ATI HD2900XT or HD3850?

[alya]

Hi guys..im wondering which one better (ATI HD2900XT or HD3850)..since the performance about da same..any thought about it?

 

[ShadowFold]

HD 2900XT should perform better but run hotter.. I would get a HD 3870 if you can tho.

 

[FR@NK]

HD3850...because you might need a better psu if you get a HD2900XT

 

[alya]

in term of price..both of them ar about da same in my country..maybe 3850 $14 higher than 2900..as for the 3870..i need to spend $73 more for that..dunno whether worth it or not..

 

[ShadowFold]

Well idk anything about the brand of your psu so you should grab the 3850 cause its waay more power efficient.

 

[FlipIt]

the 2900XT wouldn't go with a PSU lower then 700W so 3850...

 

[farlex85]

I don't thik 700w is neccessary, but 450 from i-cute is a little sketchy. Considering that, like everyone else I would say go w/ the 3850.

 

[alya]

Well idk anything about the brand of your psu so you should grab the 3850 cause its waay more power efficient.

im using i-cute 450watt pure power..but im not sure whether enough or not..if not..can recommend any good psu with medium price?

 

[DanishDevil]

Get any of the Corsair Power Supplies from Buy.com. Link below is to all of them:

http://www.buy.com/retail/searchpar...ra=zm01,p01,op01,nf01,em01&ze01=5185&em01=979

Get whichever is in your price range. The HX series is modular, while the TX series has a single +12V rail (good for multi-video card setups and power-hungry cards like the 2900XT).

If you don't mind a non-modular PSU, I would highly recommend the Corsair TX750W. It's a steal from Buy.com after rebate. I don't know if you would get free shipping to Malaysia, though.

 

[largon]

Hmmm...
We have two VGAs here that perform about same - the other consumes ½ the electricity... Come on, this isn't a brainer.

Hint: getting a HD2900 makes no sense whatsoever

 

[mandelore]

the 2900XT wouldn't go with a PSU lower then 700W so 3850...

rubbish

i ran mine on a 500W, my new psu is only 650W, never had a probplem overclocking the card to 950core+

and the 2900 outperforms the 3850

hehe show me a 3850 that can beat my 2900xt.

the 2900 is a beast, at higher clocks it really copes well at high resolutions.

Im gaming at 1920x1200 and the 2900 performs great. 930core gaming stable 955 bench stable

 

[alya]

HD 2900XT should perform better but run hotter.. I would get a HD 3870 if you can tho.

Hmmm...
We have two VGAs here that perform about same - the other consumes ½ the electricity... Come on, this isn't a brainer.

Hint: getting a HD2900 makes no sense whatsoever

well..somebody here said that 2900xt perform better..

 

[mandelore]

thats because it does perform better, and once overclocked the 2900 (esp 1gb) stamps on the 3850

 

[farlex85]

Well, I believe mandelore is referring to his 1gb version, and I would assume you are referring to getting a 512mb version. So there is some difference there. I think that even the 512mb version might perform a little better, but I wouldn't trust your psu w/ it. Although, I couldn't say for sure....

 

[alya]

Get any of the Corsair Power Supplies from Buy.com. Link below is to all of them:

http://www.buy.com/retail/searchpar...ra=zm01,p01,op01,nf01,em01&ze01=5185&em01=979

Get whichever is in your price range. The HX series is modular, while the TX series has a single +12V rail (good for multi-video card setups and power-hungry cards like the 2900XT).

If you don't mind a non-modular PSU, I would highly recommend the Corsair TX750W. It's a steal from Buy.com after rebate. I don't know if you would get free shipping to Malaysia, though.

all of them quite expensive if include shipping..no free shipping for international..and not easy to find corsair power supplies in Malaysia..urm..how about cooler master power supply?

 

[alya]

Well, I believe mandelore is referring to his 1gb version, and I would assume you are referring to getting a 512mb version. So there is some difference there. I think that even the 512mb version might perform a little better, but I wouldn't trust your psu w/ it. Although, I couldn't say for sure....

actually 256mb version..no more stock for 512mb version in my country except internet..

 

[mandelore]

Well, I believe mandelore is referring to his 1gb version, and I would assume you are referring to getting a 512mb version. So there is some difference there. I think that even the 512mb version might perform a little better, but I wouldn't trust your psu w/ it. Although, I couldn't say for sure....

the performance between the 1gb gddr4 2900 and the 512mb gddr3 is limited.

I would, if its cheap enough, get a 1gb pro, and bios flash it to an xt.

BUT.

something to consider.....

if you got a 3850, you could at a later point get another 3850/3870 and crossfire them for much better performance than just 1 2900. you cannot officially crossfire a 2900 and a 3870/50 (tho with driver tweaks you can)

 

[alya]

Can 450watt power supply hold (2 x 3850)? SLI need SLI motherboard..which will cost more in order to change motherboard...so which one will give good performance and value for money?

 

[farlex85]

Check this guide out: http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39758

Coolermaster is solid, but look through that and see what you can find cheap where you are. 450w or 500w should be enough for what you have, but brand reliability w/ psu's is invaluable. Thats why me and others are saying we are not sure about your psu, as you can never tell w/ those that come w/ a case.

I would say you will have to do a little calculating as I don't think many of us here know what is available to you at those prices there. It probably is your best bet to get a good cheap solid psu and a 2900xt, but depending on your budget (and future budget), and what kind of prices you have there it may be more effective for you to get a single, w/ better psu and mb in future for crossfire (if you go that route you will probably want to have 600-700w at least).

 

[ShadowFold]

your no name psu probly cant do two. But yea a good one probly can. I would try and go at least 500w tho. And you need a Intel or AMD chipset for ATi Crossfire.

 

[alya]

Check this guide out: http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39758

Coolermaster is solid, but look through that and see what you can find cheap where you are. 450w or 500w should be enough for what you have, but brand reliability w/ psu's is invaluable. Thats why me and others are saying we are not sure about your psu, as you can never tell w/ those that come w/ a case.

but as long it provide you with pure 450watt..it shud be enough right?

 

[farlex85]

but as long it provide you with pure 450watt..it shud be enough right?

Eh, not so much. One of the problems w/ noname psu's is they are often rated above what they actually can handle, while most good ones are rated under. For instance, yours could actually only be able to get 430w. It also has to do w/ amps on your 12v rail, which good psu's handle better. And then there is just overall reliability. A bad psu could spell disaster, as it could take other components w/ it, so its best to air on the side of caution.

 

[mandelore]

Can 450watt power supply hold (2 x 3850)? SLI need SLI motherboard..which will cost more in order to change motherboard...so which one will give good performance and value for money?

ATI use crossfire for multi-gpu solutions, Nvidea use SLI.

For some reason I cannot bring up your system specs. Tell me, what motherboard do you have?

Im not certain about 450W being enough for crossfire, but depends on the PSU make. A high quality low Wattage PSU can make do what a lower quality but higher Wattage PSU can

 

[VroomBang]

HD3850...because you might need a better psu if you get a HD2900XT

Indeed, you might even need to install solar panels on your roof to run a 2900XT. Expect it to draw 374W peak compared to 234W for the 3850, for a similar level of performance.

Even if I had a super powerful psu, I would still avoid the 2900XT as it puts too much strain on the system. It almost needs a dedicated psu just for itself (1).

edit:
(1) I'm exagerating a little bit here, I hate the 2900XT's high power consumption which truly peaks at 374W

 

[Wile E]

the 2900XT wouldn't go with a PSU lower then 700W so 3850...

Tell that to my 620W psu, that handled a 2900 OCed and an OCed Athlon X2 6400+, all without even stressing it.