Some people on this forum think that maybe Apple waited for ATI to bring out the HD 3870 video card before launching the new Mac Pro.
I've been wondering the same thing.
THERE IS ONE HUGE PROBLEM WITH THIS WAY OF THINKING...the assumption being that the next Mac Pro will have the HD 3870 as the bto consumer card.
The HD 3870 is a crappy video card.
The GeForce 8800 GT is a much better card.
Numerous sites have pitted the 8800 GT against the HD 3870 and the 8800 GT is easily the winner.
WHICH OF COURSE MEANS THAT THE NEXT MAC PRO WILL HAVE THE HD 3870 AS THE BTO CONSUMER VIDEO CARD.
PC Perspective: Chances are good that AMD was as surprised as we were by the G92 performance results, since NVIDIA basically killed off sales of their GTS and GTX models by pushing the speeds up so high. Rather than try to bump up the speeds in a rush to compete, AMD decided to leave the HD 3870 where it was and keep the pricing at a level that would make it competitive with the options from the other green team. The performance of the HD 3870 is good, just not great.
AnandTech: Without a doubt, AMD is back in the graphics game. When the Radeon HD 2900 XT launched, we couldn't be more surprised at how poorly the product did. The lack of competition allowed NVIDIA to sit back and relax as the orders for more 8800-based product kept on flowing in. While the Radeon HD 3870 isn't faster than the GeForce 8800 GT, if AMD can hit its price point, it is a viable alternative if you're looking to save money.
AMD is in a lot of trouble however if the 8800 GT pricing/availability problem does get worked out; the 8800 GT does offer better performance-per-watt and better performance in general.
Hot Hardware: If street prices for the Radeon 3870 and 3850 end up much higher, they will face some stiff competition from the GeForce 8800 GT, which outperforms the new Radeons in just about every game engine we tested. And dont forget a less expensive 256MB GT is on the way as well. Fortunately for AMD, the GeForce 8800 GT is tough to find at the moment and its selling for much more than its MSRP.
TweakTown: The Radeon HD 3870 is good but its not fantastic.
Hardware Canucks: Without a doubt the HD3870 is a step in the right direction for the new ATI and it can serve as a great building block for future cards. Sure, it does not compete with the 8800GT in terms of absolute performance but its price is nearly impossible to beat.
Legion Hardware: Well there you have it, another disappointing release from AMD/ATI. Although they have managed to undercut Nvidia by reducing the cost of the Radeon HD 3870 by around 12% when compared to the GeForce 8800 GT, we found that on average it was 19% slower. So then in terms of value the GeForce 8800 GT looks to preserve its position as the best value high-end graphics card ever released. The GeForce 8800 GT has proven to be a strong performer, as has the entire GeForce 8800 series ever since it was first introduced over a year ago now.
I've been wondering the same thing.
THERE IS ONE HUGE PROBLEM WITH THIS WAY OF THINKING...the assumption being that the next Mac Pro will have the HD 3870 as the bto consumer card.
The HD 3870 is a crappy video card.
The GeForce 8800 GT is a much better card.
Numerous sites have pitted the 8800 GT against the HD 3870 and the 8800 GT is easily the winner.
WHICH OF COURSE MEANS THAT THE NEXT MAC PRO WILL HAVE THE HD 3870 AS THE BTO CONSUMER VIDEO CARD.
PC Perspective: Chances are good that AMD was as surprised as we were by the G92 performance results, since NVIDIA basically killed off sales of their GTS and GTX models by pushing the speeds up so high. Rather than try to bump up the speeds in a rush to compete, AMD decided to leave the HD 3870 where it was and keep the pricing at a level that would make it competitive with the options from the other green team. The performance of the HD 3870 is good, just not great.
AnandTech: Without a doubt, AMD is back in the graphics game. When the Radeon HD 2900 XT launched, we couldn't be more surprised at how poorly the product did. The lack of competition allowed NVIDIA to sit back and relax as the orders for more 8800-based product kept on flowing in. While the Radeon HD 3870 isn't faster than the GeForce 8800 GT, if AMD can hit its price point, it is a viable alternative if you're looking to save money.
AMD is in a lot of trouble however if the 8800 GT pricing/availability problem does get worked out; the 8800 GT does offer better performance-per-watt and better performance in general.
Hot Hardware: If street prices for the Radeon 3870 and 3850 end up much higher, they will face some stiff competition from the GeForce 8800 GT, which outperforms the new Radeons in just about every game engine we tested. And dont forget a less expensive 256MB GT is on the way as well. Fortunately for AMD, the GeForce 8800 GT is tough to find at the moment and its selling for much more than its MSRP.
TweakTown: The Radeon HD 3870 is good but its not fantastic.
Hardware Canucks: Without a doubt the HD3870 is a step in the right direction for the new ATI and it can serve as a great building block for future cards. Sure, it does not compete with the 8800GT in terms of absolute performance but its price is nearly impossible to beat.
Legion Hardware: Well there you have it, another disappointing release from AMD/ATI. Although they have managed to undercut Nvidia by reducing the cost of the Radeon HD 3870 by around 12% when compared to the GeForce 8800 GT, we found that on average it was 19% slower. So then in terms of value the GeForce 8800 GT looks to preserve its position as the best value high-end graphics card ever released. The GeForce 8800 GT has proven to be a strong performer, as has the entire GeForce 8800 series ever since it was first introduced over a year ago now.
I'm looking at a 3850 since it's supposed to launch at ~$179 with some overclocking head room and it's single slot. ATi positioned the 38xx Series at LOWER price points then the 8800 GT.
