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    8700 gt sli or 3870

    Discussion in 'Gaming (Software and Graphics Cards)' started by lancedgt, Jul 17, 2009.

  1. lancedgt

    lancedgt Notebook Enthusiast

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    Am about to buy a laptop, and am between the m1730 with 8700 gt sli or m15 x with the 3870.. I just want to know which ones better! it seems like the 3870 is a lil better but i heard that the performance in 3dmark from ati dosent translate that well into real gaming.
     
    lancedgt, Jul 17, 2009
    #1
  2. neilnat

    neilnat Notebook Evangelist

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    Get the 3870... a single card option beats a similar scoring dual-card option any day of the week.
     
    neilnat, Jul 17, 2009
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  3. narsnail

    narsnail Notebook Prophet

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    ^ exactly, the 8700 series are weak, midrange cards.

    Nvidia advertised them as high-end but they are not.
     
    narsnail, Jul 17, 2009
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  4. King of Interns

    King of Interns Simply a laptop enthusiast

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    Certainly 8700M's ain't high end but I wouldn't call them weak mid range cards. Many games work well with SLI configurations now thanks to improved drivers and in game support surely a couple of them can match a single 3870 in most games, no? Especially if OCed

    Also 8800M GTX's are often found for sale second hand even pulled directly from working m1730 laptops. So you ought to be able to find a great upgrade deal when you think you need the extra power
     
    King of Interns, Jul 17, 2009
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  5. neilnat

    neilnat Notebook Evangelist

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    match a single 3870? probably.

    if OCed? definitely... but the 3870 could also be OCed

    But why? Why hassle with the battey life and compatibility issues of SLI when it's not for BETTER performance?

    The 8700 wasn't a weak midrange card when it was released, but compared to this generation, it is a weak midrange card.
     
    neilnat, Jul 17, 2009
    #5