http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 2:02AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 2:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/
What part of all this am I supposed to get excited about exactly?]]>Jan 28th 2008 3:44AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/
Now all it needs is more efficient drivers and it will dominate the Ultra and GTX.]]>Jan 28th 2008 4:13AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Plus, IIRC, Nvidia are also developing their own 2-in-1 card, so whilst ATI/AMD may have matched them temporarily, to say that they're being competitive is a little short-sighted - it's not looking at the big picture, if that makes any sense.]]>Jan 28th 2008 5:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 5:58AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/
It's getting to the ridiculous stage where they care less about the gameplay/creativity/originality and more about trying to WOW us for five seconds with fancy graphics.

Look at half-life... Valve software developed it in a way to perform well on even lesser-spec machines and they plenty of awards and were unrivaled for years. I wish other developers could follow Valve's example.]]>Jan 28th 2008 9:13AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/
As always, ATI's issues are in the software support. It's been getting better since the acquisition, but still not good enough to fully compete.]]>Jan 28th 2008 9:39AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/nVidia 8800GTX: $469
nVidia 8800 Ultra: $689

Just wanted to throw that down before I comment. People should keep in mind that, as the posters above me pointed out, ATI is besting the performance of the 8800Ultra [in some games] by using two cards in a Crossfire setup. This is probably insignificant to some people, but to me, purchasing a setup like this would corner me in to spending more money later to upgrade. For example, right now I have an 8800GTX that I bought a year ago. If I decided tomorrow that I really, really have to play Crysis, I could go on to Newegg and buy another 8800GTX, throw it in my second PCI Express slot, and I'm good to go. Oh, and it would be way faster than the new Radeon SLI setup. Conversely, if I were building a new PC and didn't already have an 8800GTX, I would buy an 8800Ultra to have the ability to do an actual high-fps SLI configuration later. Games like Crysis prove that game makers are going to start pushing hardware requirements again in 2008 and 2009. If you're a gamer you're looking for a card that doesn't just kinda run a game. You're looking for a card that runs all games really, really well. I'm very underwhelmed by this offering from AMD/ATI.

I see them gaining some share in the affordable performance graphics market but not so much in the gaming market. AMD/ATI has been out of the game too long and nVidia has taken a lot of customers away from them (myself included). I'm just not wowed that they took a year and a half to produce a card that you need TWO of to meet the performance of a card I bought a year ago, made one hand a half years ago. Though it would be nice if this pushed nVidia-based-manufacturers to lower their prices.]]>Jan 28th 2008 1:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 1:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/ Nice. Now make with the 'Fusion' and give us some REAL competition in the CPU realm. You hear me AMD ??!?!?


Heehee, mock anger aside it's a good sign. If things are looking up on the GPU side for A(TI)MD, maybe some good times are ahead on the CPU side as well. And before I'm denounced as an idiot (which is probably true anyway) I realize that from a technological perspective developments in their GPU efforts have nothing to with and mean nothing on their CPU front. It's just a little positive thinking...]]>Jan 28th 2008 2:33AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 2:04AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 2:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 3:18AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 4:18AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/
I'm an Nvidia guy, but come on, we need the competition.]]>Jan 28th 2008 2:50AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 12:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 1:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 29th 2008 12:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 3:01AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 3:03AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 9:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 9:01AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 3:20AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 3:46AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/


]]>Jan 28th 2008 5:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 7:17AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 8:53AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/
http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/amd_radeon_hd_3870_x2_performance/

"With an MSRP of $449, the Radeon HD 3870 X2 is a tempting alternative to the GeForce 8800 GTX and Ultra if you find yourself playing a lot of DX9 apps like Call of Duty 4. In these apps, the Radeon HD 3870 X2 is unquestionably the fastest card on the market right now. But if you’re currently playing a mixture of DX9 and DX10 games, you may want to opt for one of the GeForce 8 cards, or wait and see how AMD’s DX10 driver matures."

Sorry but I waved goodbye to the days of waiting for new Catalyst drivers for support for some new game like two years ago.]]>Jan 28th 2008 1:38PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/01/28/ati_r680_the_rage_fury_maxx_2/index.html
and at almost half the price of the ultra, i would be sold if i was planning to upgrade my computer...]]>Jan 28th 2008 9:16AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/
http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTQ1NCwxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==
]]>Jan 28th 2008 10:06AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 9:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/
It's called "optimization" and you nVidia card drivers are most certainly optimized for specific titles. Perhaps you're too young to remember the debacle about nVidia optimizing drivers for benchmark programs?]]>Jan 28th 2008 9:42AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/
Having said all that, if this card boosts ATI's profits and confidence, and results in even better chips down the road then all the power to them.

Now, can AMD please get their act together and release something that would give Intel a run for its money? :)]]>Jan 28th 2008 9:59AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 11:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/
Until Nvidia comes up with a 1) cheaper card that 2) performs better than the 3870x2 on the majority of the "it" games...I'm not sure what your point is, really.]]>Jan 28th 2008 6:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 7:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/"apply that same process on a GTX or Ultra then you have the X2 beat once again"

Absolutely true. Unfortunately, that's all theory and the results we have today in the real world show that the 3870x2 wins in the price/performance bracket hands-down. Will Nvidia respond and re-take the crown? Probably. But here today...they have not. So again...I don't really understand your point as it pertains to reality versus a theoretical exercise. People buy what's on the shelves, not what's in some engineer's head.]]>Jan 29th 2008 1:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 11:27AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 1:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 3:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 29th 2008 11:50AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 6:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 28th 2008 8:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/
For the Nvidia 'fanboys' (and I use this term rather loosely), the main reason Nvidia's going to delay the 9xxx isn't because of a lack of competition but because they would like to perfect their drivers before releasing their products (for the record: this is where ATI needs to take notes). Nvidia's products tend to be better developed and more refined than ATI's off the bat because of better testing. This is also a trend present in the Intel/AMD conflict where AMD's products are rarely perfected and often patched on a regular basis. That being said, if Nvidia COULD create a product that would run two cores on one board, I am pretty sure it would already be in the works. As mentioned before, Nvidia's remains atop because it's using a surefire formula that has been proven to work. Drivers are a major issue with multiple cores and rather than muddy their hands in such quagmire, Nvidia finds it more efficient and profitable to work with single core products that dominate the market.

Having said that, ATI deserves some commendation due to the fact that they have indeed stepped up their game, especially since the dreadful AMD/ATI merger, and have decided to risk driver problems in order to advance technology.

If you own an 8800 card and plan to go SLI, all power to you, but if you're looking to upgrade and actually want to try an investment in ATI's market, the HD 3870X2 offers (on paper at least), a superb performance, although with it comes the risk of troublesome drivers.

It all depends on how you slice it, CrossfireX vs. SLI. I don't deny that Nvidia's got the upper hand at the moment and conditions for change don't seem to be on the horizon, however ATI has announced that it's "high end" card/s will be released sometime in h1 of 2009. Hopefully by q2/3 of this year (2008), ATI will be able to better develop their drivers and reward those people that have invested in their products.

Having said that, I am surprised that you people are so skeptical of ATI's new products as it's the people that actually buy these devices that make it possible for you to enjoy your Nvidia products. Think about it, if ATI didn't threaten Nvidia with its developments, Nvidia would have carte blanche to act as a monopoly in the gfx industry. ATI's made a good card for once, proving that it's pulling itself out of the rut that it's in, instead of downplaying it, and making normative claims, appreciate what's being done. That being said, personally you people disgust me. ]]>Jan 28th 2008 10:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/
Surely you can think of a better way to write a comment? This is not a place for you to practice your class essays.]]>Jan 28th 2008 10:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/
And why the assumption regarding the practice of class essays?]]>Jan 28th 2008 11:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 29th 2008 12:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/Jan 29th 2008 11:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/amds-radeon-hd-3870-x2-launched-benchmarked-theyre-back-in-t/AMD ATI nailed it down finally...
i think by working on drivers, much more better performance will come out of tht chip...
maintaining the performance to price ratio as AMD always did.. i m glad tht a good competition will definitely benefit the us ... ]]>Feb 10th 2008 2:48AM