3870 vs 8800GT vs 9600GT

[HardcoreRomantic]

In the recent Anandtech article it showed the 3870 being significantly faster than the nvidia cards. I'm in the market for a modern card. I would be playing on a 24 in Dell widescreen, so 1920x1200 is what I'd like to play at. The 3870 is also a little cheaper.

Edit: another anandtech review shows the 8800GT winning in most every test at 1920x1200.


Any pros and cons I should know about each card?

 

[SniperDaws]

Personally i wouldnt use any of them for gaming at that res, id get either the 512mb 8800GTS or wait for the 9800GT/GTS.

 

[Syntax Error]

The 8800GT does fine at that resolution depending on the game, it's not powerful to the point where it's no issue on current games; Crysis will definitely lag on all those cards at WUXGA. Of the three, the 8800GT is the most powerful (not SIGNIFICANTLY more powerful but there is an improvement over the other cards). Go for the MSI 8800GT for around $190 after rebate which comes with a great stock cooler.

 

[scheibler1]

hey I have a 24" monitor coming in the mail expected to be here tomorrow (3/11/08). I use the msi 8800gt oc. I will let you know how it runs my games @ 1900x1200:

Farcry
Medal Of Honor Airborne
Counter Strike Source
Company Of Heroes
Battlefield 2
Command and Conquer Generals + Zero Hour
Battlefield 2142
and I can download some demos if you want

if I forget to post back here, just pm me

 

[Insomniator]

If crysis weren't out I probably would have already bought any of those for my 24 but I can't bring myself to do it with crysis out there..

 

[firewolfsm]

The 3870 is a very cool card that doesn't consume much power, it's cheaper, and performs decently. It also has more overclocking headroom than most cards. It you could run without AA at 1920 you should be alright.

 

[Piuc2020]

Originally posted by: SniperDaws
Personally i wouldnt use any of them for gaming at that res, id get either the 512mb 8800GTS or wait for the 9800GT/GTS.

A 8800GTS 512MB wouldn't do much good where a 8800GT fails to do the job, the difference between the two cards is minimal... and the 9800GT/GTS are going to be these exact same cards so unless you are suggesting SLI or something to that effect, I don't know what you are suggesting other than wasting money.

 

[postmortemIA]

just forget about crysis and you're fine, there are other fishes in the sea

 

[tuteja1986]

Originally posted by: firewolfsm
The 3870 is a very cool card that doesn't consume much power, it's cheaper, and performs decently. It also has more overclocking headroom than most cards. It you could run without AA at 1920 you should be alright.

3870 gets my vote on driver stability , heat , performance vs price. overall an awesome card.

 

[Makaveli]

Another vote for the 3870 Excellent card. However if I was gaming on a 24` monitor I would choose the 8800GT it will provide a slightly better gaming experience in regard to performance at that Res.

If performance alone is not the determining factor then grab the 3870 you will be happy with this card also.

 

[agathodaimon]

At 1680x1050 my 8800GT eats everything up and asks for more.

I know, lower resolution, but still... It's a terrific card. (MSI card with factory OC and heatpipe cooler)

I have NOT had any stability issues with drivers... I use the latest from Nvidia's website. The card runs super cool as well.

 

[Narse]

the 8800GT will run everything but crysis at that res. I went SLI 8800GT and it does ok with Crysis at 1920x1200 with settings on medium.

 

[scheibler1]

well I got my 24" monitor and love it! The 8800gt can hold its own at 1900x1200, but there is some lag playing Medal Of Honor Airborne. It is definately playable though!

 

[Munky]

I'm using a single 8800gt, and it runs everything smoothly except Crysis at 1920x1200.

 

[imported_wired247]

Crysis seems to lag exponentially with increased resolution.

At 1680x1050 I have tweaked the graphics settings to look great and the 8800GT still gives over 30FPS, but you won't get anywhere near that with 1920x1200. Best go with a beefier card for crysis. Other than crysis, the 8800GT kicks just about every other game's ass with power left to spare.

 

[zod96]

Yeah the 8800 GT is perfect for 1680x1050 but 1920x1200 not so much. My GT can run every game at max settings and still pull in 50+ fps. The only game it slows down at is crysis of course on that game I have to put a few things on med and no AA or AF and then it runs fine. I think the 8800 GT was one of the best bang for your buck cards nvidia have made in a longtime. Its a 1 slot solution and 1 power plug solution, yet its almost as fast as a 8800GTX yet uses half the power and half the heat. And now you can get them for under $200 so that is a steal.