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ASUS EAH3870 Top Video Card Review

Date: 2008-03-20  Reviewed by: Shane McGlaun  Manufacturer: ASUS

9.0/10
I4U Rating

Features & Specifications
The ASUS EAH3870 Top video card shares the same features in common with its other ATI HD 3870 brethren like onboard sound. The ASUS EAH3870 Top video card uses 512MB of DDR4 RAM that runs at 2.28 GHz. The cards core runs at 851MHz. the memory interface is 256-bit and outputs include dual DVI, HDTV out and adapters for DVI to HDMI and DVI to D-sub are included. The ASUS EAH3870 Top video card is HDCP complaint for playing HD Movies.

Test Machine
The test system I will be using for this review has the following specifications:

  • 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 video card I will be using 3Dmark06, Crysis, Bioshock and Quake Wars. The first test up is 3DMark06.

    3DMark06
    I ran 3DMark06 at default settings in the application and default setting sin the ATI control panel. The ASUS EAH3870 Top scored as follows in 3DMark06:

    • Total 3DMarks- 11021li>SM2.0- 4426
    • HDR/SM3.0- 4882
    • CPU- 3394
    • Return to Proxycon- 35.341
    • Firefly Forest- 38.430
    • Canyon Flight- 46.482
    • Deep Freeze- 51.151
    • CPU1- 1.105
    • CPU2- 1.668

    To compare the ASUS HD3850 Top I reviewed not long ago scored 10257 3DMarks and the XFX 9800 GX2 (tested on a different system) scored 16277 3DMarks.

    Crysis
    The next test up for the ASUS EAH3870 Top was Crysis, and the card performed well. I ran the game at 1600 x 1200 with no AA and all settings on medium. I used Fraps to record frame rate data on the first level at the initial beach insertion. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data:

    • Min- 19 fps
    • Avg- 43.427 fps
    • Max- 65 fps

      • Quake Wars
      The next game test up was Quake Wars which I ran t a screen resolution of 1920 x 1200 with high quality settings, 8x AA and all settings on high. I used Fraps to record frame rate data on a single player map called Africa Refinery. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data:

      • Min- 20 fps
      • Avg- 40.473 fps
      • Max- 62 fps

        Bioshock
        The final game test up for the ASUS EAH3870 Top was with Bioshock. I ran the game at 1920 x 1200 with all settings on high and high detail shaders on, high detail post processing on, shadow maps on and distortion on. I used Fraps to record frame rate data and got the following results:

        • Min- 29 fps
        • Avg- 40.974 fps
        • Max- 61 fps

        Final Thoughts
        I was happy with the performance of the ASUS EAH3870 Top video card. It performs very well for the price and ASUS has a nice bundle that includes Company of Heroes- Opposing Fronts with the card. The factory overclocking of the card is very nice and on the whole the ASUS EAH3870 Top is a good option for ATI fans.





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