Crysis and HD 3850s in Crossfire

[zer0]

SLI scales better but its ****ing useless right now and a stupid buy with new high end cards coming

+1

here in nvnews, we don't want anybody to look stupid when it comes to buying pc hardware.

[mythy]

after all no one wants to feel stupid :D

[methimpikehoses]

@ playerzen14: all you need--

http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=103887

[Redeemed]

Even with Quad 8800 Ultra, Crysis would still suck because it doesn't take advantage of the available hardware or better say looks nice but crappy coded.

Even the next generation of video cards wont run this game at full speed...and eventually over the years the raw power of hardware will ovecome a bad coded game....it's natural
Not to rain on your parade (actually, that is my intention :firedevil ) but Crysis is far from poorly coded. Have you actually dissected it and scrutinized every string of code to come to this conclusion or are you just pulling this out of your ass like every other individual that b!tches about this?

[zer0]

hell_of_doom227 = The Bitcher of Crysis

[Redeemed]

I think you guys are over-reacting in regards to the HD2k and HD3k series. Remember how the X1900 fell behind the 7900GTX back when those cards were highend? Now look at it and with recent titles the x1900 has pulled ahead. It definitely had the more "future-proof" design compared to the G70.
I'm simply pointing out that the same could very well happen with the HD series- though I honestly do doubt it.

It's kind of a gamble. The 8800 series are tested and true. We know how they perform, and most are *very* pleased (I know I am :D ). Then again, there's the possibility that in time the HD3850s might actually trample the 8800s in performance as they mature. Though that isn't likely.

So, in the end, I guess I'm saying I more agree with the advice that's been given here thus far: 8800GT FTW! :D If needed, SLi 'em. Though you probably wouldn't need to.

[Quadfather]

I'm currently Running Crysis on Two EVGA 8800 GTX OC and the performance is top notch. Playing at 1900x1200 on a 24 inch monitor and its a blast. these two crads in sli will let you max that game out. I've played in both DX10 and DX9 on the highest possible settings. I also bought these cards just for Crysis and it was the right choice... If you really want to experience the game I wouldn't go with the 8800GT's or anthing less. you really need the GTX's in SLi to exploit the game for what its worth.

[zer0]

@Quadfather

nice first post and feedback, short and simple :)

[PlayerZen14]

ARGH, its so hard to decide!:headexplode:

im not building my friend's rig until january so ive still got time to change my mind. I dont know if some of you are nvidia fanboys (no offense), but the 3850s in crossfire seem pretty good to me, even in crysis. the only real downside is the crossfire driver problems and that the 3850s suck at AA and AF. But then again, sli is also having issues. Maybe ill just have to stick to a single card, or disappoint my friend by waiting till february for the 9 series cards :(

[Redeemed]

ARGH, its so hard to decide!:headexplode:

im not building my friend's rig until january so ive still got time to change my mind. I dont know if some of you are nvidia fanboys (no offense), but the 3850s in crossfire seem pretty good to me, even in crysis. the only real downside is the crossfire driver problems and that the 3850s suck at AA and AF. But then again, sli is also having issues. Maybe ill just have to stick to a single card, or disappoint my friend by waiting till february for the 9 series cards :(

I'm not sure what reviews you're reading, but with the addition of AA/AF at near any res the HD3800s fall behind the 8800s by quite a significant margin. That right there should be the answer to your question.

Furthermore, SLi scaling should be quite a bit better than that of CrossFire. Again, I have no clue what reviews you've been reading to get the impression that the HD3800s and GF8800s are near even including the SLi/CrossFire numbers. The only time the HD series has a chance against the 8800s is when not utilising AA and AF. Maybe the next gen from ATi will completely pummel anything nVidia has to offer. One could hope. They could use a homerun right about now just like AMD can. Regardless, the decision should be quite obvious as the 8800s dominate in performance while offering better IQ to boot.

[methimpikehoses]

hell_of_doom227 = The Bitcher of Crysis

I could tell by the white hair.

[Redeemed]

I could tell by the white hair.
If you don't mind my asking, what prompted you to open that can of worms?

[PlayerZen14]

@ Redeemed

I read that Crossfire scales better than SLi in several magazines, and from expreview.

http://forums.firingsquad.com/firingsquad/board/message?board.id=hardware&message.id=112616

[PlayerZen14]

To me it seems that ATI cards suck only in AA and AF...

[Redeemed]

To me it seems that ATI cards suck only in AA and AF...

You are correct. If you play without AA and AF then ATi's cards are pretty close and sometimes faster than the 8800s. But who plays without AA and AF these days? :lol:

Look at it this way:

You can buy the ATi cards and be limited to gaming *without* AA and AF- or buy a couple 8800s have be able to gaming *with* AA and AF.

It really isn't a hard choice. The 8800s have enough horsepower to handle even the latest games with a little bit of AA/AF even at high resolutions- the HD2k/3ks do not. Where's the difficulty in making the decision? :lol:

[PlayerZen14]

price :p

[Redeemed]

price :p

Okay, so let me put it this way: You get what you pay for.

Does that make any sense? :D

[PlayerZen14]

WOW, that was a quick reply!:D

anyway, i agree, i was originally going to get the 8800gt in sli, but as you might have already noticed, im quite stubborn:o . honestly though, 3850s should be as good if not overall better than 8800gt sli, and youre paying SO MUCH less for it (in hong kong, its 2600HKD for 3850 CF (about 325USD) and its at LEAST 3800HKD for 8800gt in SLI (about 475USD))

[PlayerZen14]

btw, forgot to add this (dont know if youve already seen it) http://en.expreview.com/?p=53&page=4

sorry to keep this argument going!

[Redeemed]

WOW, that was a quick reply!:D

anyway, i agree, i was originally going to get the 8800gt in sli, but as you might have already noticed, im quite stubborn:o . honestly though, 3850s should be as good if not overall better than 8800gt sli, and youre paying SO MUCH less for it (in hong kong, its 2600HKD for 3850 CF (about 325USD) and its at LEAST 3800HKD for 8800gt in SLI (about 475USD))

Well, just remember you're going to be limited to absolutely zero AA and AF if you want to play at a decent res with decent framerates.

Then again, there is the slight possibility that with time these cards might actually improve like the X1900s did. That could happen, I just wouldn't gable my money that it would. Your choice though... ;)

[PlayerZen14]

Its not that I cant play with AA and AF, its just that it will be behind the 8800gt sli by a margin of over 20% :(

Well, i just constructed 2 different computer plans, one with 3850 CF, one with 8800gt SLI:

REMEMBER CURRENCY IS IN HONG KONG DOLLARS, so dont be shocked lol, you can go to www.xe.com to convert (dont know if i just pointed out the obvious :p )

3850 CF:

LG GSA-H55L 20X SMulti DVD Writer LightScribe $238
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 (2.66GHz) CPU/4M BOX $1445
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro (Intel LGA775) $205
ASUS P5K-PRO P35 M/B $1190
OCZ StealthXStream 600W Gamers P.S. $723
HIS HD3850 PCI-E 256MB DDR3 D.DVI x2 $2620
OCZ OCZ2SE8002GK DDR2 800 2G Kit (1Gx2) $542
WD 320G 3200YS SATA II/16MB HDD $660
NZXT Apollo $680
Logitech X240 32 Watts 2.1 Speaker $328
Acer 22" X222Wbd LCD (1000:1,DVI,CrystalBrite,HDCP) $2190
Logitech G15 $650
Logitech MX518 $398

$11869

8800GT SLI:

LG GSA-H55L 20X SMulti DVD Writer LightScribe $238
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 (2.66GHz) CPU/4M BOX $1445
GIGABYTE GA-N650SLI-DS4 NF650i-SLI M/B $890
OCZ StealthXStream 600W Gamers P.S. $723
Asus 8800GT 512MB DDR3 x2 $3800
OCZ OCZ2SE8002GK DDR2 800 2G Kit (1Gx2) $542
WD 250G 2500YS SATA II/16MB HDD $506
Cooler Master 690 500
Logitech X240 32 Watts 2.1 Speaker $328
Acer 22" X222Wbd LCD (1000:1,DVI,CrystalBrite,HDCP) $2190
Logitech MX3200 Keyboard and Mouse combo $728

$11890

With the 8800gt sli setup, i can only go with a 650i, or else i go over the budget of 12k, so you could help me tone down some hardware, to fit in a 680i board, which in Hong Kong is about 1280HKD (the cheapest one)

[Redeemed]

Its not that I cant play with AA and AF, its just that it will be behind the 8800gt sli by a margin of over 20% :(

Well, i just constructed 2 different computer plans, one with 3850 CF, one with 8800gt SLI:

REMEMBER CURRENCY IS IN HONG KONG DOLLARS, so dont be shocked lol, you can go to www.xe.com to convert (dont know if i just pointed out the obvious :p )

3850 CF:

LG GSA-H55L 20X SMulti DVD Writer LightScribe $238
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 (2.66GHz) CPU/4M BOX $1445
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro (Intel LGA775) $205
ASUS P5K-PRO P35 M/B $1190
OCZ StealthXStream 600W Gamers P.S. $723
HIS HD3850 PCI-E 256MB DDR3 D.DVI x2 $2620
OCZ OCZ2SE8002GK DDR2 800 2G Kit (1Gx2) $542
WD 320G 3200YS SATA II/16MB HDD $660
NZXT Apollo $680
Logitech X240 32 Watts 2.1 Speaker $328
Acer 22" X222Wbd LCD (1000:1,DVI,CrystalBrite,HDCP) $2190
Logitech G15 $650
Logitech MX518 $398

$11869

8800GT SLI:

LG GSA-H55L 20X SMulti DVD Writer LightScribe $238
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 (2.66GHz) CPU/4M BOX $1445
GIGABYTE GA-N650SLI-DS4 NF650i-SLI M/B $890
OCZ StealthXStream 600W Gamers P.S. $723
Asus 8800GT 512MB DDR3 x2 $3800
OCZ OCZ2SE8002GK DDR2 800 2G Kit (1Gx2) $542
WD 250G 2500YS SATA II/16MB HDD $506
Cooler Master 690 500
Logitech X240 32 Watts 2.1 Speaker $328
Acer 22" X222Wbd LCD (1000:1,DVI,CrystalBrite,HDCP) $2190
Logitech MX3200 Keyboard and Mouse combo $728

$11890

With the 8800gt sli setup, i can only go with a 650i, or else i go over the budget of 12k, so you could help me tone down some hardware, to fit in a 680i board, which in Hong Kong is about 1280HKD (the cheapest one)

Don't know why you'd want the 680i. Doesn't offer a whole lot over the 650i, atleast I don't think it does...

Regardless, you could go for a slower CPU. How much does the Q6600 go for over there?

[PlayerZen14]

q6600 is 2098 HKD, which is 269USD. Not thinking about the q6600 though, its too expensive. the e4600 goes for 1068HKD (137USD).

[Redeemed]

q6600 is 2098 HKD, which is 269USD. Not thinking about the q6600 though, its too expensive. the e4600 goes for 1068HKD (137USD).
What about an E6600? That goes for about $200 or so USD.

[PlayerZen14]

http://www.jumbo-computer.com/pricelist.asp

thats the site of one of the many computer stores in hong kong. shows prices. and apparently the e6600 has run out of stock in hong kong, but they sell the e6550 for 1268HKD.