HD3870 vs 8800 512 (G92)

[LipsOfVenom]

Is the 3870 better than the 8800 GTS 512?
Also, is PCI 2.0 express different from PCIexpress 16x? I have the 16x mobo type.
And lastly, even though it says made for vista, do these cards still run on windows XP?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Didou]

No, the Radeon 3870 is not better than the 8800GTS but it is much cheaper, consumes a bit less power & has full HD hardware decoding (VC-1 & H.264).

Yes a PCI-e 2.0 slot is not the same as a PCI-e 16x one.

Yes those cards will still run on Windows XP however if you want to use the DirectX 10 features you need Windows Vista.

 

[kpo6969]

1.8800GTS
2.8800GT
3.3870

The 8800GT is 10-15% better over the 3870 but less expensive. Both are good choices.
PCIe 2.0 for the most part is backward compatable with x16 (a few mobos have some issues)

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

The 8800GTS also has full HD-decoding since it has the same G92 core as the 8800GT, which can also do the same. IMO, the 8800GT 256MB is the cream of the crop, with the same core as it's bigger brother but with a smaller amount of onboard RAM, which is only needed for resolutions above 1680x1050. For ~$200, it's the best deal on the market right now IMO. And yes, PCI-E 2.0 is completely compatible with PCI-E 1.0, whether it be a 2.0 card and a 1.0 slot or vice-versa. @kpo6969, I've never seen any boards having conflicts between the two. Do you have any links to any tests which show this? I'd really like to know if it's worth upgrading to a PCI-E 2.0 card and a corresponding mobo or not.

 

[Didou]

The 8800GTS also has full HD-decoding since it has the same G92 core as the 8800GT, which can also do the same.

The hardware decoding features of the G92 based GPUs still isn't as good as the Radeon 38X0 cards (at least as far as VC-1 is concerned), have a look HERE.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Yeah VC-1 decoding is still not good on the 8800 G92 series as compared to H.264 but which is the one that is more commonly used? I believe it is H.264 but I'm not really sure of it.

 

[MetalX]

I have an 8800GTS 512, and I love it. I can run pretty much anything on max except Crysis. The 3870 is a great card too, but if you can afford it, the GTS is a good bit faster.