What I do not understand is why the fucking game companies release titles that can only be run normally on a few fucking expensive graphics cards...

I love the 3850 though...

Where are the no AA and no AF tests??? Everyone knows that ATI's ROP has problems with AA.

Excellent test, but I'd like to echo lucassp's comment: why no tests without AA? I personally haven't found it necessary to play any game on 1600x1200 or 1680x1050 with AA turned on, and even if I did, 2xAA would have been good enough.

Also, please, pretty please, do some passive cooling tests for both the 38xx and 88xx cards, using the Accelero S1 and Thermalright HR-03 coolers, along with measuring GPU, VRM and memory temperatures. Some of us are aiming for truly inaudible computers, with passively cooled CPUs and GPUs.

Aaaaargh!!! Will you guys please stop spewing out nonsensical guesses as to why a particular card wins in a particular game? You aren't using any scientific method and are just throwing out random conclusions with no basis. I like your reviews but this practice is exceedingly annoying and unprofessional!

I think your comments about 8800 GT 512 availability issue is way dated as both 8800 GT 512 & 256 can be found pretty easily nowadays, and at the date of starting this article both HD 38xx had their own supply issues once the launch date inventory depleted. That's a worldwide talking not only US driven.
Taking the price difference between 8800 GT 512 vs. HD 3870 & 8800 GT 256 vs. 3850 is kinda misleading as the performance difference is higher than the price difference at current prices.
Both HD 38xx have some advantages though, they are both quiter and have onboard sound.
All in all this article could have made a much more impact if it's done earlier, now the 9600 GT is around the corner and it will push both 8800 GT 512 & 256 prices down which changes the situation completely, at least me think so !

after the graphs of Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts it says
"The ATI Radeon HD 3870 has a higher minimum of speed than its predecessor and almost equals the result of the Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB. You can try to play at 1280x1024 with FSAA turned on although there will be little playing comfort then. So, we don’t recommend to enable 4x FSAA in this game on such graphics cards as Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT and ATI Radeon HD 3870."

1. there is no such card as 8800 GTS 512MB in the review.
Im assuming they meant 8800 GT 512MB, because there is no point in comparing it to the 320MB 8800 GTS
2. 8800 GT 512 MB is more than 50% faster than the radeon HD3850