The GeCube XHD3850PG3-E3 is the first 3850 card we test. As it uses a custom design, the card is overclocked by default to a high clock of 722/725. This results in a higher score if compared to ATi original design 3850 cards.

From my guess, the GeCube 3850 card seems to be using the original ATi card with a heatpipe design cooler which results in better cooling for the overclocked GPU. The card occupies two slot and is quite long. This might make it not too suitable for HTPCs that is devoid of space.

In our test, we put the card by its factory default clock and ran it against the Gigabyte 3870 card. We saw that the performance of the 3850 reaching the levels of the 3870. In fact, they're so close that we only see a 2-3 fps difference in most tests except DOOM3. The card also remained very quiet throughout the tests.

For those who are into HDTV, ATi cards never disappoints as it channels the audio through HDMI port. As for NV cards, you would probably require a cable to channel the audio from the sound card to the graphics card.

In terms of technology, this is the first card to have DX10.1 and SM 4.1. It also support the CrossFire X when paired up with chipsets like the AMD 790FX.

In conclusion, the GeCube lacks  in packaging but gives you a better cost/performance ratio against the 3870 and 8800GT cards. So, if you are  looknig for a future proof card that isn't a power monster, the GeCube 3850 is a card to consider.

Price

Pros

• DX10.1 support
• SM4.1
• CrossFire X Ready
• Integrated HDMI with 5.1 output

Cons

• Two slot design

Ratings

Here are my ratings out of 10 stars.