Dual-GPU Comparison - 3850x2 vs 3870x2 vs 9800GX2
Introduction & Appearance
Published: 7th June 2008 | Source: ASUS | Price: N/A |
Introduction
Going back almost 8 years to a time when I didn't have such a receded hair line and the only bills I need worry about was the next hardware upgrade to my beige coloured PC, a company that many of us will undoubtedly remember and respect - 3dfx, released one of the first mainstream gamer orientated graphics cards featuring dual GPU's on a single board. Branded the Voodoo5 5500, this card was to be the last card ever released to public before the company was snapped up by NVidia.Since then there have been only but a few attempts to bring dual-GPU graphics cards back on to the market. Some have been unofficial AIB partner prototypes such as the X1950Pro Dual from Sapphire, while others official releases from manufacturers such as the 7950GX2 from NVidia. All have had their fair share of problems with either poor driver support, sub-par performance or extremely high price tags.
However, back in January ATI decided to bite the bullet and give dual-GPU's another bash. The result of course was the HD3870x2 which featured two HD3870 GPU's and 1GB of RAM all neatly arranged on a single PCB. Early reviews of the cards were positive, with record breaking benchmark results and reasonably solid drivers from the outset. While the card was initially quite expensive (~£300) a select few ATI partners put it upon themselves to construct a slightly lower cost dual-GPU solution with HD3850 chips (essentially down-clocked HD3870's).
NVidia, not keen on being outdone, decided to fight back in much the same way by taking two of their mid-range 8800GTS graphics cards and fusing them into a single card solution named the 9800GX2. While many people were sceptical of NVidia's approach (mainly due to the massive failure of the Dual-PCB/GPU 7950GX2 back in 2006), the 9800GX2 did the job nicely and managed to take back the performance crown once more.
While many of the aforementioned cards have already been reviewed on Overclock3D at some time in the not so distant past, both the HD3850x2, HD3870x2 and 9800GX2 are all still top of the charts when it comes to balls out performance. However, with quite substantial gaps in price between each of the cards, today we're going to be finding out which card offers the best performance per pound for the budget conscious gamer with a need for speed. Let's take a closer look at the cards...
All three cards are extremely stylish with both the 3850x2 and 3870x2 featuring non-stock coolers designed by ASUS. For the 9800GX2 ASUS has decided to stick with the stock NVIDIA cooling solution as this is both extremely complex and difficult to replace when compared to a standard heatsink/fan combination used on most cards.
Thanks to the heavy power consuming dual-GPU nature of the cards, each card requires both a 6-Pin and an 8-Pin PCI-E power connector. This can make finding a suitable PSU for CrossfireX or SLI quite a task, but it is unfortunately a necessary evil.
Most Recent Comments
good review as always 
good to see that ATi have actually worked their way into a comfortable spot in the market
good to see that ATi have actually worked their way into a comfortable spot in the market
kool - should be a good read as ive just bought a 9800GX2 and already own a 3870X2
I`m always keen to see comparisons on a per-cost basis. I think it`s very important for people who intend to build the best pcs they can, with the budget they have available.
It`s not merely the case that with limited funds ur going to end up with a crap pc, but more that u have to be wizer about the parts u use for what. Value.
Same is to be said for cpus.
The only thing about these comparisons is that they can change so quickly. Next week or month, the prices change and the performance per cost changes - and yet u `can` be left with the memory of what the previous review said.
I`d like to see a push for a sale based on what grocery supermarkets have for products.
There are enough benches about, and as long as all the factors are taken into consideration - maybe at the start of each year, some1 like Futuremark can name a "performance" pc, afa they concerned. Thereafter in the year, the products for sale can have $4.50/frame08 ($3.75/frame08OC) - or something similar attached to them - based on their results within that PC setup.
Crazy idea, but it only takes some1 in someplace like Futuremark to mention it at a meeting and we`ll all be seeing it in the ads. Don`t think they necessarily need to take to AMD/nVidia about it, and have their legal people draw up a waterproof disclaimer.
Meh, I`d like it. Same for cpus.
It`s not merely the case that with limited funds ur going to end up with a crap pc, but more that u have to be wizer about the parts u use for what. Value.
Same is to be said for cpus.
The only thing about these comparisons is that they can change so quickly. Next week or month, the prices change and the performance per cost changes - and yet u `can` be left with the memory of what the previous review said.
I`d like to see a push for a sale based on what grocery supermarkets have for products.
There are enough benches about, and as long as all the factors are taken into consideration - maybe at the start of each year, some1 like Futuremark can name a "performance" pc, afa they concerned. Thereafter in the year, the products for sale can have $4.50/frame08 ($3.75/frame08OC) - or something similar attached to them - based on their results within that PC setup.
Crazy idea, but it only takes some1 in someplace like Futuremark to mention it at a meeting and we`ll all be seeing it in the ads. Don`t think they necessarily need to take to AMD/nVidia about it, and have their legal people draw up a waterproof disclaimer.
Meh, I`d like it. Same for cpus.
Yup, the frame per pound is very good
Its good to see a review that compares them all..
Its good to see a review that compares them all..
Except a 3850x2 is like impossible to find and 3870x2 are cheaper anyway 
Whatever happened to the GDDR4 models then :S
Nice review though, I think cards should be based on frames relative to money a lot more.
Whatever happened to the GDDR4 models then :S
Nice review though, I think cards should be based on frames relative to money a lot more.
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Dual-GPU Comparison - 3850x2 vs 3870x2 vs 9800GX2