DAAMIT 3850 X2 takes curtain

AFTER TAKING ITS SWEET TIME perfecting its answer to the GX2 cards, AMD is ramping up its dual-chip card output with a new model designed for the not-quite-so high-end gamers that it previously hit with the 3870 X2.

If you were a betting man, you might have put a few squids on the next dual-chip card out of DAAMIT being a slightly slower clocked version of the debut board, marketeered as a 3850 X2 in line with its single card brethren. Well, you'd be right, although we're not sure exactly what odds Ladbrokes would have given you.

The card is due to get its official unveiling next week, but a few of the hardware site boys have got their hands on preview models already. You can see Ryan Sprout's take at PC Perspective here.

The core chips on board run at 670MHz and the memory runs at 830MHz - as compared to the 825/900MHz speeds of its big daddy. Don't expect a whole lot of overclocking headroom - given that the chips themselves are simply the same thing speed binned, chances are these have already been tested at the higher speeds and found to be lacking.

The board has 1GB of RAM in all and will cost US punters around $350, so expect that to hash out to around £300 in Blighty. Look out for masses of the little devils to hit hardware reviewers next week. µ