Now in pursuit of cool and powerful GPUs, people are willing to pay hundreds of dollars. Their diversity in the market is amazing. But ten years ago this could not be said about this area. There were few video cards; their modifications also rarely appeared in such a large number. But even then, the competition between the “red” and the “blue” camp became fiercer every year. So, at the end of 2007, AMD released its new brainchild - Radeon HD 3870.
As usual, this video card was released not only in the standard version, but also in various modifications from other manufacturers. Models differed in appearance, cooling systems and overclocking potential. Options from Gigabyte, Asus, Sapphire became more popular than the original version due to improved features.
Reference
Before you consider all the modified versions, it is worthwhile to understand what the original Radeon HD video card turned out to be. Now it is not known how the reference model was supplied and whether it was generally available to the buyer. Also unknown is its appearance. Nevertheless, the accelerator worked on the RV670 core, according to the 55 nm manufacturing process.
The core was operating at a speed of 775 MHz, the memory type GDDR4 had a bit capacity of 256 bits and worked at a speed of 1125 MHz. The memory capacity was 512 MB, which is very small for the current time. There were 666 million transistors inside, 320 unified shader units, and 16 units of ROP.
Model by Gigabyte
It cannot be argued that the AMD ATI Radeon HD 3870 graphics card from this manufacturer has become the top-end. But still it’s worth mentioning about it, since it was one of the bought and demanded in the market.
The model was delivered in an ominous package depicting the character of the game. That is, the user could immediately guess that a gift is waiting for him inside. The model of the viduha and the main specifications were indicated in front. There was even more information behind, but that was because it was presented in several languages. There were also screenshots from the game, which was a gift.
It is interesting that there were no specific indications of the characteristics of the video card, therefore, in fact, it was possible to put another model in this box by changing only the name index in front. Also surprising was the lack of minimum requirements for a system that would accept this model. On the one hand, it is clear that each user should study and watch what options are suitable for him during the purchase, and on the other hand, not everyone knew that a 450 W power supply was recommended for the card.
Inside, the PC video card was modestly equipped, although there was everything that was needed. So, there was a manual in triplicate, a driver disk, four adapters, a CrossFire bridge, as well as a Neverwinter Nights 2 game. Everything seemed to be enough, except for a power adapter for a six-pin PCI Express.
Appearance of Gigabyte
ATI Radeon HD 3870 looked cool at the time. It was fiery red made of high quality clear plastic. On the front of the casing of the cooling system was a sticker that again reminded us of the game in the kit. The design model retained the reference, which generally differed only in the color of the PCB, casing and logo.
Interestingly, the board itself also did not differ in special rearrangements of components. It even had similarities with the previous model 3850, from which it varied in support of another type of video memory. The supply of additional power was realized through a six-pin connector. Moreover, if the PC case was not very capacious, there could be problems installing the adapter inside.
The interface panel has acquired a small number of connectors for connecting external devices. Here you could find a pair of DVI-Is, for them there were adapters for VGA and HDMI in the box, as well as a TV-Out that supported HDTV.
Cooling system
Any video card on a PC must have its own cooling system. The overclocking capabilities and overall model performance will depend on this. In this modification, it has a rather unusual appearance. Before us is a large red plastic case, inside which is a fan, small in size, as well as a compact radiator. This whole structure can be untwisted to get to the components.
The advantage of this system structure is its quiet operation and air exhaust outside the enclosure. But, on the other hand, it will be better to cope if you put additional cooling in the case. By the way, cold air captures memory chips and a power management module through slots in the case.
And if at first glance the cooling system seems average and more or less tolerable, then in practice it turns out that it allows the device to warm up to 90 degrees. Specialists began to understand what the problem was. Indeed, in fact, the graphics chip itself is quite “cold”, and also a good copper radiator inside. Over time, it was discovered that there was a flaw in the drivers for the viduha. It is caused by the fact that the automatic fan speed control function is not actually activated, and therefore the system initially works at 25%. Hence the silence and the high temperature of heating.
Despite all this, with the help of additional software, all this was quickly fixed. Yes, it was necessary to regulate manually, but the temperature immediately dropped, and the system worked correctly. Of course, along with all this, fan noise increased.
Specification
The ATI Radeon HD 3870 (RV670) card has been introduced in several versions. Over time, a model was released with an updated core of the second version. The initial version from Gigabyte had 320 stream processors, 16 pieces of texture units and ROP each. The frequency was like that of the reference version of 775 MHz, and the width of the memory bus was 256 bits. This option came with a capacity of 512 MB, which were divided into 8 chips of the type GDDR4. The memory clock speed is 2500 MHz.
Performance
At one time, this modification passed many tests. Its main competitors were the models GeForce 8800 GT, Radeon HD 2900 XT and other variations of the 3870 card. Regarding its younger counterparts, vidukha gained a little in performance and became 25% faster. Regarding the 2900 XT, it could easily compete in power consumption and cost. And the GeForce 8800 GT became a competitor only because it got a little closer in overall performance, although in reality it was stronger, albeit with an overpriced one.
Overclocking
Overclocking Gigabyte Radeon HD 3870 512Mb the first thing you should start with increasing fan speed. So, at least up to 50%, you need to increase the power of the cooling system. To do overclocking at the highest possible rates, you can run the cooler to the maximum. So on average it was possible to raise the frequency to 857 MHz, and the memory became faster and worked with a frequency of 2560 MHz. As a result, the indicators increased by 10-15%, which is pretty good. Consequently, the system itself has become 10% more productive.
Gigabyte Reviews
Modification really turned out good. Given that the choice at that time was scarce, the demand for it increased even more. Vidukha also received good reviews. Good value for money was praised. How much does a video card cost for a computer of this type now, it’s hard to say, used versions can be found for one and a half thousand rubles.
At the time of release, the cost was approximately the same. For this money, the user received a quiet system, especially if you do not load it, hardware decoding, the presence of modern video outputs and even a gift game. Of course, now such a model is unlikely to be able to cope with modern human needs, but at one time it showed a good average performance result.
Model by Asus
Another good option for the Radeon HD 3870 was a modification from Asus. She got an interesting appearance, but regarding the technical characteristics there are doubts. In fact, it is almost identical to the previous model, so often they began to consider it in CrossFire mode. What is this, we learn further.
New items were presented in strict packaging. In appearance, it seems a little better than in the previous modification. It is made in black and gray colors. At the front there is again a minimum of information, but there is information that a new toy is waiting for us inside. On the back of the package is also a minimum of information. There is only superficial information, which in general is enough to understand what is in our hands.
Inside the package are many interesting accessories. So, there are a couple of adapters from DVI to VGA and HDMI. There is also an option for TV-Out. There is a CrissFire bridge in the box and, unlike the previous model, a six-pin PCI Express slot was placed here. In addition, there is: a paper manual, its electronic version, drivers with software and a game disc Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts.
Design by Asus
Interestingly, the Asus Radeon HD 3870 decided to use its own PCB design. It is made in red, and the layout is slightly different from the reference version. The difference is noticeable in the fan power scheme, as well as the presence of a built-in speaker, which will remind you to connect additional power.
Also, the choice of a branded cooler is immediately noticeable, which looks attractive and somewhat reminds modern variations of the cooling system. It consists of an aluminum radiator, simple, quiet, but effective, and a large fan that does its job well.
The radiators near the memory chips, which were supposed to distribute heat, also disappeared from the board. On the one hand, the news is bad, on the other hand, in practice, this practically does not affect performance, since the main cooler of the device copes with cooling the board. The power modules are protected by a proprietary radiator, which is also efficient, albeit compact. Regarding the reference model, the temperature at the same cooler speed in the modification is 10 degrees less.
Asus Specification
The Asus Radeon HD 3870 specifications received an identical reference version. Here is the same RV670 XT core, which received 320 universal stream processors, 16 texture units and ROP each. Interestingly, the clock speed increased by 2 MHz, just to be a beautiful 777 MHz. There is no difference, but it seems to be better remembered.
Video memory remains the same, with 256-bit capacity 512 MB of type GDDR4 are working. The clock memory frequency was 2500 MHz, although in practice the tests again show 2250 MHz.
Increase in productivity
Interestingly, the performance of this modification is the same as that of the Gigabyte variant, so there is no need to wait for anything special. Relative to the younger version of 3850, this one wins a little by 10-15%. If we take models from the "enemy" camp, then it slightly outperforms the GeForce 9600 GT and is slightly inferior to the GeForce 8800 GT, which wins due to the availability of a 1 GB version.
But if you use CrossFire mode, the situation changes. Two Asus graphics cards are installed on the motherboard. Immediately testing shows an almost twofold increase in productivity. If the PC is loaded so that 512 MB is enough with the head, then in general the system works with only one viduha, but if you need to use a game project, the motherboard runs both adapters to its full capacity, which affects the system performance.
Overclocking
The overclocking was not a surprise, because, in fact, this card was often bought in two copies at once. Nevertheless, it is known that the core frequency rose to 837 MHz, and the memory became faster and accelerated to 2500 MHz, which were essentially announced. Productivity increased in direct proportion to acceleration growth - about 7-8%.
Asus Reviews
Now, it is important to understand how much a video card costs per computer and it is advisable to choose from a number of. About ten years ago it was easier to purchase a similar version with the CrossFire mode, since there were very few super-powerful graphics cards on the market, and all of them were produced at sky-high prices.
On its own, this modification also turned out to be worthy of attention. Unlike the previous version, here the cooling system looks better and manifests itself. Even at high power, it is quiet. Regarding all the technical components, there are no changes or innovations.
Sapphire Graphics Card
Another no less popular and productive version of the video card was the Sapphire Radeon HD 3870. This model came in a large blue box on which all the advantages of this model were displayed. So we were talking about high-speed DDR4 memory, the presence of CrossFire X, which could already combine three or more accelerators at once. There was also a full version of 3DMark 06.
There were a couple of driver and software disks in the kit, two CDs for working with DVDs, adapters for power and video outputs were also included. There was a bridge for installing several adapters, instructions, a sticker on the PC case, and even a Steam game coupon.
Appearance
By the way, it is worth noting immediately that of all the modifications there was no option for the Radeon HD 3870 1Gb. The described model also came with 512 MB. It looked very similar to all the modifications. The reference circuit board changed from red to blue. There was a plastic blue casing on top, inside of which a cooler was stored. This choice of cooling systems is due to the fact that the core showed a low heating temperature, so they practically did not bother with this issue.
Characteristics
In Sapphire Radeon HD 3870, fan control is also implemented in the system, but in reality, sometimes you have to manually adjust the speed. The RV670 core still works here. Its frequency is 777 MHz. Samsung type DDR4 memory is equipped with eight chips and is 512 MB. The frequency reaches 2250 MHz.
Interestingly, the overclocking potential turned out to be bad. In general, we managed to raise the values to 850 MHz and 2600 MHz, but the system was not stable, so overclocking can be considered completely failed.
Reviews
In general, the modification turned out to be normal. Users praised its quiet and efficient cooling system, also liked the complete set with all the necessary cables and adapters. Not everyone needed CrossFire X technology, but its presence did not interfere with this case. Energy consumption was also low. The only thing buyers faced was errors and miscalculations in the architecture, but they were later fixed. Well, more was expected from overclocking.
A budget option
Few people know that there was a cheap version of the Radeon HD 3870 X2. He worked on a modified RV670 x2 core with a 55 nm process technology. The core frequency reached 825 MHz, but the memory was of the old type - GDDR3 with a bandwidth of 256 bits and a frequency of 900 MHz. The memory in this case was also 512 MB. Despite the increased frequencies, due to the low-speed memory, this model received a lower cost, as well as in principle popularity.
Analogs from competitors
As mentioned earlier, ATI's Radeon HD 3870 is pretty competitive. The rival for him was the GeForce 8800GT Sonic. This option was slightly better in performance. He worked on the G92 core with a 65 nm process technology. The core frequency is 650 MHz, but the speed of unified shader units has risen to 1625 MHz.
Their number is also less than that of the competitor: 320 against 112 pieces. But there are several times more texture units - 56 pieces. The amount of memory was presented in several versions, but to compare the forces, the option was taken with 256 MB. The memory frequency in this case reached 1.9 GHz. For the frequency of the experiment, Gigabyte Radeon HD 3870 Overclocked was also used. This version has an increased core frequency of 931 MHz, as well as overclocked video memory up to 2430 MHz.
As a result, testing and comparison of the three video cards showed that no matter how hard AMD tries to jump over its competitor, they rarely succeed. The core of the RV670 is noticeably inferior to the G92. Perhaps that is why the "reds" so quickly dropped the cost of the model. The positive quality of the HD 3870 can be considered that in games it is slightly inferior to the GeForce 8800GT, and given the cost of both cards, it is the best choice.
And if at the beginning of its journey, this model from AMD showed promise both among its own and among competing adapters, then later it threw off the cost to a weak version from Nvidia and stopped fighting the inevitable.
If you still have a monitored video card, then any specialist will tell you that overclocking for it is a necessary and important thing. The reference characteristics are very weak, but the ability to increase performance by 20% is a great chance to turn from a weak adapter into a good accelerator for everyday tasks. By the way, at a time when both options — 3850 and 3870 — still existed on the market, the first option was preferable, since it was cheaper, and although it differed in a different type of memory, in total, with all other characteristics, it was almost identical to its older brother.
If we return to the above modifications, then, of course, to choose the best from them is not easy, since they are almost identical. According to reviews, it is clear that many users chose the model that they liked more in terms of configuration, or rather, in the game as a gift. There were those who chose Gigabyte due to their lower cost relative to Asus. The latter option was popular with those who have long trusted this company and know that all their products are reliable.
The model from Sapphire was the least demanded, since few people had heard of the manufacturer, and all its capabilities, including failed overclocking, had a bad effect on sales.