ASUS EAH3850 Top ATI HD 3850 Video Card Review

Today we are taking a look at another ATI graphics card, this time an ATI HD 3850 EAH3850 Top from ASUS. This particular ATI HD 3850 is factor overclocked for more performance than typical HD 3850 graphics cards. For all the details on the Asus EAH3850 Top read on.

Gallery

5 images

Benchmarks

Features & Specifications
The Asus EAH3850 Top is factory overclocked and has a clock speed of 730MHz on the core and 1.9GHz on the memory. The card uses 256MB of DDR3 RAM and is built on a 55nm fabrication process. One of the nicest features of the Asus EAH3850 Top is the built-in 5.1surround sound that allows video and audio out on an HDMI cable. See the specification portion of this review for a full listing of the cards specifications.

Test Machine
I will be using an AMD Spider platform machine for this video card review. The machine has the following specifications:

• CPU: Phenom 2.4GHz
• Graphics: single Revelation RV670 256mb
• Motherboard: Asus M3A32-MVP Deluxe (RD790)
• Floppy: Sony (black)
• DVD Rom: SATA Asus (black)
• DVD RW: SATA Sony (black)
• Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD SATA (150GB)
• Western Digital SE16 500GB SATA
• Power Supply: SEASONIC M12SS-700HM 700WATTS
• Chassis: Lian Li PC-7B Plus (Black)
• Heat Sink: AMD validated B3 model AJIGO MF091-096 CPU COOLER
• Memory: Corsair CM2X1024-8500C5D (2x1GB = 2GB total)
• Operating system: Vista Ultimate 32-bit

Benchmarks & Testing
To test the Asus EAH3850 Top I will be using 3DMArk06, Crysis, Bioshock, and Quake Wars. The first test up for the Asus EAH3850 Top is 3DMark06.

3DMark06
I ran 3DMark06 at default settings in the 3DMArk control panel and at default settings in the Catalyst control center. To compare when I tested a stock ATI HD3850 on the same test machine it scored 9664 total 3DMarks. The 3DMark06 results are as follows:

• Total 3DMarks- 10257
• SM2.0- 3979
• HDR/SM3.0- 4547
• CPU- 3383
• Return to Proxycon- 32.301
• Firefly Forest- 34.007
• Canyon Flight- 42.040
• Deep Freeze- 48.896
• CPU1- 1.121
• CPU2- 1.633

Crysis
The first game test up was Crysis which I ran at a screen resolution of 1280 x 1024 with no AA and all settings on medium. I used Fraps to record frame rate data from the beach after you first parachute onto the island. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data:

• Min- 26 fps
• Avg- 49.917
• Max- 72

Bioshock
The next game test up for the Asus EAH3850 Top was with Bioshock. I used Fraps to record frame rate data on the section of the game where you get your first plasmid for electrobolt. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data:

• Min- 19 fps
• Avg- 32.757 fps
• Max 61 fps

Quake Wars
The final game test up for the Asus EAH3850 Top was Quake Wars. I ran Quake Wars at a screen resolution of 1920 x 1200 with all settings on high. I used Fraps to record frame rate data on a single player map at the refinery in the Africa campaign. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data:

• Min- 50
• Avg- 59.915
• Max- 61

Final Thoughts
The Asus EAH3850 Top performed marginally better in these tests than a stock clocked HD 3850 did. You are certainly getting some performance advantage from the factory overclocked card. The performance gains aren’t huge, but for someone looking for the best performance that can be had from a HD3850 without needing to overclock the card themselves will want to check out the Asus EAH3850 Top.

Verdict

Conclusion

Pros

• Good performance
• Bundled with DX10 game
• Good price

Cons

• Performance only marginally better than stock card (cost is only marginally more as well)

Verdict
The Asus EAH3850 Top doesn’t have huge performance advantage over standard HD 3850 graphics cards. However, the price isn’t much more than a stock HD 3850. For a bit more money you do get improved performance with the Asus EAH3850 Top making this a very nice card for gamers on a budget shopping for mid-range performance.

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