Diamond 3870 vs VisionTek 3870

traveler · 12-18-2007, 11:43 PM

Which one is the one to buy?

I heard that the VisionTek card runs hot and needs a BIOS fix to properly ajust the fan speed. Has the BIOS been fixed?

All comments welcome including comments on other 3870 cards.

???

???

**Gorganzola** · 12-19-2007, 02:10 AM

Oddly enough I read a thread about this at NCIX.com - Canada's Premier Computer Store - Great Technology, Service and Selection. / NCIXUS.com - Great Technology, Selection and Service. who sells both cards. The end result came down to how the warranty was handled more than anything. The Diamond got the nod compared to the VisonTek as dealing with VT is apparently difficult for warranty issues.

Have you looked at the HIS / Sapphire / ASUS offerings on this card? I'm thinking Sapphire or ASUS personally.

traveler · 12-19-2007, 09:44 PM

Thanks for the info Gorgo. I'll check it out.

Not sure which one to get.

traveler · 12-19-2007, 10:09 PM

Usually at all the sites I check, the Diamond is the lowest price.

But at the link you provided, ATM, Palit, a company I never heard of, is lowest by four dollars better than the Diamond 3870.

http://www.ncixus.com/search/?categoryid=2-108&q=3870

**Gorganzola** · 12-22-2007, 02:40 AM

NCIX has been around for a long while. I've used them for many years and put thousands of dollars through them without issue. No problems recommending them.

Made up your mind on this yet?

traveler · 12-22-2007, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gorganzola

NCIX has been around for a long while. I've used them for many years and put thousands of dollars through them without issue. No problems recommending them.

Made up your mind on this yet?

Not made up yet.

Which card has the best BIOS will be an influence. It seems some cards run the fan at a fixed RPM and others run a variable RPM. But which does which?

3 of 7 · 04-21-2008, 11:30 AM

I just grabbed the Visiontec HD3870 at NCIX on one of their 3 minute sales for $169 after MIR...
I figured for that price I could deal with the second (or 3rd) best bios...
Did you wind up getting one Traveler?

ATINUT · 04-21-2008, 11:48 AM

I can tell you this much pretty much all the 3870's, espicially the 3870X2 models need a bios update, because of the Power Play issues. This is what I'm seeing on various forums, including manufacturer forums.

I've seen the Sapphire forums, and they have the same problem as VisionTek.

I have the VisionTek Radeon 3870X2, and once I did the bios updates, as it has a master and slave bios, it performs better than it did before, and I'm also using Catalyst 8.4.

3 of 7 · 04-21-2008, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ATINUT

I have the VisionTek Radeon 3870X2, and once I did the bios updates, as it has a master and slave bios, it performs better than it did before, and I'm also using Catalyst 8.4.

Any idea off the top of your head which bios rev I should be looking for?

ATINUT · 04-21-2008, 02:14 PM

Here you go, but make sure you're card is the Built By ATI model. The Built By ATI model has a part number of 102B33 for the Radeon HD3870, if it doesn't start with this part number, it most likely wasn't Built By ATI, and you should then contact techsupport at VisionTek.

VisionTek Forum • View topic - BBA HD3870 Fan issue BIOS Fix.

The link above is the latest bios which fixes the fan speed issue of the card.

If you have the Radeon 3870X2, here's the VisionTek thread for the bios updates for it.

VisionTek Forum • View topic - HD3870 X2 BIOS fix: Fixes Fan and Power Play Issues

3 of 7 · 04-21-2008, 02:14 PM

The card just came, it has side-pipes!

3 of 7 · 04-21-2008, 02:16 PM

I had to lose my 120mm hard drive fan because the card was too long... I also had to flatten a little stand-off between the card slots to get it to sit flat

ATINUT · 04-21-2008, 02:27 PM

You have the card made by VisionTek, as I'm not seeing the green Built By ATI sticker on your card. According to one of the Admin's on the VisionTek forums, the VisionTek HD3870 doesn't expierence the problems that the Built By ATI cards do.

If for example a HD3870 or HD3870X2 is a Built By ATI card, which is easily verfiable, by noting a green sticker on the back of the card denoting serial number and part number, then the bios has to be flashed.

My VisionTek HD3870X2 was is a Built By ATI card, so I had to flash both bioses on it.

3 of 7 · 04-21-2008, 02:37 PM

Good info thanx!

ATINUT · 04-21-2008, 02:41 PM

You're welcome.

12-18-2007, 11:43 PM	#1
traveler Where to next? Join Date: May 2001 Location: South Florida Posts: 18,167	Diamond 3870 vs VisionTek 3870 Which one is the one to buy? I heard that the VisionTek card runs hot and needs a BIOS fix to properly ajust the fan speed. Has the BIOS been fixed? All comments welcome including comments on other 3870 cards. ??? ???
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12-19-2007, 02:10 AM	#2
Gorganzola ABXZone > Facebook Join Date: May 2001 Location: Hangin' with the fruits Posts: 9,382	Re: Diamond 3870 vs VisionTek 3870 Oddly enough I read a thread about this at NCIX.com - Canada's Premier Computer Store - Great Technology, Service and Selection. / NCIXUS.com - Great Technology, Selection and Service. who sells both cards. The end result came down to how the warranty was handled more than anything. The Diamond got the nod compared to the VisonTek as dealing with VT is apparently difficult for warranty issues. Have you looked at the HIS / Sapphire / ASUS offerings on this card? I'm thinking Sapphire or ASUS personally. __________________ TTFN. I wasn't asleep at the switch, I was drunk. -- Homer J. Simpson Q. How many dull people does it take to change a lightbulb? A. One. A very useful tool on these forums: You can Meebo in public.
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12-19-2007, 09:44 PM	#3
traveler Where to next? Join Date: May 2001 Location: South Florida Posts: 18,167	Thanks for the info Gorgo. I'll check it out. Not sure which one to get.
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12-19-2007, 10:09 PM	#4
traveler Where to next? Join Date: May 2001 Location: South Florida Posts: 18,167	Usually at all the sites I check, the Diamond is the lowest price. But at the link you provided, ATM, Palit, a company I never heard of, is lowest by four dollars better than the Diamond 3870. http://www.ncixus.com/search/?categoryid=2-108&q=3870
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12-22-2007, 02:40 AM	#5
Gorganzola ABXZone > Facebook Join Date: May 2001 Location: Hangin' with the fruits Posts: 9,382	Re: Diamond 3870 vs VisionTek 3870 NCIX has been around for a long while. I've used them for many years and put thousands of dollars through them without issue. No problems recommending them. Made up your mind on this yet? __________________ TTFN. I wasn't asleep at the switch, I was drunk. -- Homer J. Simpson Q. How many dull people does it take to change a lightbulb? A. One. A very useful tool on these forums: You can Meebo in public.
(Offline)

04-21-2008, 11:30 AM	#7
3 of 7 You can run..... Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 4,660	Re: Diamond 3870 vs VisionTek 3870 I just grabbed the Visiontec HD3870 at NCIX on one of their 3 minute sales for $169 after MIR... I figured for that price I could deal with the second (or 3rd) best bios... Did you wind up getting one Traveler? __________________
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04-21-2008, 11:48 AM	#8
ATINUT Just Plain Crazy! Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 3,278	Re: Diamond 3870 vs VisionTek 3870 I can tell you this much pretty much all the 3870's, espicially the 3870X2 models need a bios update, because of the Power Play issues. This is what I'm seeing on various forums, including manufacturer forums. I've seen the Sapphire forums, and they have the same problem as VisionTek. I have the VisionTek Radeon 3870X2, and once I did the bios updates, as it has a master and slave bios, it performs better than it did before, and I'm also using Catalyst 8.4. __________________ Intel D975XBX2 Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 8GB's of Mushkin HP2 6400 memory(DDR2 800) two Sapphire GDDR4 Radeon 3870 videocards HT Omega Claro(Cmedia 8788HD chip) 120GB&200GB&320GB Western Digital harddrives LG DVDROM & LG DVDBURNER HP Deskjet 920C Logitech X-540 speakers Viewsonic VG2030wm 20inch Widescreen LCD Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit with Service Pack 1 Who'se the fool that approved the design for this place. - The Dwarf, Sacred Underworld.
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04-21-2008, 02:14 PM	#10
ATINUT Just Plain Crazy! Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 3,278	Re: Diamond 3870 vs VisionTek 3870 Here you go, but make sure you're card is the Built By ATI model. The Built By ATI model has a part number of 102B33 for the Radeon HD3870, if it doesn't start with this part number, it most likely wasn't Built By ATI, and you should then contact techsupport at VisionTek. VisionTek Forum • View topic - BBA HD3870 Fan issue BIOS Fix. The link above is the latest bios which fixes the fan speed issue of the card. If you have the Radeon 3870X2, here's the VisionTek thread for the bios updates for it. VisionTek Forum • View topic - HD3870 X2 BIOS fix: Fixes Fan and Power Play Issues __________________ Intel D975XBX2 Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 8GB's of Mushkin HP2 6400 memory(DDR2 800) two Sapphire GDDR4 Radeon 3870 videocards HT Omega Claro(Cmedia 8788HD chip) 120GB&200GB&320GB Western Digital harddrives LG DVDROM & LG DVDBURNER HP Deskjet 920C Logitech X-540 speakers Viewsonic VG2030wm 20inch Widescreen LCD Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit with Service Pack 1 Who'se the fool that approved the design for this place. - The Dwarf, Sacred Underworld.
(Offline)

04-21-2008, 02:27 PM	#13
ATINUT Just Plain Crazy! Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 3,278	Re: Diamond 3870 vs VisionTek 3870 You have the card made by VisionTek, as I'm not seeing the green Built By ATI sticker on your card. According to one of the Admin's on the VisionTek forums, the VisionTek HD3870 doesn't expierence the problems that the Built By ATI cards do. If for example a HD3870 or HD3870X2 is a Built By ATI card, which is easily verfiable, by noting a green sticker on the back of the card denoting serial number and part number, then the bios has to be flashed. My VisionTek HD3870X2 was is a Built By ATI card, so I had to flash both bioses on it. __________________ Intel D975XBX2 Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 8GB's of Mushkin HP2 6400 memory(DDR2 800) two Sapphire GDDR4 Radeon 3870 videocards HT Omega Claro(Cmedia 8788HD chip) 120GB&200GB&320GB Western Digital harddrives LG DVDROM & LG DVDBURNER HP Deskjet 920C Logitech X-540 speakers Viewsonic VG2030wm 20inch Widescreen LCD Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit with Service Pack 1 Who'se the fool that approved the design for this place. - The Dwarf, Sacred Underworld.
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04-21-2008, 02:37 PM	#14
3 of 7 You can run..... Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 4,660	Re: Diamond 3870 vs VisionTek 3870 Good info thanx! __________________
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04-21-2008, 02:41 PM	#15
ATINUT Just Plain Crazy! Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 3,278	Re: Diamond 3870 vs VisionTek 3870 You're welcome. __________________ Intel D975XBX2 Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 8GB's of Mushkin HP2 6400 memory(DDR2 800) two Sapphire GDDR4 Radeon 3870 videocards HT Omega Claro(Cmedia 8788HD chip) 120GB&200GB&320GB Western Digital harddrives LG DVDROM & LG DVDBURNER HP Deskjet 920C Logitech X-540 speakers Viewsonic VG2030wm 20inch Widescreen LCD Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit with Service Pack 1 Who'se the fool that approved the design for this place. - The Dwarf, Sacred Underworld.
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