Bigbruin.com
Home :: Reviews & Articles ::
Forum :: Info :: :: Facebook :: Youtube :: RSS Feed
Search  :: Register :: Log in
ASUS EAH3870 TOP Overclocked Radeon HD3870 Graphics Card
ASUS EAH3870 TOP Radeon HD3870
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Bigbruin.com Forum Index -> Video
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Doctor Feelgood
Arrrrghh!


Joined: 07 Apr 2003
Posts: 20349
Location: New Jersey

PostPosted: Fri, 11 Apr 2008 06:39:35    Post Subject: ASUS EAH3870 TOP Overclocked Radeon HD3870 Graphics Card Reply with quote View Single Post

The ASUS EAH3870 TOP Overclocked Radeon HD3870 graphics card offers solid performance in today's demanding games without draining you of the extreme amount of money that the high end cards will set you back. And while the card may be overkill for the typical home theater setup, it does offer all the features you would want there as well. - The Review
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Little Bruin
Boo Boo

Joined: 07 Apr 2003
Posts: 667
Location: Pic-A-Nic Basket
SpeedZone
Rated NC-17


Joined: 06 Apr 2008
Posts: 193

PostPosted: Sat, 12 Apr 2008 12:14:35    Post Subject: Reply with quote View Single Post

Yo Doctor... Wink

Great review...Great Card...if only you ran 3DMark06 also in WinXP...so I could compare results with mine. Rolling Eyes But 11270 in Vista...is around 12K in XP. And since you used dual core...and i tested on quad@3.4...i believe the difference between yours and mine score (13K+ 3DMarks) is due to faster cpu. Smile

And regarding overclock...you could mention in the review that there is a BIOS fix which removes that 860Mhz limit - because those locks are caused by bios preventing overclock higher than 860Mhz, and not by drivers or OS. (I run my 3870 at 857/1250 - measured in gpu-z). But if you apply new bios...you could go over 900Mhz. And you could also overclock ram higher than 1173Mhz (at least on cards similar to ASUS with those copper heatspreaders on ram chips and with decent airflow around them)...I put mine to 1250 to get kinda round number...but i believe 1300 or more is possible without any major problems...its just that ram isnt the limiting factor here...already at stock speeds its fast enough...so you dont gain much by clocking it much higher. Wink

Wave

_________________
Wikispecs.org - The Largest Product Database!
DuplicatorGuide - Your source for CD/DVD/BD Duplicators, Disc Printers, Replication, Duplication...
I-Zune - Global Homepage for Microsoft Zune, Accessories, Software, Wallpapers,...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Doctor Feelgood
Arrrrghh!


Joined: 07 Apr 2003
Posts: 20349
Location: New Jersey

PostPosted: Sat, 12 Apr 2008 12:25:17    Post Subject: Reply with quote View Single Post

Thanks for the comment.

To address the overclock a bit more... I generally just use Overdrive because it is convenient and conservative. With the two HD3850 cards shown in the review, and another card which will be revealed in a review Monday, I can overclock all the way to the max of what Overdrive allows. No problems on any of those three. But, with this HD3870 TOP installed, even the smallest overclock allowed (which is 5MHz) turns the screen black and I must reboot. The max shown in Overdrive was 885, and the default speed is 851... even 856 is a no go.

There may be a fix for it, but it is odd that just 1 out of 4 cards I am running right now had this problem.

I will test XP again sometime soon... just for kicks.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
SpeedZone
Rated NC-17


Joined: 06 Apr 2008
Posts: 193

PostPosted: Sat, 12 Apr 2008 12:56:38    Post Subject: Reply with quote View Single Post

Well np... Wink

As you said...Overdrive is surely the safest method...I used it for my overclock too...although i rather later test max load on ATI Tray Tools or some game (Crysis and Call of Juarez are known to push the card to the absolute max...so if it survives overclocked there for an hour...it will work elsewere without any problems too).

And sure...3850's can max to those 770Mhz with ease...afterall they use same chip RV670 as 3870...so with proper cooling...they should be able to work all the way to 860Mhz (I am not sure if core voltage at 3850's is high enough to allow this, but otherwise they should work). But the problem is over 860Mhz. Actually slightly less...i.e...I see my card to run as 860/1251 in Catalysts...but in cpu-z 0.1.9 it's shown as 857/1251. So maybe it varies where this "lock" kicks in...lets say somewhere around 855-860Mhz...but still...thats a "feature" in bios...to prevent too high overclock and/or damaged card...and thats ok to me - although we all like to test absolute max Grin , but even if we could go to 900Mhz...so what...40Mhz wouldnt change anything...1-2FPS more or less...who cares...and for those who do care...they should go crossfireX anyway... Grin Wink

You can read more about 860Mhz Bios fix at links below (just be sure to also include 3dmark results if you decide to flash bios and push it over 900mhz,ok Grin ) :
- http://www.geforce9.com/index.php?news=115
- http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=31&threadid=2120791


Finally...I cant wait to see the XP results....but dont bother too much...i mean...test if you can...but if not...i'll still survive...at least i think so... Grin Laughing King

Wave

_________________
Wikispecs.org - The Largest Product Database!
DuplicatorGuide - Your source for CD/DVD/BD Duplicators, Disc Printers, Replication, Duplication...
I-Zune - Global Homepage for Microsoft Zune, Accessories, Software, Wallpapers,...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Doctor Feelgood
Arrrrghh!


Joined: 07 Apr 2003
Posts: 20349
Location: New Jersey

PostPosted: Sat, 12 Apr 2008 14:05:26    Post Subject: Reply with quote View Single Post

Didn't know about that BIOS limit... Interesting, thanks.

But if it applies to absolutely ALL versions of 38xx cards then I broke the rules in the next review without trying/knowing... Laughing 878MHz was its max.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
SpeedZone
Rated NC-17


Joined: 06 Apr 2008
Posts: 193

PostPosted: Sat, 12 Apr 2008 15:54:59    Post Subject: Reply with quote View Single Post

No problem...thats why friends are 4... Grin

I am also not sure whether this is true for ALL 38xx cards...or only for 3870's....or maybe only applies to SOME 3870's. All I know is that those people who had problems with overclocking higher than 860Mhz...needed to flash the bios with this new "fixed" one. Wink

With which card you managed 878Mhz? 3870? King


EDIT:
I also read somewhere (maybe in one of the links i gave you above - not sure) that not ALL people with 3870's find speeds around 860 limiting factor....some managed less (like you in your 3870 review)....and some up to around 880Mhz or so...so really strange...maybe some cards already have this bios problem fixed...who knows... Confused

EDIT EDIT: Grin
On page 4 of the review...Overclocking...last paragraph..."The GPU comes overclocked from the factory by close to 10% over a typical HD3850, but I thought a little more would be nice." I believe you meant 3870 there...not 3850? Confused Laughing Its no big deal...but...well... Grin



Wave

_________________
Wikispecs.org - The Largest Product Database!
DuplicatorGuide - Your source for CD/DVD/BD Duplicators, Disc Printers, Replication, Duplication...
I-Zune - Global Homepage for Microsoft Zune, Accessories, Software, Wallpapers,...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Bigbruin.com Forum Index -> Video All times are GMT - 4 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You cannot download files in this forum
Contact Us :: On Facebook :: On Youtube :: Newsletter :: RSS Feed :: FAQ :: Links :: Sponsors :: Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2000 - 2023 Bigbruin.com - All rights reserved