 |
|||||||||||
|
|
|
|||||
Today we are testing the new ASUS EAH3850 TOP and EN8800GS TOP graphics cards in a head to head comparison. These sub-$200 US graphics cards have the potential to deliver serious performance and with overclocked factory settings and improved cooling solutions, we expect big things from these graphics cards... Right now we have quite a large number of quality sub $200 US graphics cards, with the most recent addition being the GeForce 9600 GT. However due to some recent price cuts, the Radeon HD 3850 and 3870 graphics cards have also been able to remain very competitive. Currently the Radeon HD 3870 is priced between $190-$200 US while the GeForce 9600 GT costs roughly $170-$180 US, and both produce very similar results.  Next in line we have the Radeon HD 3850 and the GeForce 8800 GS. The Radeon HD 3850 costs roughly $170-$190 US while the GeForce 8800 GS costs just $150-$160 US. Given that the GeForce 8800 GS was released 2 months ago now, availability is very poor with very few examples out there. Nevertheless ASUS has provided us with their version of the 8800 GS which features an improved design and factory overclocking. Around the same time ASUS also supplied us with their latest version of the Radeon HD 3850, which also happens to feature an improved design and factory overclocking. The ASUS EAH3850 TOP/G/HTDI/512M/A looks as though it could quite easily be the best Radeon HD 3850 graphics card we have seen to date. Though keep in mind that this enhanced ASUS version does come at quite a price premium, as retailers are asking $200 US for this graphics card. Pricing for the ASUS EN8800GS TOP/HTDP/384M/A is a little unknown at the moment as we have had trouble finding an online US retailer with stock. Here in Australia prices start at $270 AUD and go as high as $290 AUD for this overclocked version. Actually here in Australia we pay roughly the same amount for either of these ASUS factory overclocked graphics cards, which is surprising given how much cheaper the 8800 GS should be. Although we suspect that both these graphics cards share a similar price tag, given the dissimilarity in their specifications their performance will not be all that similar. The biggest weakness of the GeForce 8800 GS is its 192-bit wide memory bus, which limits the memory bandwidth to just 38.4GB/s, while the Radeon HD 3850 cranks out 53.0GB/s using a 256-bit memory bus. The Radeon HD 3850 also enjoys a 668MHz core frequency, while the GeForce 8800 GS hums along to the quieter tune of just 550MHz! |
|||||
|