The Gigabyte GV-RX387512H-B is the first 3870 card to arrive in our labs. As it is probably similar to the reference cards that most manufacturers deliver, the performance levels should be similar to the ATi brand cards on sale, the difference is purely the packaging.

In our test, we put the card to two platform, a P35 and a X38. The later supports the PCIe Gen 2 interface. Although we didn't have any issues during our test, it is a bit disappointing to see that PCIe 2.0 didn't have much impact on the performance as yet.

In our overclocking test, we used Rivatuner and increased the core clk and mem beyond it's 777/1126 mark. We attained a stable clk/mem at 860/1250. I would say that is pretty all right for air cool overclocking.

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 card runs quiet and is well suited for gaming and HDTV buffs. This card has supports the latest technologies. If you are short of cash, this card is definitely a good alternative to the NV 8800GT, but at a slightly lower performance. Well, it definitely gives you a better cost/performance ratio !

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.