AMD offers up ATI Radeon HD 3870 Mac & PC Edition

Hey Mac users, tired of looking longingly at that PC-lovin' ATI Radeon HD 3870? AMD has teased you long enough, and at long last, the Mac & PC Edition has arrived. This card is optimized for use within Apple's Mac Pro systems and includes 512MB of GDDR4 RAM, 320 stream processors, PCI Express 2.0 support and twin dual-link DVI ports for treating that pair of 30-inch Cinema HD displays like they ought to be treated. Check the read link for the full list of specifications, and get set to drop $129 when this one lands later this month.

[Via TUAW, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

[deyanimay @ Jun 15th 2008 8:21PM]

yay...

[A.C.E.R. @ Jun 15th 2008 11:51PM]

Wow clak, it's a good thing you suggested that and set Apple on the right track.

[Abuzar @ Jun 16th 2008 1:23AM]

I banished you, why are you back?

[deyanimay @ Jun 16th 2008 5:13PM]

kick ass i got the "lowest" ranking i wasn't sure if that still existed. All just for saying yay, wow this is really a sad moment in the history of Engadget.

[suntiger @ Jun 15th 2008 8:22PM]

$219. Not to snark at you, but copyedit plzkthx.

[Wes @ Jun 16th 2008 1:00AM]

$219 wasn't the only error. Look at the title of the article.

What the hell, engadget, are you on crack again? Are you sure the 3870 is set to come out for Mac & PC later this month? Dont you either the 3870 is set to come out just for Mac or did you mean the 4870 noobs? lmao.

At least get the model numbers right. This is like the equivilent of mixing up a Q6600 with a QX9450 cpu. Its a totally different class and almost a different generation in performance.

The 3870 for the pc was released months and months ago.

[Brian @ Jun 16th 2008 7:37AM]

Wes: You might want to read the actual press release. It's the 3870. And yes, it was released to the PC world last year. And yes, they're launching the 4850 and 4870 series cards sooner than I can finish typing this message.

Such is the way of things when one thinks differently, more often than not.

[dave @ Jun 15th 2008 8:22PM]

lets face it windows sucks and mac is soo much better.. theres more games for mac and more office software..all you windows people must face the fact that apple is better and dont say because it can make a word document

[Luke. @ Jun 15th 2008 8:27PM]

Cue cyber-knife brandishing attacks in 3...2...1...

[catachip @ Jun 15th 2008 8:28PM]

troll much?

[Zach @ Jun 15th 2008 8:30PM]

Unfortunately a Mac can't make you any better at spelling... Or using proper grammar.

[N30 G30 @ Jun 15th 2008 8:32PM]

troll?

I don't think so. Alot of idiots actually believe the Mac vs. PC comercials.

This... is one of them.

[zach rattner @ Jun 15th 2008 8:34PM]

Maybe, just maybe, one operating system is not definitively better than another. If one truly was indubitably superior, don't you think the other company would go out of business? Prove your point.

[phanbouy @ Jun 15th 2008 8:35PM]

@N30

i doubt it. no one is brain dead enough to say "theres more games for mac" and actually mean it.

[dave @ Jun 15th 2008 8:39PM]

1 Cheaper in the long run

The oldest Macs that can run Apple's latest operating system have just celebrated their eighth birthday, yet all but a handful of the oldest Vista-ready PCs were still just kit and components this time last year. Macs are often criticised for being overpriced, but when you spread the cost over their respective working lives, the Mac comes out cheaper than a PC.

2 Greater stability

Macs do crash, and anyone who tells you they don't is a liar, but the tightly controlled Unix-based operating system is far more capable when it comes to isolating and terminating problematic applications than Windows. PCs come from the baby-and-bathwater school of conflict management and throw out the whole lot - data, app and OS - in exchange for a garish blue screen and a forced reboot.

6 One company controls everything

The hardware and the operating system (and often the software too) are all made by a single company - Apple - and so they're guaranteed to work well together. The OS is optimised for the computer line-up, the mouse and hardware are designed with the OS in mind, and the applications are tuned to take advantage of every tweak and innovation in both. Only a Mac can deliver a smooth, well-thought-out experience end-to-end, and only with a Mac do you know exactly where to go for help and support. With a PC you'll be batted back and forth between Microsoft and whoever made your ugly beige box, as they spend the next month blaming each other for your problem.

7 Macs are faster

PC Pro's own Labs tests proved that the Mac Pro, the current top-end machine in Apple's line up, was faster running Windows XP than any conventional PC at that time [Although it's since been superseded by the Gladiator Trident PCP6700 Quad Extreme. See, that's the thing with PCs, there's always something better just around the corner - Ed].

i can go on and on bro so don't deny my intelligence

[phanbouy @ Jun 15th 2008 8:41PM]

@N30: i stand corrected

[phanbouy @ Jun 15th 2008 8:42PM]

wait a minute... "dave" is the same account as the obviously fake "steve j" below, so my original guess in "Troll or Fanboy?" game is: Troll.

[Decoy @ Jun 15th 2008 8:48PM]

Where is 3-4-5 Dave?

[phanbouy @ Jun 15th 2008 8:50PM]

actually i got lots of system kernel panics before they updated Leopard to 10.5.2. been fine since, though.

still, i find that i still boot to my uber-minimalist slipstreamed XP SP3 install sometimes for playback of super high bitrate HD vids.

[Eclipse SLR @ Jun 15th 2008 9:02PM]

I recently switched from Windows to Mac and I have been very underwhelmed. Sure, the Macbook Pro looks absolutely stunning and it's not too expensive considering what you get but it is far from perfect. I have had nothing but problems with Leopard. Airport connectivity issues, Safari constantly crashing and a whole lot of updates that seem to do nothing but waste my time. As for Vista, I have actually had no problems with it whatsoever. It's not perfect (those security "features" are really annoying) but it gets the job done. Add the fact that gaming and office applications are far superior on windows and there you have it, a cheaper system that just works.

I will admit that the boot times and overall load time are faster on the Mac and some of the applications have a very nice design and are quite simple and intuitive but overall I find that what I get from Mac's and Leopard is all flash and no substance.

[OziD @ Jun 15th 2008 10:07PM]

Clak: I love my Mac Mini but this thing crashes all the time.

[Kax02 @ Jun 15th 2008 10:34PM]

GG dave, maybe you can demonstrate some originality next time instead of just ripping stuff from other sites hoping to fake your own point.

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/features/112799/10-reasons-why-macs-are-better-than-pcs.html

Good way to show off that individualism you got when you bought your macbook air.

[Mobius_1 @ Jun 15th 2008 11:34PM]

Don't feed the troll/fanboy/idiot/braindead person/brainwashed person/Dave (all pretty much the same thing, really)

[OziD @ Jun 16th 2008 3:33AM]

Well it's basically just a macbook (not sure which iteration, theres been several since the parallel to my mac mini).

I'm not hating on Mac, and definitely think my machine crashes more than normal macs, but damn I just needed a quick desktop solution.

Once I move out, and start my new job, I'm going to get a Black Macbook or possibly a Macbook Pro (I have no real use for a Pro... but I like the look and it basically is dependent on how much I will make/spend)

Oh wellz

[OziD @ Jun 16th 2008 3:34AM]

Well it's basically just a macbook (not sure which iteration, theres been several since the parallel to my mac mini).

I'm not hating on Mac, and definitely think my machine crashes more than normal macs, but damn I just needed a quick desktop solution.

Once I move out, and start my new job, I'm going to get a Black Macbook or possibly a Macbook Pro (I have no real use for a Pro... but I like the look and it basically is dependent on how much I will make/spend)

Oh wellz

[wjousts @ Jun 16th 2008 9:52AM]

"theres more games for mac"

I'd assumed, due to this comment, that the post was supposed to be ironic. Now I'm not so sure.

[Astrostream @ Jun 15th 2008 8:28PM]

Great news. i like having more options for my Macs.

[steve j @ Jun 15th 2008 8:37PM]

i love my mac i have 3 of them and havent had a problem with it yet... on the other hand my dell xps laptop has problems with vista... also, the tv commercials for macs prove that macs are waaayyyy better and when ever has the media lied to us???? .....never

[Ignatius @ Jun 15th 2008 8:44PM]

I hope to god you're being sarcastic.

All the Apple commercials do is say "Hey, Vista sucks. Buy a Mac."

If anything, it makes Apple look like a bunch of pompous asse-- oh wait.

[phanbouy @ Jun 15th 2008 8:53PM]

so who're you regularly? Hamidxa? iEye? or both?

[phanbouy @ Jun 15th 2008 8:45PM]

you're too smart for this forum. Please for everyone's sake keep your personal comments to yourself. We are not worthy.

[phanbouy @ Jun 15th 2008 8:48PM]

apparently i'm the only one smart enough to check the account of whose actually posting, dave/steve j. at least you've outed yourself as a troll. proof that rabid apple haters are as boring as they are bored and unclever.

[McBUNT @ Jun 15th 2008 9:00PM]

It's a shame that Avid only supports Nvidia, and Color works best with ATi...

[Michael LaFramboise @ Jun 15th 2008 9:00PM]

So umm... whats w/ the photochopped Apple displays? thin-much?

[Laron @ Jun 15th 2008 9:09PM]

Wow, finally getting some love in the graphics card dept...rare~

[digitallysick @ Jun 15th 2008 9:27PM]

Nice if its a decent price point, i will buy it

[helloUser @ Jun 15th 2008 9:36PM]

The cards MSRP is actually $219, not 129, engadget doesnt do a good job of proofreading.

[simbiot @ Jun 16th 2008 10:22AM]

It's probably $129 for PC and $219 for Mac. You know how over-inflated the pricing is for Mac equipment.

[Zak @ Jun 16th 2008 12:49PM]

The card in question is a single card. It's the 3870 HD for Mac and PC. It works in both and it's $219.

[Zak @ Jun 16th 2008 12:51PM]

Oh I should add that as far as the "overinflated pricing" comment, you know Apple has nothing to do with that, right? This card is made by ATi and it's sold by ATi. Please direct all pricing complaints to ATi.

[kccboy2004 @ Jun 15th 2008 9:57PM]

@dave

Well Done Dave !!

I for one really appreciate your attempt to justify your conviction that Apple as an organisation and the provider of the final product is better than Microsoft and their supporting PC manufacturing partners.

It was not exactly a well reasoned argument, but I appreciate the effort.

However, why do you bother ? Your efforts do fall on deaf ears for the majority. For some who bite, it is not the case. I guess that you like to wind them up.

But really why do you bother? At least clak, despite being sometimes unbalanced and of course very biased, presents reasoned arguments, mostly.

Why don't you come back with some objective, well researched facts. You can couple this with an analysis of your own usage of your mac and how and why (be anally specific) your experience with it is better than that of a PC running windows.

It'll be great. We'd be interested.

I suspect that you tend to spend a lot of time surfing the net. I actually suspect that you use Firefox, not Safari. You probably don't move files around. You don't use your mac for programming do you ? Do you actually see your desktop much at all, or do you just go from Firefox bookmark to bookmark ?

I also suspect that you use a PC for work. I speculate that you don't like work, in an angry kind of way. You are an underachiever, at least in your own mind. You are a disappointment to your parents. (But remember they still love you. It's ok).

So you take it out on forums.

By any chance, do you work as a security guard on the front desk of an office building? Do you wear a peaked cap, and dock it to the Chairman when they walk through the door ? If you don't, are you afraid that this is where you are heading ?

Start listening to Anthony Robbins. Get hold of your life !

Good luck Dave. And please let me know.

[jer jer @ Jun 15th 2008 10:17PM]

kccboy2004 :) programming on a mac- you can program on anything- :) try rendering some graphics on a pc some time, you know actual work for a computer>? I guess I always just figured people who love PC's, DESERVE PC's :) and yes macs are cheap when you factor they truly do last much longer than a pc, of course I am typing this on a malware-laden PC right now:) can't wait to go do some REAL work on my mac

[Chigurh @ Jun 15th 2008 10:22PM]

dude clak


you've been really.....well....crappy at adding to the discussion. And yeah, the Zune is better than the iPod. I wish I could trade my iPod for a new Zune. Less hassle. About Windows 7 killing Leopard......For as user friendly as Leopard is......leave a comment when a business adopts it as an OS for the company. Hippie hemp brownie companies based out of the O.C. don't count either;)

Not a knock on Apple, but there is really no competition when it comes to volume sales. So it's moot point. I use Leopard on a PowerBook and XP at work and on my desk top at home. So I can't say I have a personal preference. They both work (not touchin Vista).

So when is Apple going to start using AMD CPUs? Intel is for dummies:D

[jer jer @ Jun 15th 2008 10:31PM]

..........all these comments just back my saying up- People who prefer PC's DESERVE PC's :)

[Chigurh @ Jun 15th 2008 10:23PM]

* comments were actually commenting on claks sig for the post.

[Ruben @ Jun 15th 2008 10:46PM]

I have had similar errors with Firefox myself. Its not just IE. Quite frankily, i think its just their blogging system being a garbage blogging system, since others ive used have never, ever, had any of the issues Engadget has, regardless of the browser used.

For the same $250 as the 80GB iPod, you get a very slick digital media player that has a better screen, just as good of an interface, and arguably better desktop software.—extremetech.com

[phanbouy @ Jun 15th 2008 11:03PM]

when i'm in OSX i have to use Camino (a bit better than firefox on OSX, imo) because Safari will _never_ remember my password for this site.

[DefPo3t @ Jun 15th 2008 10:36PM]

All of you apple, microsoft, etc fanboys should be banned you all devoid the comments of intelligence an waste space when some on could pot something related to the topic

[Ruben @ Jun 15th 2008 10:38PM]

This is fantastic news. Especially since the 3870 is weeks away from being last gen, pale, and slow in comparison to the "rumored" powerhouse that is the 4870. A 4870 compatible with the Mac would be truly big news, since its rare that Apple has Nivida/ATI hardware available to its computers on day-one of the hardwares release. Apple likes to promote hardware that PC users no longer give a shit about.

[mikebelair @ Jun 15th 2008 10:41PM]

i have not had one crash on vista ever. maybe im lucky but i wouldnt say macs are anybetter than pc's or pc's are better than a mac. if you think about every point everyone said on engadget in the past year its really even especially if your buying one for a certain reason... gaming(probly a pc) if your a artist(probly a mac) who cares when you cant argue anymore because one is so much better than talk to me.