The details of how the MSI R3870X2-T2D1G-OC Radeon HD 3870 X2 videocard test system was configured for benchmarking; the specific hardware, software drivers, operating system and benchmark versions are indicated below. All benchmarks for the videocard were run in Windows Vista Ultimate, the reference video cards were tested in both Windows XP and Vista for the DX10 benchmarks.

PCSTATS is in the process of making the transition to a Windows Vista and Intel CPU test platform, so keep this in mind as you scan the benchmark results. In the second column are the general specs for the reference cards this Radeon HD 3870 X2 videocard is to be compared against. Please take a moment to look over PCSTATS test system configurations before moving on to the individual benchmark results on the next page.

PCSTATS Test System Configurations

test system reference system processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 (775) AMD Athlon64 FX-62 (AM2) Clock Speed: 14 x 200 MHz = 2.6 GHz 14 x 200MHz = 2.8MHz Motherboards: MSI X48 Platinum (Intel X48 Express) Foxconn C51XEM2 (NF 590 SLI) Videocard: Palit Radeon HD 4870X2 Asus Radeon EAH4850/HTDI/512MA MSI Radeon R3870X2-T2D1G-OC Asus Radeon EAH3870X2 1G (Crossfire) ATI Radeon HD3870X2 Asus EAX1900XTX/2DHTV/512M/A Asus EAX1950PRO/HTDP/256M/A MSI NX8800GTX-T2D768E-HD Foxconn FV-N88SMCD2-ONOC MSI NX8800GTS-T2D320E-HD-OC nVidia GeForce 8600GTS SLI Foxconn 8600GTS-256 MSI NX8600GT-T2D256E-OC MSI NX8600GTS-T2D256E-OC Gigabyte GV-NX85T256H SLI Gigabyte GV-NX85T256H MSI NX7950GX2-T2D1GE MSI NX7900GTX-T2D512E Gigabyte GV-NX76GT256D-RH Biostar Sigma-Gate GeForce 7600GS Albatron 8600GT-256 MSI NX8800GT-T2D512E-OC Asus EN8800GT TOP/G/HTDP/512M/A Palit 9600GT Sonic Biostar V903GT52-NV1AN * Memory: Corsair DOMINATOR Twin2X2048-1800C7D (DDR3) Corsair Twin2X2048-6400C3 (DDR2) Hard Drive: 74GB Western Digital Raptor WD740 CDROM: AOpen Combo 52x Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling TurboCool 750W Heatsink: Intel E6600 Reference Athlon64 FX-62 Reference Heatsink Test System Setup: Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit Intel INF 9.0.0.1008 Catalyst 8.8 Microsoft Windows XP Pro SP2 Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit* Benchmarks: 3DMark Vantage 3DMark06 Quake 4 FEAR Call of Juarez Lost Planet Crysis

Benchmark results are grouped by GPU manufacturer first (AMD/ATI or nVidia), then by GPU generation, and then by GPU class (high end, mainstream, value). This approach provides a clearer view of how performance can differ from generation to generation, and class to previous generation. The product being tested is marked with the red colour bar. On with the benchmarks!

Futuremark 3DMark Vantage 1.0.1	Source: FutureMark

3DMark06 is the worldwide standard in advanced 3D game performance benchmarking. A fundamental tool for every company in the PC industry as well as PC users and gamers, 3DMark06 uses advanced real-time 3D game workloads to measure PC performance using a suite of DirectX 9 3D graphics tests, CPU tests, and 3D feature tests. 3DMark06 tests include all new HDR/SM3.0 graphics tests, SM2.0 graphics tests, AI and physics driven single and multiple cores or processor CPU tests and a collection of comprehensive feature tests to reliably measure next generation gaming performance today.

Futuremark 3DMark Vantage 1.0.1 Performance Overall: (P) Points Ranking Palit HD4870 X2 2GB 9116 MSI R3870X2-T2D1G-OC (Crossfire) 8852 Asus EAH4850 HTDI/512M 5579 GPU Score: Points Ranking Palit HD4870 X2 2GB 12983 MSI R3870X2-T2D1G-OC (Crossfire) 12252 Asus EAH4850 HTDI/512M 5905 CPU score: Points Ranking Palit HD4870 X2 2GB 4814 MSI R3870X2-T2D1G-OC (Crossfire) 4830 Asus EAH4850 HTDI/512M 4786

The MSI R3870X2-T2D1G-OC turns in some impressive results in the 3DMark Vantage test, but the generational gap between the HD 3870 X2 and AMD’s latest GPUs is quite profound. The HD 3870 X2 seems to require a Crossfire setup to equal the performance of a single Radeon HD 4870 X2. On the other hand, that sweet Palit HD 4870 X2 videocard runs about $500. We’ll see how they do in gaming benchmarks, but first, 3DMark06.