trt btw- you're an enthusiast that's all.


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## trog100 (Nov 14, 2007)

well its just arrived.. looks pretty and its probably about the same size as the 2900.. not a lot else to say till i get the beat in and run it.. be back later today..

HIS 3870..

trog


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## peach1971 (Nov 14, 2007)

Yeah!


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## bengun (Nov 14, 2007)

can't wait for the results!!! i am thinking of gettin 2 HD3850's for that price you almost have to!


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## trog100 (Nov 14, 2007)

well.. hmmm.. the latest cats (already installed) dont recognize the new card.. the latest gpu-z dosnt either.. i seem to have a card that nothing recognizes the bloody ati website dosnt have it listed yet either.. the drivers that come with the card wont install.

i am in xp.. surely they wouldnt release a card that needs drivers that dont exist..

at present i am stuck.. does any of this make any sense..???





















still scratching my head..

trog


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## DaMulta (Nov 14, 2007)

uninstall your current drivers reboot then try again.


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## L|NK|N (Nov 14, 2007)

CCleaner FTW!


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## WarEagleAU (Nov 14, 2007)

Driver Cleaner you mean Mr LiNKiN, Driver cleaner. Thats about the best thing out there for uninstalling your old gpu drivers. CCleaner (Crap cleaner) cleans up all the other useless stuff on your system. 

As far as your problem goes, surely its not released and out and the driver installer package (.msi) is screwy.


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## L|NK|N (Nov 14, 2007)

No I meant CCleaner as well. You can uninstall the drivers as well as deleted the registry keys as well.  I just find CCleaner to fit my overall needs better.  Works just as good to remove old drivers.


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## trog100 (Nov 14, 2007)

got somewhere.. doing it the old fashioned way i have some kind of cat drivers installed.. the gpu-z see the hardware now but gonna try the driver clean option.. 

least i know the hardware works..

this what happens when i try and install the latest cats from my hard-drive.. the other stuff up above is what happens when i try and use the cd that came with the card.. but at least i am getting somewhere..






trog


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## bengun (Nov 14, 2007)

http://iax-tech.com/video/3870/38702.htm

did you read this by any chance? looks like they got even 2 of the 3870's running in crossfire.
maybe that helps ?!


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## trog100 (Nov 14, 2007)

thanks will have read but i have major problems at the moment its for sure.... the only way i can get any ati drivers to install is to do it the old fashioned way and point windows at the xp driver on the cards cd.. 

device mangler finds some unknown pci device which i dont have which i have disabled.. windows sees the card type correctly and so does gpu-z.. 

but i dont have any ati control center and cant run any 3Dmarks after 2001 se.. 

i assume this is because the later 3dmarks need to read my system and cant.. 

i can run the new rightmark benchmark okay.. a big improvement over my 1900xtx and better than any ati card scores i have seen yet.. up from 101 to 213..

3dmark 2001 se gives 41660.. my games seem to work or at least the ones i have tried..

atitool wont run either.. 

all weird stuff.. 

trog


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## trt740 (Nov 14, 2007)

trog100 said:


> thanks will have read but i have major problems at the moment its for sure.... the only way i can get any ati drivers to install is to do it the old fashioned way and point windows at the xp driver on the cards cd..
> 
> device mangler finds some unknown pci device which i dont have which i have disabled.. windows sees the card type correctly and so does gpu-z..
> 
> ...





here it is  

http://www.sapphiretech.com/us/products/products_overview.php?gpid=198&grp=3


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## PVTCaboose1337 (Nov 14, 2007)

I guess you got to just wait for the right drivers.


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## Wile E (Nov 14, 2007)

trt740 said:


> here it is
> 
> http://www.sapphiretech.com/us/products/products_overview.php?gpid=198&grp=3



Direct links:

XP: http://www.sapphiretech.com/en/driverfiles/382.zip

Vista 32/64: http://www.sapphiretech.com/en/driverfiles/381.zip


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## Tatty_One (Nov 15, 2007)

erocker said:


> The 3870 is better than the 8800GT when both are OC'd at thier max.  Just thought I'd throw that in there!



Review?.....I have not seen that so far, the contrary in fact, not questioning you, just interested to see, especially as there is a 8800GT in these forums touching near to 17000 3D mark 2006 (yes I did say 2006) for a single card!

That 8800GT is clocked I think now above 800Mhz on the core (on water), do the maths up from 600 stock.....who said the 8800GT isnt made for overclocking?


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## Tatty_One (Nov 15, 2007)

trog100 said:


> thanks will have read but i have major problems at the moment its for sure.... the only way i can get any ati drivers to install is to do it the old fashioned way and point windows at the xp driver on the cards cd..
> 
> device mangler finds some unknown pci device which i dont have which i have disabled.. windows sees the card type correctly and so does gpu-z..
> 
> ...





Where    where    where did you order it from....spill the beans!!


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## trog100 (Nov 15, 2007)

OC/UK tatty.. ordered by phone and the shipping department shipped it straight away.. only two or trhee escaped early but one was mine.. he he

they do have plenty thow and should be up on the website tomorrow morning.. 

trog

ps.. i manually installed the missing bits one at a time from the install cd its all working now..

2005 scores 18018..

2006 scores 11143..

lightmark scores 222..

oh.. the 3dmark problem needs a dll moving from the windows system 32 futuremark folder.. direcpll.dll .. its a known fix and had to be done for the 2900 cards..


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## DaMulta (Nov 15, 2007)

You need to remove the DLL file in system32 for 3dmark.


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## trt740 (Nov 15, 2007)

Tatty_One said:


> Review?.....I have not seen that so far, the contrary in fact, not questioning you, just interested to see, especially as there is a 8800GT in these forums touching near to 17000 3D mark 2006 (yes I did say 2006) for a single card!
> 
> That 8800GT is clocked I think now above 800Mhz on the core (on water), do the maths up from 600 stock.....who said the 8800GT isnt made for overclocking?



my old 8800 gt did this on air for refrence


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## DrunkenMafia (Nov 15, 2007)

^^  Holy shit man!!!

It makes me sweat seeing 1.7v on a quad!!!     I guess that is just for benching though...  

Very nice 3dmark score but...


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## trog100 (Nov 16, 2007)

once u get up to those levels your cpu/system speed plays a big part tatty.. with your system.. intel at 4 gigs and mine amd at 3.3 gigs your 8800gt is getting some help.. i recon the 3870 wouldnt be far behind your score in your system..

it would be way way better than my example so score for score its not a fair comparison grafix card wise.. once u go over 10,000 with a 3mark score its no longer just a grafix card bench.. the cpu and rest of the system play a big part..

once u go over say 8000 3dmark aint a very good grafix card bench..  up to 8000-ish its pretty much all grafix card.. way up where u are its half and half..

when futuremark scores go up to the 10000 level they bin the old one and should come out with a new one.. bit over due in your case i recon.. he he..

very nice score thow by the way.. as long as folks know its half down to your super fast system and not the 8800gt card.. 

trog


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## newconroer (Nov 16, 2007)

Aye, I didn't see the point of people comparing GPUs in Mark scores, when they have OCd CPUs.


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## yogurt_21 (Nov 16, 2007)

trog100 said:


> thanks will have read but i have major problems at the moment its for sure.... the only way i can get any ati drivers to install is to do it the old fashioned way and point windows at the xp driver on the cards cd..
> 
> device mangler finds some unknown pci device which i dont have which i have disabled.. windows sees the card type correctly and so does gpu-z..
> 
> ...



gonn have to rename the dll. file in the futuremark folder.




> Q: I just bought the ATI Radeon HD 2900XT and 3DMark06 freezes during the splash-screen. What is wrong and how can I fix this?
> A: This is a known issue and we have been able to reproduce it in our test lab. The problem lays in an DLL which we use to detect the graphics cards' core and memory speeds. We are working on an update to correct this issue after which all Futuremark benchmarks should run fine with the latest offerings from all IHV's. Until then you can work around this issue either by renaming the "Direcpll.dll" file (found in %WINDIR%\system32\Futuremark\MSC\) to something else, or you can run the benchmark using the -nosysteminfo command line. Please note that if you use the -nosysteminfo command line, you will not be able to publish the result online. Futuremark will inform all its users when the update is available!


source
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=31&threadid=2056077&enterthread=y

all of this series have that issue. lol


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## TooFast (Nov 16, 2007)

THIS ONE WILL BE FASTER THAN THE 8800GT 1000%

http://www.extreme-pc.ca/showproduct.asp?productid=371687&menu1id=12&menu2id=99&menu3id=39


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## freeboy (Nov 16, 2007)

dude, reread the link! CROSSFIRE will outperform stock gt, all gts should be oc'd.. many are seeing core over 800 and 2100 mem speads.. 1900 plus shadeers.. so 
YES two in Xfire will be faster.. please read links and reviews closely!


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## Ripper3 (Nov 16, 2007)

I don't trust that link, they stated "8800GTs will NEVER be able to do 3-way or 4-way SLi [...]", this isn't true, Nvidia is doing 3-way SLi for the 8800GTX and Ultra FOR NOW, and then is going to introduce it later. Teh cable used for 3-way is one single cable connecting up 3 cards anyhow, so it's possible.

Of course the Crossfire would beat one single 8800GT, if it didn't, ATi would REALLY be in trouble 
The 3870 is very close to the 8800GT, but as I and everyone else with a level head, have said, the best thing with the 3870, is the price advantage, and the fact it's actually available for sale, not to mention CrossfireX support and a much lower power consumption over the 2900Pro/XT.


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## freeboy (Nov 16, 2007)

granted the xfire they are selling has some impressive clocked speeds, but as the 8800's are comming out underclocked, wow! I am debating ordering a bunch of the 242.00 ones and reselling ,but by the time they are released the bubble will have burst LOL


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## trog100 (Nov 16, 2007)

the bottom line here is that ati are working to a plan.. cheap and cheerful crossfire.. and/or more than one gpu on a card..

three week ago i bought a none crossfire mobo thinking i would never go crossfire..  today i would buy a crossfire board..  in the past cheapo crossfire/sli was always beaten by a single top end card.. at the moment it isnt.. at this time crossfire makes sense..

ati are giving us more options.. two or more cheapos .. one or more of the soon to come x 2s.. i might swap my three week old mobo for a crossfire one.. he he he..

course the other alternative will be to wait for the new x 2 top end card and stick to my no crossfire thinking.. i have never been into over the top systems i aint rich enough.. it comes down to price.. it will probably be cheaper to buy another mobo and cheapo 3870 than the new x 2 ati offering when it gets here.. dunno..

trog


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## trt740 (Nov 16, 2007)

trog100 said:


> once u get up to those levels your cpu/system speed plays a big part tatty.. with your system.. intel at 4 gigs and mine amd at 3.3 gigs your 8800gt is getting some help.. i recon the 3870 wouldnt be far behind your score in your system..
> 
> it would be way way better than my example so score for score its not a fair comparison grafix card wise.. once u go over 10,000 with a 3mark score its no longer just a grafix card bench.. the cpu and rest of the system play a big part..
> 
> ...



not really mine 8800 gt set to 3.6ghz and my gt overclocked score 15890 in 3dmarks06 some is cpu but it's alot faster than my old 2900 xt 1gig by over 2000 points clock for clock and my 2900 xt is still the top ati card.


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## trt740 (Nov 16, 2007)

trt740 said:


> not really mine 8800 gt set to 3.6ghz and my gt overclocked score 15890 in 3dmarks06 some is cpu but it's alot faster than my old 2900 xt 1gig by over 2000 points clock for clock and my 2900 xt is still the top ati card.


 we will see here is my 2900 xt score 1 gb clocked at 897core /1197 memory, PCIE overclocked 130 mghz and my q6600 at 4.050ghz. If you notice the 2900 xt and the 8800 gt have cpu clocked exactly the same and both are at my max overclocks. The 8800gt kills the 2900 xt in this bench hands down compare them and see for yourself. Ati will win price per performance if you own a crossfire motherboard as I do.









 2900 xt with q6600 cpu 4.050ghz


here is the link to all the stats on the benches http://service.futuremark.com/orb/projectdetails.jsp?projectType=14&projectId=3473527 2900 xt  cpu 4.050ghz
http://service.futuremark.com/orb/projectdetails.jsp?projectType=14&projectId=3687009 8800 gt  cpu 4.050ghz


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## Tatty_One (Nov 16, 2007)

My 3870 is on it's way.....along with a Gigabyte x38 DQ6 16 x 16 crossfire


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## trt740 (Nov 16, 2007)

Tatty_One said:


> My 3870 is on it's way.....along with a Gigabyte x38 DQ6 16 x 16 crossfire



back to the light good for you tatty


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## Frick (Nov 16, 2007)

Tatty_One said:


> My 3870 is on it's way.....along with a Gigabyte x38 DQ6 16 x 16 crossfire



Get another 3870 soon and then you have a kicka$$ system.


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## Tatty_One (Nov 16, 2007)

trt740 said:


> back to the light good for you tatty



I just hope they get the driver development right like they did for the 2900, in the end I was swayed by price, a double slot cooler, lower power and heat and the hope for something great in a couple of driver releases.


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## Tatty_One (Nov 16, 2007)

Frick said:


> Get another 3870 soon and then you have a kicka$$ system.



45nm Yorkfield Quad and another 3870 in the spring maybe would sit very nicely on the x38 DQ6 mefinks


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## Xolair (Nov 16, 2007)

Yeah, I too ordered a* HD 3870* from *Club 3D*... not as beautiful of a card as those of the other manufacturers, but certainly will do. 

http://www.jimmspc-store.fi/images/cache/Jimms_CGAX-3872DD.FFFFFF.200x200.jpg

Heh, it'll be a HUGE improvement over my *X1650 Pro*, for sure.


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## trt740 (Nov 16, 2007)

Tatty_One said:


> 45nm Yorkfield Quad and another 3870 in the spring maybe would sit very nicely on the x38 DQ6 mefinks



I wanted a second one but in crossfire it will be only x4 so i'm not sure if i should get it.


----------



## trt740 (Nov 16, 2007)

Hey guys a 3870 is going for 360.00 shipped right now on ebay because they are sold out unreal.


----------



## trog100 (Nov 16, 2007)

Xolair said:


> Yeah, I too ordered a* HD 3870* from *Club 3D*... not as beautiful of a card as those of the other manufacturers, but certainly will do.
> 
> http://www.jimmspc-store.fi/images/cache/Jimms_CGAX-3872DD.FFFFFF.200x200.jpg
> 
> Heh, it'll be a HUGE improvement over my *X1650 Pro*, for sure.



my HIS one is just clear red plastic and i didnt even get the promised by OC/UK free game with it.. he he..

and yep it will fly compared to the card u have.. nice when u get a performance leap like that.... for the money its a bit unheard of..

trog


----------



## Scrizz (Nov 16, 2007)

trt740 said:


> I wanted a second one but in crossfire it will be only x4 so i'm not sure if i should get it.



I dont't think it would on an x38, right?

n e ways that's gonna be a HUGE improvement over my GMA950


----------



## Scrizz (Nov 16, 2007)

ohh btw is the HD3k clubhouse up yet?
hehe..


----------



## vivanco (Nov 16, 2007)

guys im thinking of buying a new video card what should i buy?

prices are in canadian dolar

Sapphire ATI RADEON HD 3870 : $255 
Sapphire ATI RADEON HD 2900XT :  $394.99 

which one is better?


----------



## b1lk1 (Nov 16, 2007)

The 4X PCI-E slot is not a big enough hit to not go Crossfire if you have the spare $$$.  I sure plan on getting another 2900XT since the price for them used is really dropping fast.


----------



## trt740 (Nov 16, 2007)

vivanco said:


> guys im thinking of buying a new video card what should i buy?
> 
> prices are in canadian dolar
> 
> ...



3870 same performance costs less


----------



## t_ski (Nov 16, 2007)

trog100 said:


> device mangler finds some unknown pci device which i dont have which i have disabled..



Sounds like it's the HDMI audio port.

Anybody know anywhere in the US that is selling these at retail price (not above)?


----------



## Tatty_One (Nov 16, 2007)

trt740 said:


> I wanted a second one but in crossfire it will be only x4 so i'm not sure if i should get it.



Well apparently you will lose some......10-15% of 16 x 16 from one x38 review I read but probably still VERY good, if you wanna edge your bets and not "waste" upto 15% of an HD3870, get a HD3850 to Xfire so for a lesser price you still get nice performance if you get my meaning.  You are aware that you can run a 3870 and a 3850 together in XFire?


----------



## Tatty_One (Nov 16, 2007)

trt740 said:


> Hey guys a 3870 is going for 360.00 shipped right now on ebay because they are sold out unreal.



Damn I paid less than that in the UK, I feel  so much better now thinkin you guys gotta pay top dollar for once


----------



## Tatty_One (Nov 16, 2007)

trog100 said:


> my HIS one is just clear red plastic and i didnt even get the promised by OC/UK free game with it.. he he..
> 
> and yep it will fly compared to the card u have.. nice when u get a performance leap like that.... for the money its a bit unheard of..
> 
> trog



Get hold of them then!!!! If I dont get Call of Jurez or whatever is advertised in the cards description I'll be right on the blower to them!


----------



## trt740 (Nov 16, 2007)

Tatty_One said:


> Damn I paid less than that in the UK, I feel  so much better now thinkin you guys gotta pay top dollar for once



No Tatty you misunderstood I payed 219.00 for mine I could sell it on ebay for 360.00 making a giant profit. We payed alot less than 360.00 it because of the shortage the price is so high on ebay. I was talking about making a buck. Also if you run a 3850 with a 3870 in crossfire won't the 3870 be downclocked to match the 3850's speed? Which would equal  two 3850's and be a waste


----------



## Tatty_One (Nov 16, 2007)

trt740 said:


> No Tatty you misunderstood I payed 219.00 for mine I could sell it on ebay for 360.00 making a giant profit. We payed alot less than 360.00 it because of the shortage the price is so high on ebay. I was talking about making a buck.



Ahhhhh, I shold have guessed!  I paid the equivilent of about $325 but we know what prices are like over here, either your cost of living must be damn low over there, or your tax or your average wage would not buy a loaf of bread over here!!


----------



## trt740 (Nov 16, 2007)

When I was a cop I made with over time around 78,000 a year. Are taxes are about 28 percent. The cost of living here is about half of the uk's if not less. A average home goes for 170,000 here with a acre of land.


----------



## Tatty_One (Nov 16, 2007)

trt740 said:


> When I was a cop I made with over time around 78,000 a year. Are taxes are about 28 percent. the cost of living here is about half for the uk's if not less.



Damn, I wouldnt get outta bed for that    20% income tax, add around another 15% for what we call "National Insurance" plus 17.5% Value added tax on most goods we purchase


----------



## trt740 (Nov 16, 2007)

Tatty_One said:


> Damn, I wouldnt get outta bed for that    20% income tax, add around another 15% for what we call "National Insurance" plus 17.5% Value added tax on most goods we purchase




Well remember things are much less expensive here. Gas is a 3rd of the price here compared to the Uk for example. We think 2.95 a gallon is alot to pay.


----------



## Tatty_One (Nov 16, 2007)

trt740 said:


> Well remember things are much less expensive here. Gas is a 3rd of the price here compared to the Uk for example.



I know, I was just kidding, that would be a decent wage in the UK, I am quite lucky, the job I do currently pays well plus I am in receipt of a Military pension which equates to about $30,000 a year, and in about 7 years that will almost double.  Trouble is.........I get taxed to sh*t


----------



## Scrizz (Nov 16, 2007)

man....... over here in the sunshine state, homes are like $300,000 and that's with half an acre


----------



## Tatty_One (Nov 16, 2007)

Scrizz said:


> man....... over here in the sunshine state, homes are like $300,000 and that's with half an acre



Cant get a Garage for that in London


----------



## Scrizz (Nov 16, 2007)

Tatty_One said:


> Cant get a Garage for that in London


----------



## trog100 (Nov 16, 2007)

t_ski said:


> Sounds like it's the HDMI audio port.
> 
> Anybody know anywhere in the US that is selling these at retail price (not above)?



thanks dude thats what it is.. once i told windows what it was it and pointed it at the right folder on the cd it installed it..

thats two things i have had to install the old fashioned way.. the vga driver and the audio driver.. ccc and other none hardware stuff installed from the set up in the individual folders.

definitely a duff xp installer on my HIS CD.. he he.. the vista one works but not the XP one..

still thanks again.. its all okay no big yellow mark now in device mangler..  

trog


----------



## Scrizz (Nov 16, 2007)

trog100 said:


> thanks dude thats what it is.. once i told windows what it was it and pointed it at the right folder on the cd it installed it..
> 
> thats two things i have had to install the old fashioned way.. the vga driver and the audio driver.. ccc and other none hardware stuff installed from the set up in the individual folders.
> 
> ...



thats good to hear


----------



## t_ski (Nov 16, 2007)

trog100 said:


> thanks dude thats what it is.. once i told windows what it was it and pointed it at the right folder on the cd it installed it..



That's the same way it was for the HDMI port on the 2900XT.  Good to hear that it's fixed.


----------



## trt740 (Nov 16, 2007)

This is a good azz deal with the 4 games it comes with http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=26983&vpn=3870PE4512SB&manufacture=Diamond Too bad they sold out and have a two week wait.


----------



## trt740 (Nov 16, 2007)

here are some for 248.00 asus 3870's  http://www.allstarshop.com/shop/pro...id=19229&sid=FQGNSMKMTX5P9JWFF6955RNKQMAHDJQB


----------



## trt740 (Nov 16, 2007)

here is another 249.00 http://www.directron.com/h387f512.html


----------



## trt740 (Nov 16, 2007)

damn selling out as I post them WoW!!!!!!!


----------



## Cold Storm (Nov 16, 2007)

Oh, I can believe it. The cards are what A LOT of people want. Most aren't carrying on the type of card it is, just that it has the HD38xx on it. Would love to have it if I didn't have the aging AGP port...


----------



## TooFast (Nov 17, 2007)

http://www.extreme-pc.ca/showproduct.asp?menu1id=12&menu2id=99&menu3id=39&productid=371687

They have 500 coming in on monday!


----------



## jpierce55 (Nov 17, 2007)

TooFast said:


> http://www.extreme-pc.ca/showproduct.asp?menu1id=12&menu2id=99&menu3id=39&productid=371687
> 
> They have 500 coming in on monday!


I can't order one, Ohio is not on their state drop down list


----------



## trog100 (Nov 17, 2007)

all ati have to do is keep the supplies coming and these things are gonna sell big time.. i might even buy the new MSI motherboard and start stacking em up.. he he..

cheap and cheerful crossfire that makes sense at last..

trog


----------



## Oliver_FF (Nov 17, 2007)

Mine came through this morning, slapped it in my rig, installed the drivers off of the Cd and I'm off! XD


----------



## Xolair (Nov 17, 2007)

^ Heh, my card should come sometime next week, or later.


----------



## trt740 (Nov 19, 2007)

trog100 said:


> all ati have to do is keep the supplies coming and these things are gonna sell big time.. i might even buy the new MSI motherboard and start stacking em up.. he he..
> 
> cheap and cheerful crossfire that makes sense at last..
> 
> trog




whats your max core speed and memory on that bad boy. The reason i ask is according to reviews at max overclock it matches a 8800 gtx at stock, which to me is unreal for 220.00 dollars.


----------



## trog100 (Nov 19, 2007)

i am currently running mine at 845/1226.. it benches the 3dmarks at 855/1250 and seems okay but running crysis brings up the odd vpu recover.. crysis also has the odd bit of grafix corruption which i think is down to crysis but i have slowed the cards memory down to check..

a good ball park figure would be 850/1250.. 

trog


----------



## trt740 (Nov 19, 2007)

trog100 said:


> i am currently running mine at 845/1226.. it benches the 3dmarks at 855/1250 and seems okay but running crysis brings up the odd vpu recover.. crysis also has the odd bit of grafix corruption which i think is down to crysis but i have slowed the cards memory down to check..
> 
> a good ball park figure would be 850/1250..
> 
> trog



In the reviews I ve read state your card should reach these speeds  860/ 2748 or near that anyway http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...-crossfire-performance-preview.html#post26213


----------



## t_ski (Nov 19, 2007)

trog100 said:


> crysis also has the odd bit of grafix corruption which i think is down to crysis but i have slowed the cards memory down to check..



Are you running the Crysis hotfix drivers released a few days agao?


----------



## Mad-Matt (Nov 19, 2007)

the core is happy at the max 860 (driver limit?).  however memory seems to be best left at default as otherwise vpu recovaries appear when card is pushed.  memory ocs to 1250(2500)before artifacts appear but still..the card is a little unstable when memory is oced so i leave it at default for normal use.


----------



## trog100 (Nov 19, 2007)

these are gonna vary a bit.. i dont think there is an 860 limit.. i tried running the auto clock thing.. it kept clocking up and bombed the system at 864.. when u reboot it goes back to what it calls the last know stable speed.. so after the reboot my card was set at 862.. 

the auto thing said it hadnt finished yet but i switched it off.. but it did get it past the suggested 860 limit..

but i got the odd vpu recover even at 850 running crysis.. its okay in crysis at 840 ..

so ignore the review figures.. the memory is only rated at 2200 anyways.. 

the hotfix drivers are the same as those supplied with the card.. so yes i am running  hotfix drivers.. 

trog

p-s.. this is my card.. others might vary but no way do i go for the 2784 memory speed..


----------



## WhiteLotus (Nov 19, 2007)

the 38xx seem to be selling well here in the uk as well, alot of sites say that they are awaiting stock. rock on ati


----------



## Tatty_One (Nov 19, 2007)

My 3870 (HIS) arrived today, it's not even coming outa the box until Catalyst 7.11 is released, I'll plod on with the 8800GTS 640 until then, looks like we need W1Z to add support for the HD3000 series in ATi tool 

Edit:  The 860 core is probably the CCC limit?  Have you tried RivaTuner to overclock the card?


----------



## trog100 (Nov 19, 2007)

> Edit:  The 860 core is probably the CCC limit?  Have you tried RivaTuner to overclock the card?



the card isnt totally stable at 860.. i am running mine at 840 for stability in crysis.. not much point in trying to take a card beyond a known stability point.


trog


----------



## SSXeon (Nov 19, 2007)

The heatsink is very small, reason why most cant get a stable clock with crysis over 850-860Mhz. Im waiting for the GeCube ver, its pure sex:







The heatsink is 2x bigger, and has 2 heatpipes like my 2900XT


----------



## Tatty_One (Nov 19, 2007)

But the HIS has heatpipes and a copper coated alluminium heatspredder covering the whole PCB


----------



## Athlon2K15 (Nov 19, 2007)

what catalyst version comes with the 3870's on the driver disk?


----------



## trog100 (Nov 19, 2007)

there is a pretty powerful fan fitted.. lots of spare cooling power simply by turning the fan up assuming its possible with an after-market tool.. the drivers dont turn it up more than about 60% i recon.. its pretty quite under full load..

nothing wrong with a bit of extra cooling thow.. 

trog


----------



## Tatty_One (Nov 19, 2007)

AthlonX2 said:


> what catalyst version comes with the 3870's on the driver disk?



None, it's a kind of custom made driver set as 7.11 isnt out and 7.10 does not support it.


----------



## trog100 (Nov 19, 2007)

AthlonX2 said:


> what catalyst version comes with the 3870's on the driver disk?



a special one.. its the same as the downloadable hotfix drivers.. nothing else works with the card..

trog


----------



## SSXeon (Nov 20, 2007)

Tatty_One said:


> My 3870 (HIS) arrived today, it's not even coming outa the box until Catalyst 7.11 is released, I'll plod on with the 8800GTS 640 until then, looks like we need W1Z to add support for the HD3000 series in ATi tool
> 
> Edit:  The 860 core is probably the CCC limit?  Have you tried RivaTuner to overclock the card?



THe 860 core is the HSF or thermal limit. Its litterally the same HS the X1900XT/X had, a VF900 let alone a GEcube 2900XT like cooler should reach 900 or more. MY core maxes out @ 830MHz BTW, in DX10 games (even tho they run slower and dont look better cept COJ i only can run 810Mhz core).



Tatty_One said:


> But the HIS has heatpipes and a copper coated alluminium heatspredder covering the whole PCB



No unless you can own me with personal pics, GEcube and gigabyte are the only 2 AIBs that changed the layout or heatsink design.




AthlonX2 said:


> what catalyst version comes with the 3870's on the driver disk?



8.43s, ala not even 7.11s, im messing with 8.44s btw, and the 7.11s arnt the same as mine. 



trog100 said:


> there is a pretty powerful fan fitted.. lots of spare cooling power simply by turning the fan up assuming its possible with an after-market tool.. the drivers dont turn it up more than about 60% i recon.. its pretty quite under full load..
> 
> nothing wrong with a bit of extra cooling thow..
> 
> trog



Does rivatuner not work with fan control on the 3870s yet?



Tatty_One said:


> None, it's a kind of custom made driver set as 7.11 isnt out and 7.10 does not support it.



Yes.


----------



## les_paulde (Nov 20, 2007)

Nice thread guys, I cannot wait for my 2x Club3d 3870s to arrive! Since my rig is watercooled, I was wondering what block to use to cool these babies as I would rather not buy a full-cover block. Did I read correctly that the mounting holes are 72mm apart diagonally? Does this count for all the current cards or may there be differences? Could anybody maybe measure this and let me know so that everyone who wants to watercool their 3870 knows what size the mounting mechanism needs to be. Thanks so much in advance everyone!
regards


----------



## trt740 (Nov 20, 2007)

jpierce55 said:


> I can't order one, Ohio is not on their state drop down list



they now ship to ohio  http://www.extreme-pc.ca/showproduct.asp?menu1id=12&menu2id=99&menu3id=39&productid=371687


----------



## trt740 (Nov 20, 2007)

*back in stock get them while they are hot baby*

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814103050 219.00


----------



## Scrizz (Nov 20, 2007)

trt740 said:


> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814103050 219.00



sweet they are in


----------



## jpierce55 (Nov 20, 2007)

trt740 said:


> they now ship to ohio  http://www.extreme-pc.ca/showproduct.asp?menu1id=12&menu2id=99&menu3id=39&productid=371687



Yes I seen that, and Mwave did not have any like their site claimed over the weekend


----------



## Tatty_One (Nov 20, 2007)

Got mine, on my desk, boxed and un-opened


----------



## Cold Storm (Nov 20, 2007)

Oh man.... Can't wait for Christmas for mine!


----------



## trt740 (Nov 20, 2007)

my second ones on the way and my first one will be here within the hour. My accelero is ready and waiting will let ya know if it works.


----------



## Tatty_One (Nov 20, 2007)

trt740 said:


> my second ones on the way and my first one will be here within the hour. My accelero is ready and waiting will let ya know if it works.



Apparently there is thermal throttling on the core at 860mhz....just researched a way that may get around the issue.

Also read a review earlier that showed that more or less any 19xxx cooler will fir but the duo orb was the best one, lol I have an accelero here from my old 1800XT I might use if the HIS one is no good.  You keeping the P35 Trt or going for an x38?


----------



## DOM (Nov 20, 2007)

trt740 said:


> does the 3870 need a crossfire bridge ? It does so my accelero s1 won't work because the bridge has to be londer. They make a sli one but not accelero s1 crossfire bridge thats longer.



yeah I think it does all the pics ive seen they do

lol you edited 

got a typo


----------



## Tatty_One (Nov 20, 2007)

trt740 said:


> does the 3870 need a crossfire bridge ? It does so my accelero s1 won't work because the bridge has to be londer. They make a sli one but not accelero s1 crossfire bridge thats longer.



Yup.


----------



## trt740 (Nov 20, 2007)

anyone need a slightly used accelero s1 lol


----------



## DOM (Nov 20, 2007)

there retarded


----------



## trt740 (Nov 20, 2007)

trt740 said:


> anyone need a slightly used accelero s1 lol



works great with sli and this bridge with a geforce cards


----------



## Tatty_One (Nov 20, 2007)

trt740 said:


> check this shit out from Arctic cooler lol!!!!
> 
> *Q:  Do you have a long **CROSSFIRE** cable for sale? I have problems setting up Crossfire with Accelero S1 Nov-05-07 *A:   Sorry, we don't have Crossfire cable. You can use the original CrossFire cable. In this case, you need to modify the Accelero S1 a bit to marginally fit the CrossFire bridges. First of all, you need to cut out some fins near the CrossFire connectors that blocked your CrossFire bridge cables to pass through, and you need to press one heatpipe thinner to let the CrossFire bridge cables to pass over. You can use a plastic tape to wrap the CrossFire bridge cables to prevent the touch of fins and heatpipe. Please never cut or break the heatpipe because the heatpipe must be sealed in order to work. Thank you
> 
> ...



LMAO @ thatcrap!!  sounds like a case of "we have a design fault here but hopefully noone will notice".  Nice one, personally i will wait to see how she does on stock first.  Mine is an accelero x2 in any case


----------



## trt740 (Nov 20, 2007)

Tatty_One said:


> LMAO @ thatcrap!!  sounds like a case of "we have a design fault here but hopefully noone will notice".  Nice one, personally i will wait to see how she does on stock first.  Mine is an accelero x2 in any case



I bet it works tatty.


----------



## jpierce55 (Nov 20, 2007)

trt740 said:


> anyone need a slightly used accelero s1 lol



Depends on the price, but I liked my S1 on the 1900's and I will only have one new card. PM me if you really want to sell it.


----------



## Wile E (Nov 21, 2007)

Tatty_One said:


> Apparently there is thermal throttling on the core at 860mhz....just researched a way that may get around the issue.
> 
> Also read a review earlier that showed that more or less any 19xxx cooler will fir but the duo orb was the best one, lol I have an accelero here from my old 1800XT I might use if the HIS one is no good.  You keeping the P35 Trt or going for an x38?


It's 863MHz, and it's actually a PLL divider glitch. ATI is aware of the issue, and there's an updated BIOS that takes care of the problem, and newer cards should ship with the fixed BIOS. I'm looking for the link, and will post back when I find it.


----------



## Wile E (Nov 21, 2007)

Found it. Here's where I found out about it. http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=44942


----------



## Scrizz (Nov 21, 2007)

that's good to hear, now the only thing holding me back is $$$
:lol:


----------



## Tatty_One (Nov 21, 2007)

Wile E said:


> Found it. Here's where I found out about it. http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=44942



Yeah I have seen that too.....problem is there is no flashing utility ATM for the card so pretty useless at the moment, current 3870 owners will just have to suffer for the time being which is why I may well never open the box of mine and sell it to get a 8800GTS 512MB on 4th Dec when it's released.

Of course the other thing to think about is that flashing a BIOS voids the warranty, even if the cards BIOS was flawed I would still guess so of course if someone flashes the BIOS and it's bad, and they are unable to correct it......that could be an aweful lot of money down the smokey!


----------



## trt740 (Nov 21, 2007)

Tatty_One said:


> Yeah I have seen that too.....problem is there is no flashing utility ATM for the card so pretty useless at the moment, current 3870 owners will just have to suffer for the time being which is why I may well never open the box of mine and sell it to get a 8800GTS 512MB on 4th Dec when it's released.
> 
> Of course the other thing to think about is that flashing a BIOS voids the warranty, even if the cards BIOS was flawed I would still guess so of course if someone flashes the BIOS and it's bad, and they are unable to correct it......that could be an aweful lot of money down the smokey!



Good Idea thought of it myself RMA maybe on the horizon without a bios flash. Yet here is the flip side even now without a bios flash I almost to 14000 in 3dmark06 which mean I should hit 15000 with a flash. Second the card only cost 219.00 and I bet the 8800 gts 512mb cost 400.00 or more after it hits the market, and with two of these 3870's in crossfire with updated bio's files they are going to beat the single card or atleast match it for the same or less money. It is really a win win. The best solution if you have SLI is two 8800 gt cards in SLI but even then your looking at 200.00 more than two 3870's.  If this card would have come out 8 months ago it would have been the card to get but as they say if, if's and buts were candy and nutts everyday would be Christmas.


----------



## Tatty_One (Nov 21, 2007)

trt740 said:


> Good Idea thought of it myself RMA maybe on the horizon without a bios flash. Yet here is the flip side even now without a bios flash I almost to 14000 in 3dmark06 which mean I should hit 15000 with a flash. Second the card only cost 219.00 and I bet the 8800 gts 512mb cost 400.00 or more after it hits the market, and with two of these 3870's in crossfire with updated bio's files they are going to beat the single card or atleast match it for the same or less money. It is really a win win. The best solution if you have SLI is two 8800 gt cards in SLI but even then your looking at 200.00 more than two 3870's.  If this card would have come out 8 months ago it would have been the card to get but as they say if, if's and buts were candy and nutts everyday would be Christmas.



I agree......but.......you cant really compare your 2 3870's against a single 8800GTS (not fair!) and the estimated retail for the GTS is $349 I think?  On top of that in any case, with the P35 you are going to lose 15-20% of the 2 cards potential speed just by having the 2nd lane only at 4x PCI-E so it does even out a bit mefinks.


----------



## EastCoasthandle (Nov 21, 2007)

It's time to flash your bios using the clock limit fix (3870, not sure about 3850)


----------



## trt740 (Nov 21, 2007)

EastCoasthandle said:


> It's time to flash your bios using the clock limit fix (3870, not sure about 3850)



okay flashed it but put the stock heatsink back on as you posted it so will be getting back to you Stock cooler letting the core go to 872 already but screaming hot. Ram still testing will post with after marke cooler later


----------



## trog100 (Nov 21, 2007)

so which flasher did u use..???

for for the sake of curiosity how hot is "screaming hot".. he he..

trog


----------



## EastCoasthandle (Nov 21, 2007)

trt740 said:


> okay flashed it but put the stock heatsink back on as you posted it so will be getting back to you Stock cooler letting the core go to 872 already but screaming hot. Ram still testing will post with after marke cooler later



I would try to keep the 3870 as cool as possible. If there is a better HS/F combo use it!   Increasing Core does increase temps.  Lets us know of the results.


----------



## Tatty_One (Nov 21, 2007)

Thanks eastcoast, as soon as I decide if I am keeping the card, then i'll put the card in and flash.....I downloaded Winflash as I am lazy!  as anyone tried it thru windows?


----------



## t_ski (Nov 21, 2007)

The Cat 7.11's are out today, but I did't see anything about support for the HD3800 cards.  IN fact, if you go through the AMD site and select the OS, then go to select the card, the HD3800 series isn't even listed yet


----------



## jpierce55 (Nov 21, 2007)

Finally have one ordered from Tiger and will have it Tuesday according to the shipping estimate. I will try it out awhile and then put an S1 and copper memory sinks on the vreg (if possible and ram. I doubt I am brave enough to flash the bios. I can't wait to here your results trt.


----------



## trt740 (Nov 21, 2007)

EastCoasthandle said:


> I would try to keep the 3870 as cool as possible. If there is a better HS/F combo use it!   Increasing Core does increase temps.  Lets us know of the results.



okay 877/1376 seems to be what overdrive likes cannot test it yet still downoading had a unfixable windows corruption


----------



## SSXeon (Nov 21, 2007)

EastCoasthandle said:


> I would try to keep the 3870 as cool as possible. If there is a better HS/F combo use it!   Increasing Core does increase temps.  Lets us know of the results.



Yeah the heatsink is too small, VF900 or better is recomended for ocing IMHO.


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## Scrizz (Nov 21, 2007)

sweet can't wait to see trts results


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## Tatty_One (Nov 21, 2007)

trt740 said:


> okay 877/1376 seems to be what overdrive likes cannot test it yet still downoading had a unfixable windows corruption



I beleive the latest version of rivatuner works with the card for overclocking, give that a try m8.


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## Tatty_One (Nov 21, 2007)

t_ski said:


> The Cat 7.11's are out today, but I did't see anything about support for the HD3800 cards.  IN fact, if you go through the AMD site and select the OS, then go to select the card, the HD3800 series isn't even listed yet



It does....well certainly for the Vista drivers, here is a pasted piece from the page:

AMD Product Support 
The Catalyst™ Vista driver for both the 32bit and 64bit versions of the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system is supported on the following ATI Radeon™ products. AMD Desktop Product Family Support for both Windows Vista and XP  

ATI Radeon™ HD 3800 series
 ATI Radeon™ X850 series

ATI Radeon™ HD 2900 series
 ATI Radeon™ X800 series

ATI Radeon™ HD 2600 series
 ATI Radeon™ X700 series

ATI Radeon™ HD 2400 series
 ATI Radeon™ X600 series

ATI Radeon™ X1950 series
 ATI Radeon™ X550 series

ATI Radeon™ X1900 series
 ATI Radeon™ X300 series

ATI Radeon™ X1800 series
 ATI Radeon™ 9800 series

ATI Radeon™ X1650 series
 ATI Radeon™ 9700 series

ATI Radeon™ X1600 series
 ATI Radeon™ 9600 series

ATI Radeon™ X1550 series
 ATI Radeon™ 9550 series

ATI Radeon™ X1300 series
 ATI Radeon™ 9500 series

ATI Radeon™ X1050 series

OR...check here:

https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/674/9206/0/www2.ati.com/gamesite/catalyst_711_release_notes.html


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## Judas (Nov 21, 2007)

Well looks like i'm going back over to the red side, Asus M3A32-MVP Deluxe and 3870  on order


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## Tatty_One (Nov 21, 2007)

Judas said:


> Well looks like i'm going back over to the red side, Asus M3A32-MVP Deluxe and 3870  on order



Nice....congrats


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## t_ski (Nov 22, 2007)

Tatty_One said:


> It does....well certainly for the Vista drivers, here is a pasted piece from the page:
> 
> AMD Product Support
> The Catalyst™ Vista driver for both the 32bit and 64bit versions of the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system is supported on the following ATI Radeon™ products. AMD Desktop Product Family Support for both Windows Vista and XP
> ...



I was looking at XP drivers.  They weren't listed.


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## trt740 (Nov 22, 2007)

Tatty_One said:


> I beleive the latest version of rivatuner works with the card for overclocking, give that a try m8.



hey this stock heatsink gets super loud past 70 percent but even at 50 percent it is silent and keeps my card very cool. It is just about as good as my accelero when you set the fan a 60 percent and to me thats unreal ATI really got this cooler right. I cannot tell you how shocked I am there really is no need to buy a aftermarket cooler as long ad you run your fan at 55 to 65 percent it cools fantastic and is alot quieter than the gts cooler. Riva tuner is goofy with my fan setting and you have to play with it awhile to get it right but it does work.


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## trog100 (Nov 22, 2007)

trt740 said:


> hey this stock heatsink gets super loud past 70 percent but even at 50 percent it is silent and keeps my card very cool. It is just about as good as my accelero when you set the fan a 60 percent and to me thats unreal ATI really got this cooler right. I cannot tell you how shocked I am there really is no need to buy a aftermarket cooler as long ad you run your fan at 55 to 65 percent it cools fantastic and is alot quieter than the gts cooler. Riva tuner is goofy with my fan setting and you have to play with it awhile to get it right but it does work.



yes i thought that stock cooler was a good one.. just set very slow to keep it quiet..

trog


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## Tatty_One (Nov 22, 2007)

t_ski said:


> I was looking at XP drivers.  They weren't listed.



Ahhhh nice one, I see, I only looked at the Vista because I have just got a new hard drive and vista to upgrade, so it would seem that in Vista the HD3000 is supported in Cat 7.11's but XP is not....very strange, seems to me like ATi may have cut corners a bit to get these out


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## t_ski (Nov 22, 2007)

But why support Vista and not XP, when there are more XP users out there?  I want two of these cards bad, but for a change (for the worse) ATI's driver support seems like it's lacking...


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## trog100 (Nov 22, 2007)

t_ski said:


> But why support Vista and not XP, when there are more XP users out there?  I want two of these cards bad, but for a change (for the worse) ATI's driver support seems like it's lacking...



its lacking with this card but i think its down to crysis.. nothing else.. they knew the card and the game everybody was waiting for would arrive together.. they are having problems getting good performance in crysis which was quite clearly designed around nvidia..

the new 7.11 drivers do work okay with the 38xx cards but not in crysis.. i am running them at the moment.. 

for obvious reason ati aint keen to admit they are having problems with the worlds most desired game.. but i think they are.. the new hotfix drivers are the same drivers that come shipped with the 38xx cards.. prior to the 7.11 release nothing else would work with them..

trog


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## Tatty_One (Nov 22, 2007)

t_ski said:


> But why support Vista and not XP, when there are more XP users out there?  I want two of these cards bad, but for a change (for the worse) ATI's driver support seems like it's lacking...



I agree, but to really confirm this we need a vista user with a HD3000 series card to download 7.11 and give them a whirl.  Ahhhhh that would be me then once I get Vista on this weekend, should I open the box though and install the 3870????  If I do I am going to do the flash, I cant be doing with a poxy 862Mhz on the core, warranty voided or not, I wanna know how high these things will go in something like rivatuner where they arent being limited.

Nice to hear about the stock cooler being good tho, that will save me some, at my age the hearing is going in any case so i will have my fan running at 100% and still probably wont hear that!


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## t_ski (Nov 22, 2007)

trog100 said:


> its lacking with this card but i think its down to crysis.. nothing else.. they knew the card and the game everybody was waiting for would arrive together.. they are having problems getting good performance in crysis which was quite clearly designed around nvidia..
> 
> the new 7.11 drivers do work okay with the 38xx cards but not in crysis.. i am running them at the moment..
> 
> ...



I think that's true of all the ATI cards at the moment.  Even with the 2000 series Crysis players are advised to use the hotfix instead of the 7.11s.


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## Tatty_One (Nov 22, 2007)

I suppose the good thing for me is.......I aint interested in crysis! (must be the only one), I played the demo and failed to get excited but TBH I am board with First person shooters at the moment, am into a strategy game round, apart from the odd game of Multiplayer CSS of course.


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## jpierce55 (Nov 22, 2007)

Tatty_One said:


> I agree, but to really confirm this we need a vista user with a HD3000 series card to download 7.11 and give them a whirl.  Ahhhhh that would be me then once I get Vista on this weekend, should I open the box though and install the 3870????  If I do I am going to do the flash, I cant be doing with a poxy 862Mhz on the core, warranty voided or not, I wanna know how high these things will go in something like rivatuner where they arent being limited.
> 
> Nice to hear about the stock cooler being good tho, that will save me some, at my age the hearing is going in any case so i will have my fan running at 100% and still probably wont hear that!



If your going to flash it you should do it while you can still exchange the card in case of a "DOA"


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## Tatty_One (Nov 22, 2007)

jpierce55 said:


> If your going to flash it you should do it while you can still exchange the card in case of a "DOA"




If it flashes bad and is not reversable, beleive me it will be VERY DOA


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## jpierce55 (Nov 22, 2007)

Tatty_One said:


> If it flashes bad and is not reversable, beleive me it will be VERY DOA



At first I feared the idea of a flash and then I realized if it fails it only meant my card was DOA. I have never flashed a g-card before so I don't know how it will go.


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## trog100 (Nov 22, 2007)

still aint flashed mine yet but some time today i recon i will.. he he..

but unless it does something more than correct the timer bug at 863 i dont think its worth much.. but u never know.. currently my card triggers a vpu recover at 860 in the  3dmarks.. i think its pretty much there where it is without over volting or some other mod..

as for that bloody crysis i have it running at 845 for stability.. he he

trog


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## Tatty_One (Nov 22, 2007)

trog100 said:


> still aint flashed mine yet but some time today i recon i will.. he he..
> 
> but unless it does something more than correct the timer bug at 863 i dont think its worth much.. but u never know.. currently my card triggers a vpu recover at 860 in the  3dmarks.. i think its pretty much there where it is without over volting or some other mod..
> 
> ...



But I bet your fan aint at 100%?? try the 2006 run with fan at 100%....sounds to me like thats thermal throttling causing the recover, not the max wall.  Trt says at 100% fan speed his card is running cooler than with his Accelero S1 heatpipe cooler.


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## DarkMatter (Nov 22, 2007)

Speking about flashing. Do you guys think that we could flash the 8800GT once that 8800gts is out?


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## trog100 (Nov 22, 2007)

Tatty_One said:


> But I bet your fan aint at 100%?? try the 2006 run with fan at 100%....sounds to me like thats thermal throttling causing the recover, not the max wall.  Trt says at 100% fan speed his card is running cooler than with his Accelero S1 heatpipe cooler.



could be.. but thats the bencher in u talking.. the gamer in me says another 10mhz wont make the slightest difference.. 

still i will flash it now i know winflash works.. i tend to clock for everyday usage.. which means i knock at least 5% off the max clocks obtainable..

with frame rates i like to add 50% to the minimum playable.. 

its all fun thow.. 


trog


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## Tatty_One (Nov 22, 2007)

trog100 said:


> could be.. but thats the bencher in u talking.. the gamer in me says another 10mhz wont make the slightest difference..
> 
> still i will flash it now i know winflash works.. i tend to clock for everyday usage.. which means i knock at least 5% off the max clocks obtainable..
> 
> ...



Your right but I dont get hung up on benching, I stay well below max for everyday use, the only reason I mentioned it is because I really do beleive with the right overclocking utility these cores will acheive 900.


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## trt740 (Nov 22, 2007)

t_ski said:


> But why support Vista and not XP, when there are more XP users out there?  I want two of these cards bad, but for a change (for the worse) ATI's driver support seems like it's lacking...



the cat 7.11 work for this card i'm using them now


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## jpierce55 (Nov 22, 2007)

trog100 said:


> could be.. but thats the bencher in u talking.. the gamer in me says another 10mhz wont make the slightest difference..
> 
> still i will flash it now i know winflash works.. i tend to clock for everyday usage.. which means i knock at least 5% off the max clocks obtainable..
> 
> ...



If you use overdrive it only oc's in 3d and that is cool for everyday use. With the 1900's I oc'ed (stock voltage) and ran 2 benchmarks right after overdrives auto clock to check max temp reached, and then backed one slide down on each setting.

For 10-15mhz it would not be worth the warranty risk, but lets give a few more days of people playing with it.


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## trog100 (Nov 22, 2007)

well i just flashed mine.. it allows the core to go up.. useing the CCC self test thing it goes right up to 885.. it passes the self test..

using rivatuner to set a fixed fan speed of 70%.. i tried a couple of benches.. it bombed in 3mark 2006.. it bombed in the lightsmark bench.. it did get half way thru em thow..

slowed it down to 875.. it made a 2005 run and made the lightsmark run.. but i lost 400 points of my 850 2005 and a couple of points of my lightsmark score..

extra cooling is probably good for about 10 to 15  extra mhz i recon.. why my scores went down at the higher clocks i have no idea.. 

i was a bit worried the new bios had slowed things down.. but back at my 850 core speed without rivatuner running things are back to normal..

its a shame the CCC dont let u up the default fan speed a bit cos there is plenty left without sounding too noisy.. judging by noise alone 70% is way faster than the drivers run the fan at default under full load..

nice to have stock cooler that has plenty in reserve.. 

trog

ps.. i am using the cat 7.11 drivers by the way..

ps 2.. there is way less heat coming out of the fan grill with this thing than my 1900xtx.. less air blast and its cooler..


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## Tatty_One (Nov 23, 2007)

But are the Cat 7.11's improving card performance in XP?  reading around they seem to be in Vista.


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## trog100 (Nov 23, 2007)

they made a big improvement in that lightsmark bench score.. they dont work as well as the hotfix drivers in crysis.. but i cant really say the 3dmarks seem about the same and i can only compare with the not exactly standard 3870/hotfix drivers..

but my score in that lightsmark bench went up from 226 to 309.. the fur bench is a little better..

trog


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## t_ski (Nov 23, 2007)

Tatty_One said:


> But are the Cat 7.11's improving card performance in XP?  reading around they seem to be in Vista.



The only thing I've seen for comments on the 7.11s is that they fix bugs, but there aren't any speed improvements.

@trt - perhaps the website was just not updated - I wasn't checking the rekease notes or anything for them.  Decided to keep the card, I see


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## t_ski (Nov 23, 2007)

Newegg just got some more in, but they've raised all the prices on the HD3870s to $269.


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## Eliranos (Nov 23, 2007)

hi you cant play dx 10 games on xp right? so when u play on xp its running on dx 9.0c mod?


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## trog100 (Nov 24, 2007)

Eliranos said:


> hi you cant play dx 10 games on xp right? so when u play on xp its running on dx 9.0c mod?



it would be 9c similar to what a none dx10 card would do.. 

trog


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## Eliranos (Nov 24, 2007)

so what u say is if im not planing on moving to vista i can just have a 3850 its strong in dx 9 card


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## Tatty_One (Nov 24, 2007)

Eliranos said:


> so what u say is if im not planing on moving to vista i can just have a 3850 its strong in dx 9 card



Yes you can but TBH, many current games will struggle to run at good resolutions/detail levels even in DX9C with just 256MB GDDR.


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