Dual-GPU Comparison – 3850×2 vs 3870×2 vs 9800GX2
Quake 4 is a game built on the Doom 3 engine. Benchmarking was performed using Quake4Bench and a custom timedemo recording along with 4xAA and 4xAF. The benchmark was set to run a total of 5 times, with Quake4Bench automatically calculating an average result at the end of the run.
With less than 5fps separating all three of the cards on test, the end result all comes down to value. With the 3850×2 being the cheapest in the group (at £211) it snatches the top spot on the CPF scale with the 3870×2 not far behind, and the 9800GX2 trailing in last position.
Unreal Tournament 3 is the highly anticipated game from Epic Games and Midway. The game uses the latest Unreal engine which combines fast gameplay along with high quality textures and lighting effects. All benchmarks were performed using UTbench with a fly-by of the DM-BioHazard map. As usual, all benchmarks were performed 5 times, with the highest and lowest results being removed and an average calculated from the remaining three.
However, this advantage still simply isn’t enough to justify the high price tag of the 9800GX2, with both the 3870×2 and 3850×2 offering slightly better value for money.
