ATI 3870?? Should I Get It...

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,402
8,574
126
i'd get a 4770 over that. looking at the charts the 4770 seems really close to the 4850, and the 4850 is a no brainer over the 3870.
 

marcdisa

Banned
Nov 21, 2009
61
0
0
I just built a system with a 2.8 regor. I'm looking to play Star Trek Online and Star Wars Old Republic when they come out. Maybe WoW and Dragon Age in the meantime...
 

AzN

Banned
Nov 26, 2001
4,112
2
0
Get something better. For that price you probably could pick up 8800gt.
 

Arkaign

Lifer
Oct 27, 2006
20,736
1,379
126
No, don't do it.

The 4670 is nearly as good as a 3870, and it's a lot cheaper. I'd really look hard at stretching the budget just a little to either grab a 4770 ~$100 or so, or if you really want to ice it for a while, a DX11-ready 5770 for about $165.
 

crisium

Platinum Member
Aug 19, 2001
2,643
615
136
If you don't plan to use AA it's not a bad card for that price. But the 4670 is $10 cheaper, has free shipping - the better choice imo. Without AA the 3870 is often faster, but even then it's only by a little.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-329-_-Product

Or check the for sale/trade forums:

http://forums.anandtech.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19

If you hunt around and have some patience I guarantee you'll be able to find a Geforce 8800GT/9800GT or even a Radeon 4850 for that price. You could even make a thread requesting good cards for $75.
 

BFG10K

Lifer
Aug 14, 2000
22,709
3,003
126
The 2xxx/3xxx series have slow-ass AA, so avoid them whenever possible.
 

Keysplayr

Elite Member
Jan 16, 2003
21,219
55
91
9800GT 1GB
9600GT 512
GT240 512
4770
4850
8800GT
4830

All of the above are better buys than that 3870. Look around for the best price.
The fastest card in this particular list is the 4850. Followed by the 4770/9800GT/8800GT/4830. Slowest, but still faster than a 4670/3870 is the GDDR5 GT240/GDDR3 9600GT