Dead: VisionTek ATi Radeon HD3870 512MB OC

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gigahertz20

gigahertz20

Golden Member
Apr 30, 2007
1,118
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They have 4 at my BB store, just called them. Right now I have a X1950XT 512Mb in my computer, but I wonder if I should even buy one since new video cards will be coming out soon. Plus, the 8800GT's perform alot better I think and are not much more.....hmmm
 
cubeless

cubeless

Diamond Member
Sep 17, 2001
4,295
1
81
those 2 are real close... the gt is faster due to clock speed... my 640@630/1000 is neck and neck with my 3870@880/1370... but the 3870 does hd bigscreen tv better...
 
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maxSe

Golden Member
Aug 23, 2000
1,947
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Nice. Picked up 2 at Paramus, NJ BB. Looks like nicely built units. I just hope these aren't plagued with the fan speed issue - my MSI one was the worst until I flashed the bios...

I don't think these will go down that much in couple of weeks. With the low end 48xx shooting for $199 or so, I think these will still hover around $120~$130 range for a while.


 
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manko

Golden Member
May 27, 2001
1,846
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The normal price on these at BB is $250. The average price is probably $160-$200+ right now. The 4850 will probably be in th $199 range, maybe $179 with a really good sale or rebate. So these cards will probably drop down to fit in the price range just below that, maybe $130/140 to $160, so this is still a good deal. They might be $99 by Q4, when the refreshes of the new cards come out.
 
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Tullphan

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2001
3,507
5
81
RE this vs. the 8800GT...it was stated that this card (3870) is better for big screen HD. What about for all-purpose use on a 21" flat panel? Would either suffice?

*EDIT*
Would this card be a good upgrade from a 7900GT?
I'm also curious to know about issues with this card & Asus motherboards. Anyone using this card & an Asus motherboard w/o problems?
 
C

ChaosDivine

Senior member
May 23, 2008
370
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Originally posted by: cubeless
those 2 are real close... the gt is faster due to clock speed... my 640@630/1000 is neck and neck with my 3870@880/1370... but the 3870 does hd bigscreen tv better...
Click to expand...
And the 3870 doesn't have nVIDIA's damned YUB bug :| Had to jump back to 169.xx drivers from 175.xx to get rid of washed out video.
 
gigahertz20

gigahertz20

Golden Member
Apr 30, 2007
1,118
2
81
Hah, I decided to buy all 4 of these at my Best Buy store, I went down to the Post Office and picked up 4 of the 10% coupons for Best Buy that come in their "Change of Address" package. Went to BB and used all 4 coupons successfully, 10% off on each one and I used a $10 gift card I had kept since Christmas.....so the final price I paid in cash for all 4 was $486 so an average of $121.50 for each one.

I had each one put on a separate receipt, and now I'm looking at them I don't know which receipt belongs to which one. I couldn't find a number on the receipt to match the receipt to the box, so I guess there isn't one.

Also 1 out of the 4 looks completely different then the other 3. I looked at the PCB through the plastic window on the front of the box and it says revision 1.1 and the others say 1.0 so I guess I got a newer one with the bunch.

The revision 1.1 of this looks like this, whereas the old revision 1.0 looks like this, besides the cooler being completely different looking and I hope better....I wonder what else is different? I couldn't find much on the new revision through google.

Anybody know anything about this? Maybe it provides better overclocking or something?

 
gigahertz20

gigahertz20

Golden Member
Apr 30, 2007
1,118
2
81
Concerning the revision I found this Newegg review, after going to the VisionTek forum link below, it seems like the revision 1.0 3870 with the dual slot cooler has some issues with temperature and fan speed.


Pros: I have read every single review of this card and am reading the other three dual slot external exhaust 3870 cards (Diamond, HiS, and MSI) too. I am very interested in buying one of these cards. BUT I have some BIG concerns about this one now too.

Cons: Since January/February 2008, a high number of reviewers have stated that they received ATI reference cards or bland cards and not the Visiontek's actual card. One reviewer posted that VisionTek told them this was an error that should be resolved soon? But months later people are still reporting getting the wrong card, a card other than the one pictured on Newegg's site. Others mentioned that the card has a different ""defective BIOS"" that locks the card at 840/1170.____________ QUESTIONS I STILL HAVE: Are these ATI bland / bad BIOS cards still being shipped? Does it cost anything to get the correct card from VisionTek or Newegg?

Other Thoughts: This is very frustrating. It seems like a very good card and the fact that three / four months later they have still not sorted out which card is being shipped out: the real VisionTek card or the ATI reference card seems less like a mistake and more like a deliberate action? I just spent a few more hours reading the VisionTek Forum threads regarding the 3870. Apparently some Vision Tek cards also have capped OC'ing. http://www.visiontek.com/forum...eadffa5b2051ee63d2c3e3 There is a third delema, on some other sellers sites they have begun shipping their Revision 2 cards. These cards have an Orb style cooler and vent into the computer case no longer external venting.
Click to expand...
 
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slashbinslashbash

Golden Member
Feb 29, 2004
1,945
8
81
Thanks OP. Just picked mine up and used the USPS 10% coupon :). There were 4 or 5 left in the Hurst, Texas location. All of the ones they had were Revision 1. I guess I would have liked the orb cooler, but oh well. Based on the link that gigahertz20 posted above, I seem not to have the potentially flawed one. Anyway, the card has a lifetime warranty, so I'm cool with Revision 1. This ought to be a decent upgrade over my X1900 AIW, and I will be able to fleabay the AIW for about what I paid for this one.
 
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deepinya

Golden Member
Jan 29, 2003
1,873
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I had a choice of both coolers and went with the external exhaust version. Less heat in my case the better.
 
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mi1stormilst

Golden Member
Mar 28, 2001
1,640
0
76
I just got one in Mesa 85234 Superstition Store...only 4 left...rev 1.0...no worries can always contact Visiontek if any issues. Just barely fit in my mATX case...
 
cubeless

cubeless

Diamond Member
Sep 17, 2001
4,295
1
81
fyi... a different visiontek 3870 is on sale at cc this week... it's different than the one at bb, the cc one has a zalman 7000 type single heatpipe cooler on it... i got the only one at my local store, and it seems that they are out of them at a lot of stores... it's not even listed at the website... it oc's to 880/1375 and only gets up to about 65c... the auto fan works pretty good...
 
gigahertz20

gigahertz20

Golden Member
Apr 30, 2007
1,118
2
81
Originally posted by: cubeless
fyi... a different visiontek 3870 is on sale at cc this week... it's different than the one at bb, the cc one has a zalman 7000 type single heatpipe cooler on it... i got the only one at my local store, and it seems that they are out of them at a lot of stores... it's not even listed at the website... it oc's to 880/1375 and only gets up to about 65c... the auto fan works pretty good...
Click to expand...


Price? Called my CC and they don't even carry them.
 
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Canai

Diamond Member
Oct 4, 2006
8,016
1
0
Picked one up at BB today. Got the one with the dual slot cooler one it. ~$123 after Post Office rebate.

Will update after I install it tonight.
 
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Seggybop

Member
Oct 17, 2007
117
0
0
I got the last one available at the closest BB store. I first saw them at the store last night, and they still had three in stock. Two of the revision 1 with the ATI heatsink, and one with the copper orb type. This morning when I returned with funds, only the orb version was left. Luckily, it was the one I wanted. With the NY sales tax and -10% post office coupon, it came out to $126, which I consider pretty good.
 
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Keitero

Golden Member
Jun 28, 2004
1,890
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I got rev. 1 but I don't have any issues with it. Anyone else experiencing any issues?
 
Z

zettler

Senior member
Nov 16, 1999
705
2
81
Originally posted by: Twofootputt
Use ActiveX BB coupon thread save a trip to the Post Office. It's good on graphic cards.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I used the coupn and found one locally - PLUS, I found a DYNEX case (w/500W PS) for less than $29 (after 10% coupon). Expensive deal but worth it - I hope!
 
cubeless

cubeless

Diamond Member
Sep 17, 2001
4,295
1
81
$129 @ cc for the other 3870... it was in their sunday ad... just shows why cc is in such trouble... guy said they may get some on friday...
 
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mi1stormilst

Golden Member
Mar 28, 2001
1,640
0
76
CC blows they never have the 360 games I am looking for, prices vary between stores...I am no lover of BB but this deal made me smile. I was running a X1800XL and other box has a 3850 256MB...this card runs Crysis very well and looks spectacular at 1680X1050 (Running a 3GHZ AMD Dually, 2GB RAM, WINDOWS XP)
 
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Mytime34

Platinum Member
Aug 22, 2000
2,663
4
81
I bought 2ea of the 3870s from BB today and got 12% off.

I installed one of them and holy crap, it beats the HD2600XT out of the water and makes COD4 @1900x1200 look sweet and never has a hiccup. I actually had to buy a new Power supply today and got lucky at Radioshack. Thermaltake PurePower 600w for $39.99 and I had a $10 off $40 coupon.

I am trying to sell the second 3870, but if not it will go in my other system.
 
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