A single 3850 is ok as a gaming card but not spectacular as a card of the 3870 level or the 8800GT level. Performance was higher than the 256MB version of the card as the extra frame buffer really helps in games like Crysis and other DirectX 10 titles. I would suggest a higher-end card like the 3870 or 3870X2 for those people wanting to run DirectX 10 titles in full DX10 glory, but this is a great gaming card for those on a smaller budget.

The 3850s working together in Crossfire was able to play Crysis with a framerate of the middle 30s at a resolution of 1280x1024 and running DX10 mode. While Crysis is Far Cry on steroids, the game is fun and a great showcase of the graphics of DirectX 10. DirectX 9 mode plays the game at playable framerates throughout the performance spectrum, but that is not how the game should be played. Two 3850s also was able to play the game Call of Juarez without issue in DirectX 10 mode. The game is a western game with a lot of advanced graphics effects that was a showcase for DirectX 10 graphics performance last year from ATI. The 3850s in Crossfire mode were able to play this game at the maximum 1680x1050 resolution without difficulty.

Game screenshots