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ddr2 on gfx cards?

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  • 29-05-2009 1:49pm
    #1
    Virgil°
    Registered Users Posts: 1,282 ✭✭✭


    Just bought a 3850 for a small cheap portable pc to bring to lans etc....
    im not looking to max out crysis or anything.The idea was that i need a cheap gfx card that'll play games at about 1440x900 at a nice quality. L4d, COH,COD4,tf2 etc.
    I opted for this
    like a fool, not noticing the huge DDR2 in the description.
    I know that the ddr3 version of the card can handle what i want it to do.
    My question is will the lack of ddr3 memory on the card hinder its performance in a big way? as i cant seem to find benches for this specific version of the card anywhere.
    Regards.


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    #2
    uberpixie
    Registered Users Posts: 1,864 ✭✭✭uberpixie


    Virgil° wrote: »
    Just bought a 3850 for a small cheap portable pc to bring to lans etc....
    im not looking to max out crysis or anything.The idea was that i need a cheap gfx card that'll play games at about 1440x900 at a nice quality. L4d, COH,COD4,tf2 etc.
    I opted for this
    like a fool, not noticing the huge DDR2 in the description.
    I know that the ddr3 version of the card can handle what i want it to do.
    My question is will the lack of ddr3 memory on the card hinder its performance in a big way? as i cant seem to find benches for this specific version of the card anywhere.
    Regards.

    A 9600GT, radeon 4760 or a 9800GT would have been better choices.
    The 3850 is weaker than all of theses to begin with.

    What PC do you have?
    What is the PSU?

    If you can cancel the sale the order I would and reorder any of the above cards over it. They are all in around the same price and even cheaper in some cases....

    4670 for €66.90
    http://www.pixmania.ie/ie/uk/1637126/art/sapphire-technology/radeon-hd-4670-512-mb-gdd.html

    9800 Gt for €85
    http://www.pixmania.ie/ie/uk/1451280/art/pny/geforce-9800-gt-512-mb-gd.html


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    #3
    Virgil°
    Registered Users Posts: 1,282 ✭✭✭Virgil°


    Unfortunately i cant, just received it today.
    I just had a brisk look through the site and saw it reduced and one of the cheapest cards there.
    I was just wondering if it would be capable of the above games.
    Oh well i guess ill find out soon.:o


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    #4
    uberpixie
    Registered Users Posts: 1,864 ✭✭✭uberpixie


    Virgil° wrote: »
    Unfortunately i cant, just received it today.
    I just had a brisk look through the site and saw it reduced and one of the cheapest cards there.
    I was just wondering if it would be capable of the above games.
    Oh well i guess ill find out soon.:o

    It will do ok. Another card would have had a little more breathing space but you will get by on the 3850


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    #5
    TerrorFirmer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29,930 ✭✭✭✭TerrorFirmer


    DDR2 will incur a massive hit compared to DDR3 at 1440x900, didn't know there even was such a model of the 3850. The 3850 even to begin with is a pretty slow card by the latest standard, even Pixmania stock faster cards for a cheaper price, sorry to say you made a terrible choice! Never buy something based solely on reduced price, I'm pretty sure it was Pixmania had a 7800GTX (worth about 25 euro) 'reduced' to about 200 euro recently!!


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    #6
    Virgil°
    Registered Users Posts: 1,282 ✭✭✭Virgil°


    TerrorFirmer wrote: »
    DDR2 will incur a massive hit compared to DDR3 at 1440x900, didn't know there even was such a model of the 3850.
    Neither did i.Which is why i simply glanced over it and assumed it was ddr3.
    Although i have to say, thus far its handled the Source based games and the COD series alright.Averaging about 60-70 fps at 1440x900,high settings,anti aliasing on, which is all i wanted really.
    I haven't thrown COH at it yet which will probably be the heaviest game ill want it to run.
    TerrorFirmer wrote: »
    even Pixmania stock faster cards for a cheaper price, sorry to say you made a terrible choice! Never buy something based solely on reduced price, I'm pretty sure it was Pixmania had a 7800GTX (worth about 25 euro) 'reduced' to about 200 euro recently!!
    It wasn't really the reduced price that got me,just the fact that it was dirt cheap anyway. In retrospect though i still feel like a muppet for not shelling out the extra 15 quid or so for a 9600 or doing my homework on the 4670's.=/


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    #7
    TerrorFirmer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29,930 ✭✭✭✭TerrorFirmer


    It could have been far worse, normally the DDR2 mistake revolves around ultra budget cards that have been pimped out with technical jargon to sell to clueless users - what you got there wasn't the best buy, but far from the worst, the core of the card is decent and for games like Source and Company of Heroes it'll perform rather well. I had an 8600GT 256MB DDR2 and I could run Company of Heroes and CS: Source very well at 1280x800 maximum settings; the faster 3850 even with DDR2 should easily do the same at 1440x900 with AA like you've said. Whereas usually it'd be utter crap like 7200GS, 8400GS, 8500GT, 9400GT, and so on that they really try and push the high memory on low end cards to entice people.

    Have you ever noticed the fatality series of cards? That's the biggest scam I've ever seen. All of the cards in that range are crippled budget cards 'overclocked' and branded fatality, often selling for double their normal value at about 5% extra performance. The packaging pulls in people who don't know much about cards, assuming they're buying performance. The only ones I've ever seen on the Shelves are Fatality 8500GT, Fatality 9400GT and 9500GT, Fatality 9600GSO (a DDR2 model) - it's a joke.


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