Dual-GPU Comparison - 3850x2 vs 3870x2 vs 9800GX2
Quake 4 & Unreal Tournament 3
Published: 7th June 2008 | Source: ASUS | Price: N/A |
Quake 4 is a game built on the Doom 3 engine. Benchmarking was performed using Quake4Bench and a custom timedemo recording along with 4xAA and 4xAF. The benchmark was set to run a total of 5 times, with Quake4Bench automatically calculating an average result at the end of the run.
With less than 5fps separating all three of the cards on test, the end result all comes down to value. With the 3850x2 being the cheapest in the group (at £211) it snatches the top spot on the CPF scale with the 3870x2 not far behind, and the 9800GX2 trailing in last position.
Unreal Tournament 3 is the highly anticipated game from Epic Games and Midway. The game uses the latest Unreal engine which combines fast gameplay along with high quality textures and lighting effects. All benchmarks were performed using UTbench with a fly-by of the DM-BioHazard map. As usual, all benchmarks were performed 5 times, with the highest and lowest results being removed and an average calculated from the remaining three.
Being based on the same "UE3" engine as BIOSHOCK, we could have almost put money on the 9800GX2 being the top of the FPS charts in Unreal considering the results seen on the previous pages. Our bet would have certainly paid off too, with the 9800GX2 giving almost a 50fps advantage at 1900x1200 and 27fps advantage at 1280x1024 when compared with the 3870x2.However, this advantage still simply isn't enough to justify the high price tag of the 9800GX2, with both the 3870x2 and 3850x2 offering slightly better value for money.
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