X1900XT -> 3850 upgrade, is it worth it?

[Haphazard]

Even though I have a 1900x1200 screen, I do most of my gaming at 1680x1050 with medium eyecandy on my X1900XT. I use XP Pro, so no DX10 gaming. Will a move up to 3850 improve my fps and/or allow me to move up to 1900x1200?

In general, do you guys think its worth the upgrade? Much thanks for your help!

 

[legoman666]

http://www.gpureview.com/show_...hp?card1=377&card2=546

I'd say it's worth it. And while you're at it, just pay the extra $20 and get the 3870.

 

[lyssword]

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3151&p=9

 

[s44]

today only

 

[Haphazard]

Thanks for the excellent pointers guys! Indeed, it looks like the 3850 is a winner.

I should mention that I'm a bit of a noise freak (as-in *quiet* components only). My current X1900XT is rigged with an aftermarket Arctic Cooling cooler for cool, silent operation. While the 3870 for a few dollars more is very tempting, I wonder how much of a noise increase that honking two-slot cooler brings with it. Cost is the next concern ... basically meaning I won't be able to invest in another aftermarket cooler for this upgrade and so the card has to be as quiet as possible.

Meanwhile, I found some overheating problems being reported by the users at newegg (here). Can anybody (dis)confirm whether there is a problem with the stock cooling on the 3850's?

Many, many thanks in advance!

 

[Avalon]

Stock cooling sucks, but the GPU runs cool enough that it shouldn't matter. I keep the fan pegged at 45% and it's fairly quiet (inaudible with case closed) and never goes above 80C load. If you're overclocking, that may be a different story.

 

[Haphazard]

Avalon, that's reassuring ... I'm assuming you are talking about a 3850, yes?

 

[Denithor]

The "big honking" dual-slot coolers are actually quieter in most cases. They feature larger fans that move more air at lower RPMs and will exhaust the air out of the case altogether so your overall temps will be lower.

Might consider this one: Diamond HD3870 512MB ~$192 after MIR

With this comment in the reviews section:

Pros: I had an HIS 3870 and was unable to get it stable on an Asus A8R32 Deluxe with a Great 600W FSP power supply. I returned it and bought this card. Very easy to get installed and works Great. No issues at all playing games. I Love this card it is better than my X1900XT and just as stable.

Cons: None, just get this card and you will have no problems.

Other Thoughts: Some brands of the 3870 cards seems to have problems but not the Diamond brand.

Or this: MSI 8800GT OC 512MB ~$196 after MIR
Factory overclocked, upgraded heatpipe cooler with large quiet fan

Or, probably the best deal out there right now: MSI 8800GTS OC 512MB $227 after MIR

 

[Haphazard]

Denithor, those are some excellent deals indeed. Thanks for the pointers! Here we have an 8800GT and an HD3870 separated by just $4 ... but isn't the 8800GT one complete step above the 3870 in the performance food chain? If I don't have the performance pegged wrong, how can this pricing be? ... theoretically, there will be very little to recommend the 3870 with this type of pricing on the 8800GT.

... or am I missing something basic?

 

[Denithor]

MSI is offering very aggressive rebates to push their card sales.

The deal for the 8800GTS with Witcher included is the best around anywhere so far for this level of card.


And looky here:

But interestingly enough, check out this article on DailyTech talking about the next generation 9800 cards.

9800GTX = G92 @ 675MHz core/2200MHz memory

If I'm not completely mistaken, that means basically that the new 9800GTX is nothing more than an 8800GTS with GDDR4 for higher bandwidth. Granted, they will probably have a 1GB model but anyway...


...so an 8800GTS purchased today will probably have great staying power.

 

[JBT]

yes it is worth it. I had a x1900XT and jumped to an 8800GT and it was a HUGE upgrade.