Radeon 3850 Questions

[n8thegr8]

Just a few basic questions about the 3850, this would be my first pci-e video card so bear with me!

1) I've seen that the card is pci-e 2.0, does this mean I would need a newer motherboard to take advantage of this? Can it be run on a standard x16 board?

2) I've seen the power requirements on ati's specs recommend a 450w psu. Would 400 watts still cut it? I was hoping on running 2 hdd's but could hold it to 1 if need be.

3) I'm new to crossfire, but would it be possible to run 2 of these linked up? A second one down the road would be sweet!

Thanks!

 

[JPB]

1) Yes, it will be compatible. No new motherboard needed.

2) You should be fine with the psu. What is your 12 volt rail amp rating ?

3) Yes, you can run two of them in Crossfire. There are several sites benchmarking 3850 Crossfire.

 

[daveybrat]

Originally posted by: JPB
1) Yes, it will be compatible. No new motherboard needed.

2) You should be fine with the psu. What is your 12 volt rail amp rating ?

3) Yes, you can run two of them in Crossfire. There are several sites benchmarking 3850 Crossfire.

He's right on. If you could also give us the make/model of your power supply we could verify if it will work with the 3850.

 

[n8thegr8]

Excellent! Thanks for the responses. My psu is a FSP (Forton Souce) AX400-PN, with 18A on the V1 12V, and 16A on the V2 12V. Seen here on newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817104953

 

[formulav8]

I don't see you having any problems with using your power supply. Should work just fine.


Jason

 

[taltamir]

Only advantage of pcie2 (double the bandwidth of pcie1) is in crossfire... the extra bandwidth improves performance a little there compared to pcie1... but it is not NEEDED.

If you are gonna spend that kind of money (two cards, extra power, crossfire mobo, etc) you might aswell go with a pair of 3870... much more bang for the buck.

but heck, I would just buy a single new GTS as soon as it comes out, or maybe a GT, rather then crossfiring 2 weaker cards... multi video card is not worth it unless you are using top end cards.

 

[n8thegr8]

Thanks guys! I think I'm going to stick with the 3850, my thinking was in a year or so when it drops in price that I would crossfire it then. For now, it's pretty much the max I'm willing to spend on a video card. Unless the 3870 really is that much better...which it looks like..we'll see I suppose...O

 

[Sylvanas]

Crossfire performance scaling can only go up, so if you can get another later down the track then I'm sure you wont regret it .

 

[bryanW1995]

you're fine with that psu.

 

[spittledip]

Actually, depending upon the motherboard, if you have an older one it might not be compatible. There have been compatibility issues with PCIE 2.0 cards and PCIE 1.0a expansion slots on the motherboard. Some say it is chipset related. So, if you have a motherboard with PCIE 1.0a slot, beware!

 

[n8thegr8]

Hmm...is the MSI RD-480 1.0a?

 

[spittledip]

I think it might have just been Nvidia chipsets that were having difficulty with it. You might be ok. Some PCIE 1.0a slots are ok apparently. I am not sure though. I am looking for more information myself as I have an Abit KN8ultra

 

[bunker]

The ASROCK 775Dual VSTA is the only motherboard that I'm aware of having issues with pci-e 2.0 cards.

 

[n8thegr8]

Cool. I'm in a bit of a bind in finding a motherboard with crossfire, I just bought a 4200+ X2 which is socket 939 (didn't realize the AM2's were so darn cheap as well..doh!!).

They are real hard to come by, the MSI RD480 looked like a good bet and is available at some stores, but apparently is a little weak when it comes to OC capability. Any recommendations?

 

[vailr]

Originally posted by: n8thegr8
Cool. I'm in a bit of a bind in finding a motherboard with crossfire, I just bought a 4200+ X2 which is socket 939 (didn't realize the AM2's were so darn cheap as well..doh!!).

They are real hard to come by, the MSI RD480 looked like a good bet and is available at some stores, but apparently is a little weak when it comes to OC capability. Any recommendations?

AFAIK: there are no socket 939 boards that also use DDR2 memory. I'd recommend selling your unused AMD CPU on the For Sale/Trade forum. Go with an Intel E2140, E4500 C2D CPU (or other socket 775 CPU) and use DDR2 memory, which is dirt-cheap right now.