AMD Launches ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2
When AMD released the Radeon HD 2900 XT in May of last year, we were left with a bitter taste in our mouths. Not because the product was all that bad, but because it seemed AMD was content to leave NVIDIA uncontested at the high-end of the 3D graphics card market. If you remember, when the Radeon HD 2900 XT launched AMD had targeted the mid-range GeForce 8800 GTS, and not NVIDIA’s high-end 8800 GTX or Ultra. It seemed as if AMD just didn’t want to be in the fight for 3D graphics supremacy any longer and enthusiasts like yourselves, who seek nothing but the highest performing products, were left with only a single option.
Thankfully things have changed in the last few months. After the R600 shipped, AMD’s engineers went right back to work. And in November AMD released the Radeon HD 3800 series of products, which were based on an updated GPU design that performed much like the R600, but with more moderate power and thermal characteristics. The new GPU, formerly codenamed RV670, still wasn’t quite as fast as NVIDIA’s higher-end offerings, but its low power profile gave AMD the ability to engineer the product we’ll be showcasing here today, the Radeon HD 3870 X2.
The Radeon HD 3870 X2 was codenamed R680 throughout its development. Although that codename implies the card is powered by a new GPU, it is not. The Radeon HD 3870 X2 is instead powered by a pair of RV670 GPUs linked together on a single PCB by a PCI Express fan-out switch. In essence, the Radeon HD 3870 X2 is “CrossFire on a card”. Take a look...
