9600GT 512 vs. HD 3870512

Itronix

Itronix

New Member
Well, now that we have the 9600GT, is it better than the 3870? I know that it's not as good as the 8800GT 512, but it still seems to be good. From what I have seen in benchmarks, it is higher than the 3870 for the most part, but not always. One of the benchmarks that I read showed that it was around only 3 to 4 frames behind the 8800GT (I think Crysis was worse). My resolution is only 1280X1024 :P, so any of those cards would probably have it fairly easy. Thanks!

Edit: http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/02/21/nvidia_geforce_9600_gt/
I read about the frame rates here.
 
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Overall I believe the 3870 is better, but only by a bit. Then again it only costs about $10 more to.
 
I agree, from what i have seen its biggest competition is the 3850 (which is also a great card for the price by the way)
 
Thanks, guys. I've been in a long process of deciding what I want. I now just about have the cash, so I'm officially in the market. I would go for the 8800GT, but I have an old Cadillac that always causes problems and needs some repairs as I type, so I feel rotten buying a $200+ card at the moment. The 9600GT is only $160 or so, but you get what you pay for. Plus, I can pretty much afford everything but the 8800GT, and I'm a little impatient :D. I'd like to play Mafia 2 when it comes out (supposedly 2009) and GTA 4 if or when it comes out for pc. Of course there are others, but those are the essentials;). What I do like about the ATI cards is that they have those dual slot coolers. How is ATI doing with it's drivers nowadays? They use to basically suck, as I recall. Thanks!

Edit: If you'd like, take a look at these screens:
http://www.mafiascene.com/
They are right there as you open the link.
 
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The drivers work fine for me. If you get a 3870, get Diamond or Visiontek for this cooler (bottom card). Do NOT order a gigabyte card, they are using DDR3 instead of DDR4.
 
That one is really nice. The 8800GT and the 3870 are so close in performance, it isn't funny. The 8800GT may have the edge in single vs single. But with a dual card setup, the 3870's always win.
 
Ok, thanks! That'll probably be the one I get :). Just out of curiosity, would an 8800GT work well with my processor, or would it hold it back too much (see signature)? How about with a 3870 or 9600GT?
 
It should be fine, it may hold it back a little.. but i wouldn't worry about it. The only major "bottleneck" you would see would be in benchmarks ;)
 
Oh, ok. Good! That 3870 still looks good to me! I'll be doing a single card setup. What I really like is that cooler; Shouldn't heat the case up! Thanks!
 
Hello. I checked out another review and it said pretty much the same as the last one. It also said that the Nvidia was 0.8% slower than the ATI card. On the link I provided, out of the ten games tested, seven of them had a higher fps rating with the Nvidia, and only three had a higher rating with the ATI. I'm just curious, but why is the ATI better? These were tested with Anti-Aliasing and filtering. The ATI was much better without those things.

I'm still a noob at this, so I'm very sorry if I frustrate you:), but why is it better? The filtering and stuff makes it look better, right (haven't really ever had a card that could handle those)? Thanks for all of your help!

Oh yeah, the Nvidias G94 arcutecture bothers me a bit (64 pixel shader), but it seems to do ok.
 
I wouldn't say either brand is better than the other, for a single card the 8800GT has a small edge on the 3870 but also costs a few dollars more. They are so close in performance, it just comes down to what you want to spend. The 9600GT is on the 3850 level in performance. If your looking at the 9600GT vs the 3870. the 3870 is better.
 
I thought they were far more equal than that. (9600gt-3870) In some games, prey -- sup com, the 3870 is much better, in others WiC -- Cod4(<-the 9600gt has a freaky advantage here), the 9600gt is better. In most games they trade blows, back and forth.

I'd say they're pretty much equal.
 
Well, Newegg has a PNY 8800GT 512 for $199 at the moment, so I might go for that one. If that doesn't work, the 3870 or the 9600GT.
 
Since you won't be going for dual cards. For $199, thats a good deal for the 8800GT. But personally, i wouldn't get the 9600GT.
 
Well, I hope it'll play Mafia II and GTA4 (if it comes out for pc). That's the first time I have ever spent over $200 on something that wasn't attached to my car. I hope it's a good one....... Thanks for all of your help!
 
I'm looking forward to those two titles too! Mafia II looks so damn nice, I actually have a problem seeing a 8800gt playing it nicely.. but then I realize it's playing on current consoles.. and that the devs better do a good port job!
 
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