3870 and 8800gt prices
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3870 and 8800gt prices
What am I missing? I'm close to placing an order for my game rig and when looking at video card I'm not sure why the HD 3870 is similar in price to some 8800gt cards. From what I thought I read here the 3870 is a nice card but lags the 8800gt in performance. So why would I pay the same for a card that performs worse? I can see a Diamond 3870 at NewEgg for $239 and there's an EVGA 8800gt for $239, both with 512mb memory. I don't get it.
Raw performance is not everything. Imho HD3870 is better than a 8800GT mainly because of the lower power consumption. Also was there not reports about some shady driver tweaks on nVidias part? Something about sacrificing image quality for performance. Not that ATi have been an angel when it comes to that sort of things in the past..
Anyway, here in Sweden the prices are reversed it seems. Right now the prices are ~2k SEK for a 8800GT 512MB and ~1.7k SEK for a HD3870 512MB.
Anyway, here in Sweden the prices are reversed it seems. Right now the prices are ~2k SEK for a 8800GT 512MB and ~1.7k SEK for a HD3870 512MB.
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I might agree that raw performance isn't everything if the power consumption is dramatically different. The same would go for a cpu - you would only be tempted to get a slower cpu for the same price if the power or heat were significantly lower to justify the loss in performance. But I guess I never read a review saying the power consumption was significantly lower. In fact, I read a few reviews at NewEgg and found a few people complaining about the heat of the 3870 they bought - but you can't trust those reviews much.
I dunno, if I'm looking to buy a card for gaming I just can't shake the idea that performance scores ARE the most important factor when comparing liked priced cards. Maybe if all the 8800gt cards were dual slots with two fans instead of one I could see the value but when both the 8800gt and the hd 3750 appear to be the same size with the same loud stock fans I feel like it's all back to performance numbers.
I suppose I'm looking for an excuse to go with the hd 3870 but they're making it impossible for me.
I dunno, if I'm looking to buy a card for gaming I just can't shake the idea that performance scores ARE the most important factor when comparing liked priced cards. Maybe if all the 8800gt cards were dual slots with two fans instead of one I could see the value but when both the 8800gt and the hd 3750 appear to be the same size with the same loud stock fans I feel like it's all back to performance numbers.
I suppose I'm looking for an excuse to go with the hd 3870 but they're making it impossible for me.
Power consumption @ Anandtech.com
Power consumption under load is virtually identical. Click the link above to see.
If you run your PC 24/7, that extra 16W at idle would be a consideration. But if you only run your PC when you use it, there won't be much difference with your energy bill.
Power consumption under load is virtually identical. Click the link above to see.
If you run your PC 24/7, that extra 16W at idle would be a consideration. But if you only run your PC when you use it, there won't be much difference with your energy bill.
To clarify, Ken means that the two cards have equivalent power consumptions (at least using Bioshock) under load, not that the rankings or power consumption of the cards listed stays the same.KenAF wrote:Power consumption under load is virtually identical. Click the link above to see.
Last edited by jhhoffma on Tue Jan 29, 2008 11:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
If they are both the same price, get the 8800GT. The HD3870 cant touch the performance of the 8800GT.
Only reason I got my 3870 was because it came with a better cooler and was cheaper.
power consumption on load are the same anyways.
At the end of the day, you're building a gaming rig, the 8800GT is better for games, Sorted, get the 8800gt.
Only reason I got my 3870 was because it came with a better cooler and was cheaper.
power consumption on load are the same anyways.
At the end of the day, you're building a gaming rig, the 8800GT is better for games, Sorted, get the 8800gt.
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Trust me, you won't notice a 16W difference even if you left your computer on 24/7. I switched all the lights in the house from 100W incandescents to 22W fluorescents and it barely made a dent in the bill.
From the reviews I've read, the majority of 3850s and 3870s are still annoyingly loud...combined with the fact that I couldn't buy a decent one for less than a 8800GT...or I would have to wait more than a month for them to get more in stock...so I called it a day and went with the passive ECS 8800GT.
From the reviews I've read, the majority of 3850s and 3870s are still annoyingly loud...combined with the fact that I couldn't buy a decent one for less than a 8800GT...or I would have to wait more than a month for them to get more in stock...so I called it a day and went with the passive ECS 8800GT.
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my 3870 stock fan wasnt too bad tbh, think it varies on the make, and possibly the bios on the card too.
i got the 3870 for two main reasons, 1 price (it was cheaper than a 8800gt by a reasonable for me, at the time) 2, p35 mobo was also cheap so in future i can crossfire . normaly a 3870 edges the 8800gt for bang for buck, but theres huge sample varience with the 100 manufactures about now.
on the plus side, u cant go wrong either way
i got the 3870 for two main reasons, 1 price (it was cheaper than a 8800gt by a reasonable for me, at the time) 2, p35 mobo was also cheap so in future i can crossfire . normaly a 3870 edges the 8800gt for bang for buck, but theres huge sample varience with the 100 manufactures about now.
on the plus side, u cant go wrong either way
On the power consumption thing every little counts and buying products whch have low power consumption sends a message to the manufacturers that you want performance and effeciency. Alot of these 'green' products make very little difference but if you think they are going in the right direction then vote with your wallet.
Microcenter has the EVGA stock-clocked 8800GT for $220 and the Super clocked for $230:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_produ ... id=0279319
Also, Newegg has a two-day sale with OC'd Zotac 8800GT for $230 and the EVGA Superclocked for $250.
http://www.microcenter.com/single_produ ... id=0279319
Also, Newegg has a two-day sale with OC'd Zotac 8800GT for $230 and the EVGA Superclocked for $250.
It's even funnier when they give you the option for in store pickup yet keep that line about 7-21 days. I think you're right though, probably means out of stock. I was close to getting one too. I'm not sure I trust MicroCenter so much.CA_Steve wrote:this is my favorite line from the MicroCenter product page:
"Usually ships in 7-21 business days."
That's the equivalent of saying - "we don't have it"
I got burned once by Microcenter for an in-store pickup, since then I've called ahead after ordering and they'll tell you if it's stocked at the location. It's a pain, but they will cancel the order over the phone if not in stock there. I ordered the EVGA SC for $250 from Newegg with free shipping & no tax. The SC version was right at the Microcenter price after local tax. I'll probably underclock it back to stock until I can find an Accelero S1 rev2 in stock somewhere.