Out of Curiosity...3870 CF vs. 5850

[djnsmith7]

I will be upgrading from my current 3870 CF setup to a single 5850 (for now) & I'm curious, what would the approximate performance increase percentage be with the 9.12 drivers & the Hot Fix?

I did a search, but from what I found, most reviewers aren't bothering with 3870 CF anymore.

In case you're wondering, I'm upgrading for the onboard HDMI port, as I didn't have any luck with the DVI > HDMI adaptor, & not because of poor performance from the 3870's.

I'm turning this machine into an HTPC / Blu Ray Media Center with my VSX-92TXH.

 

[scooterlibby]

I'm just spouting here, so correct me if I am wrong, but I think the 3870x2 was a bit better than the 8800 Ultra. The GTX285 was a great deal better than the 8800 Ultra and the 5850 beats the GTX285. I reckon you'll see a good boost.

 

[videogames101]

I can't find the 5850, but here is the GTX285, which is weaker than the 5850.

Comparison

 

[djnsmith7]

I can't find the 5850, but here is the GTX285, which is weaker than the 5850.

Comparison

There are some extremes with those comparisons. It was very interesting to see the 285 clearly leave 3870 CF in the dust in several of the comparisons & to see them stand toe to toe in others. Thanks for the reference.

 

[evolucion8]

In the best case scenario, the HD 3870X2 can be slighly faster than the HD 4870 512MB, but usually is slighly slower and considering that the HD 5850 is faster than the HD 4870, you will see a nice boost, specially in minimum frame rates.

 

[Bull Dog]

Figure it this way. The 4870 was about as good as a 3870 X2. The 5870 is about as good as a 4870 X2. The 5850 isn't quite as good as a 5870 so I'd figure a 1.7x boost at minimum.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

All Radeon HD2000, 3000, 4000, and 5000 series cards do audio over HDMI, even when using the ATI DVI to HDMI adapter.

 

[smackababy]

I didn't know that. Wow, that is great news. I just discovered this with my 5850 and assumed it was a new feature.

 

[WildW]

The 4350 does native HDMI sound too, have done a couple of media centres with those, HD playback is fine with them.

 

[Fox5]

Pretty much all ATI cards have native sound over HDMI, but not all will do the highest quality audio options for blu-ray.

 

[djnsmith7]

Pretty much all ATI cards have native sound over HDMI, but not all will do the highest quality audio options for blu-ray.

Which is precisely why I'm interested in the 5850. Not only do I want full 1080p, I also want Dolby TrueHD & DTS-HD Master audio as well & this card supports all of the above.

 

[jasonchng1987]

5850 will win

 

[Arkaign]

Which is precisely why I'm interested in the 5850. Not only do I want full 1080p, I also want Dolby TrueHD & DTS-HD Master audio as well & this card supports all of the above.

Forgive me for saying, not trying to be offensive, but I think you're severely overbuying here. If you're not gaming on the card (no mention of it above), then buying a 5850 is just paying a ton of $ for more heat and power usage.

The lower-end HD 5xxx series will have all of the same 1080p/audio features of the 5850 and above, down to the last detail. The 5350 isn't out yet, but it's due in the first half of next month. Expect to pay less than $100, and prices closer to $60 seem likely for some models.

 

[MrPickins]

The 4350 does native HDMI sound too, have done a couple of media centres with those, HD playback is fine with them.

QFT

My HTPC uses a 4350 with HDMI output, and I've had absolutely no problems.

 

[mwmorph]

Maybe the OP will be gaming on it, there's no logical reason to go for a 5850 on a HTPC unless you plan on doing heavy gaming at 1080P with AA/high settings on your TV.

The OP seems to be combative and very hostile for some reason, but i'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt that he actually needs a video card like that.

At 1920x1200 4xAA, the 3870CF is just about identical to performance to a HD5750. The 5850 is a hell of a lot faster than the 3870CF, as in the GTX285 is 50% faster than a HD3870 CF(19x12 no AA, the GTX285 is 35% faster than a HD3870 CF) and a 5850 is ~10% faster than a GTX 285.
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/...ity/Sum-of-FPS-Benchmarks-1920x1200,1636.html

 

[djnsmith7]

Mods, I have the info I needed. You can lock this thread.

 

[Arkaign]

The 5850 will use less power, at both idle and load, than his 3870s in Xfire.

Most definitely, the point was that *if* the use was purely for the purposes stated in the OP (turning this PC into an HTPC/BluRay system), then a 5850 would use a dramatically larger amount of power than say a 5770 or better still, a 5350 when they pop out next month. Since the OP has clarified that the PC will indeed still perform gaming duties, then the 5850 begins to make sense

That's what this thread needed clarity on. I'd guess that most people (all in my personal experience) use an HTPC just for media, and sometimes some light surfing or whatnot. Of course there are exceptions.

This thread got way out of hand for no good reason other than poor communication. That's why my response was qualified :

"If you're not gaming on the card (no mention of it above), then buying a 5850 is just paying a ton of $ for more heat and power usage."

 

[Arkaign]

Abe, I did quantify my post, which is different than just assuming something. I most definitely was not condescending. Overall there is just far too much hostility in this thread, makes no sense to me.

Having a Crossfire setup doesn't necessarily mean anything if someone is telling you that they're 'turning the PC into an HTPC/BluRay' system. Re-purposing a system is a very common scenario.

The best thing to do would be to offer the info (was done early in the thread), and then clarify that IF gaming is not a concern (it usually isn't with HTPC use), then a lower-end ATI card would save money, heat, and power. If gaming IS part of the use, then no harm for offering the info.

 

[Keysplayr]

I've just cleaned up this fallacy of a thread. Next person to utter a confrontational post gets a few days off. This was utterly ridiculous.
Anandtech Moderator - Keysplayr

 

[Arkaign]

I've just cleaned up this fallacy of a thread. Next person to utter a confrontational post gets a few days off. This was utterly ridiculous.
Anandtech Moderator - Keysplayr

Thank you

 

[djnsmith7]

Keys, I appreciate your efforts here & I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment. You can lock this thread now, as I'm done with it.

 

[crackshot91]

I've just cleaned up this fallacy of a thread. Next person to utter a confrontational post gets a few days off. This was utterly ridiculous.
Anandtech Moderator - Keysplayr

My apologies.