ASUS RADEON HD 4850/4870 and GeForce GTX 285/295 Review
April 20, 2009 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
More and more plain reference copies are released into the market, and it’s a sad situation for reviewers, as there is no point in presenting just another copy for the Nth time.
Fortunately, company’s R&D department still exists in its full strength, so we have an opportunity to see original ASUS products from time to time.
Still, there are some exceptions: e.g. NVIDIA GTX 2xx products have been represented only by reference designs so far. But those are special because of the complex PCB design with 512-bit and 448-bit buses. Engineers haven’t probably come up with their own cheaper design yet. And if it’s not cheaper, there is no point in it.
Let’s examine new cards from ASUS based on top NVIDIA GPUs as well as Mid-End GPUs from AMD.
Gigabyte Radeon HD 4850 1GB Passive Review
April 17, 2009 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
We all know the HD 4850 as the little brother of the faster HD 4870 and the distant sibling of the new HD 4890 but while ATI’s lineup has been expanding, the runt of the RV770 litter has been maturing. While reference-based versions of the HD 4850 still exist and remain quite popular, ATI has been pushing their board partners to come up with new and innovative ways of marketing the HD 4850. Some companies left well enough alone and continue to sell a lone HD 4850 512MB SKU but many others have given the design a frontal lobotomy. We now have HD 4850 cards which are pre-overclocked or sport non-reference cooling designs or even incorporate a custom PCB for up to 1GB worth of memory. Some even incorporate a little of everything and really push the limits. It is one of these more extreme cards we will be looking at today.
They say variety is the spice of life and companies like Gigabyte with their HD 4850 1GB have taken that saying to heart. While releasing stock cards is fine and dandy, in order to get people talking about your product you need to find something for them to talk about, something that stands out. In the past Gigabyte rested on their laurels, seemingly content to ply their trade in the mom and pop shops with rebadged reference cards but lately, things have really changed. Not only does the GV-R485MC-1GI sport slightly increased clocks and a 1GB framebuffer but it is also equipped with a passive cooling system. As you will see as the review goes on, the boys over at Gigabyte have really stepped up to the plate with their take on the HD 4850 and have produced a card to be proud of.
If there is one thing we would like to mention from the getgo it is the fact that there is precious little information available about this particular graphics card. While pricing seems to be well within our expectations (between $10 to $20 USD more than the reference versions), trying to find accurate specifications for it is a lesson in futility. Unfortunately, Gigabyte’s site has every bit of information you could possibly need…except the clock speeds the vast majority of us will be looking for when choosing whether or not to buy this card. While we will go into a little more detail about actual speeds within the review, their omission from Gigabyte’s site is puzzling.
Where these custom cards are usually granted limited edition status, it seems that the GV-R485MC-1GI is widely available from Canadian retailers for about $210CAD. That price should definitely cause quite a few silent PC enthusiasts to sit up and take notice. On the other hand, Gigabyte’s 3 warranty is pretty much in line with other ATI partners but pales in comparison to XFX’s Lifetime Warranty even if 3 years is longer than the majority of you will keep this card.
From the outside looking in, Gigabyte’s HD 4850 1GB seems to offer quite a bit in a relatively inexpensive package. Can it deliver? Let’s find out.
HIS HD 4850 IceQ4 1 GB Review
April 13, 2009 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
We have come a long way from the major change of high end graphics RAM size that took place near the end of the Nvidia 7 and ATI X1900 series like spans. This change is happening again, only this time it’s not 256 MB to 512 MB, it’s 512 MB to 1 GB. One gigabyte cards are quickly becoming the norm for higher end cards. Even some of the lower end cards are getting the 1 GB treatment. It is one thing for a company to slap an extra 512 MB of RAM on a card and call it a new card, it’s another for the card to actually perform significantly better than the 512 MB version. While the higher RAM size certainly helps in higher resolutions, by how much does it help?
That is the question posed today with the HIS HD 4850 IceQ4, the latest in HIS’s long standing IceQ series. The IceQ series has long been considered one of the best cooled cards that comes from the factory. Generally, when you think of exceptional cooling, you think of major overclocking. Though the HD 4850 has not had much success hitting 700 MHz core, maybe the IceQ 4 will change that. With the look of this cooler, I would not doubt it would at least run cool at the highest overclock. There’s only one way to find out!
Gainward Readies Radeon HD 4850 with GDDR5 Memory
March 17, 2009 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
Breaking the rules just because it can, Gainward has designed and is now preparing the release of a custom Radeon HD 4850 that, instead of the usual GDDR3 memory, makes use of significantly faster GDDR5 chips. Named Radeon HD 4850 GS (Golden Sample) GLH (Goes Like Hell), the upcoming card has a dual-slot cooler 512MB of memory, D-Sub, DVI, DisplayPort and HDMI connectors, a 256-bit memory interface, and CrossFireX support.
Spec wise, the card boasts a 700 MHz GPU (650 MHz stock) and 3600 MHz memory, the same as the Radeon HD 4870. Gainward’s HD 4850 512MB GS GLH is expected to hit stores in the next few weeks.
Source: tcmagazine
Sphere: Related ContentATI HD4870 & HD4850 Crossfire & Mixed Crossfire Performance Review
August 7, 2008 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
When you think of Crossfire what is the first thing you think of? Performance? Price? Driver issues? Well, if we were back in 2005 when Crossfire was first introduced as a competitor to Nvidia’s SLI, you would have probably said “frustration”. Back then, Crossfire was a mishmash of ultra-expensive “Crossfire Edition” cards, wonky external cable loops and vague motherboard requirements. A lot has changed since then as ATI’s multi-card solution has gradually matured into what some would call a perfect alternative to Nvidia’s SLI. Within the last few weeks we have seen some amazing developments in the graphics card world with the release and subsequent price cutting of many high end video cards. These lower prices coupled with a bevy of motherboards supporting Crossfire has meant that many people are seriously considering a system with a pair of ATI graphics cards. Indeed, in the race to have the fastest computer on the block, many people have gravitated towards dual card setups within the past few years and this trend seems to be increasing as of late.
Right now Intel has the processor families of choice for both enthusiasts and gamers alike while having chipsets which seem to be loads more popular than their Nvidia competition. Since higher-end Intel chipsets like the X38 and X48 fully support ATI’s Crossfire, cards like the HD4870 and HD4850 have quickly become more and more popular as viable options for running a dual GPU configuration. Now with the advent of the new P45 chipset-based boards which support 8x / 8x PCI-E 2.0 Crossfire support, there is a whole new market of mainstream users who have access to a highly competitive Crossfire platform. AMD processors also have Crossfire chipsets with their 790-series of motherboards and upcoming SB800 products but they are unfortunately saddled to somewhat less popular processors right now. That being said, the AMD 790FX boards are the only ones available at this time to actively support up to 4 graphics cards running in Crossfire on quad 8x PCI-E lanes.
While the inclusion of Crossfire on Intel chipsets has proven to be a boon for ATI, it is really only part of the reason we are seeing more and more systems pop up with a pair of their graphics cards. The other part of this equation comes with the fact that since the HD3800-series, the majority of ATI’s cards have been priced in the sub-$300 price segment. Many times people (myself included) bought one card with their system and then once prices decreased a bit and games increased in their demands, bought a second card to tie them over until the next big thing arrived.
Up until this point we have somewhat shunned full-on dual card reviews but with the current popularity of Crossfire and ATI’s current crop of sub-$300 graphics cards, it is high time we tackled this subject. In this performance review we will be taking a look at Crossfire configurations with HD4870 cards from Palit, HD4850 cards from Sapphire and a few little interesting twists (Mixed Crossfire) and turns (Crossfire by combining 4800-series and 3800-series cards) along the way. So please feel free to pour yourself a cup of coffee, sit back and read a bit more about Crossfire and decide if it is of any use to you.
Sapphire Released 4850 TOXIC Edition
July 17, 2008 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
Following the introduction of the highly acclaimed HD 4800 series, SAPPHIRE Technology, the leading manufacturer and worldwide supplier of AMD/ATI based graphics solutions is now shipping two new models of HD 4850 providing a further choice of price:performance points for the enthusiast.
The new SAPPHIRE HD 4850 1GB is a new version of the HD 4850 designed by SAPPHIRE for the user who demands more memory for specific applications like rendering. It offers similar overall performance to the standard model, with clock speeds of 625MHz (core) and 993MHz (memory).
Delivering higher performance to the enthusiast for only a small price premium over the standard model, the SAPPHIRE HD 4850 TOXIC Edition has been designed by SAPPHIRE to run significantly faster – shipping with core clock speeds of 675MHz and fitted with 512MB of high speed memory operating at 1100MHz. It also features a Zalman heatpipe fan, providing more efficient cooling – running at much lower temperatures than the standard design – as well as quieter operation and more headroom for performance tuning.
Both models use the PCI-Express Gen2 interface, and feature dual connectors for CrossFireX cables, allowing two or more cards to be used together on a CrossFireX compatible mainboard for even higher graphics performance. Both are based on the powerful new graphics architectures from the ATI division of AMD, incorporating 800 process units, improved memory management architecture and an upgraded hardware video decoder.
All SAPPHIRE graphics cards in the HD 4800 series incorporate the latest ATI Avivo™ HD Technology for enhanced Video display and feature a new generation built in hardware UVD (Unified Video decoder) considerably reducing CPU load and delivering smooth decoding of Blu-ray™ and HD DVD content for both VC-1 and H.264 codecs, as well as Mpeg files. In addition to two, dual-link DVI outputs, and TV-Out, a dedicated HDMI adaptor delivers both audio and video output on a single cable for direct connection to an HDMI ready display.
SAPPHIRE HD 4800 series graphics cards are Microsoft Windows Vista™ Premium certified and supported by the ATI Catalyst® suite of software, ensuring customers have ongoing access to software updates for performance, stability and added features. Like the previous generation, these cards support DirectX10.1 for enhanced rendering performance and lighting effects.
Sapphire Radeon HD4850 512MB Graphics Card Review
July 2, 2008 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
If you think back to a few years ago (circa 2002 to 2003), ATI was flying high with the release of some of the best graphics cards on the market with the 9800 and 9700-series which were considered to be the crème de la crème at the time. These cards were competing against a somewhat mixed bag in the Nvidia lineup which included the solid 4-series and the lackluster 5-series. At this point you may be wondering why we are talking about relics from a bygone generation in a review about a brand new product. The reason for this is that once again we see a 9-series and a 4-series part vying for our attention and hard earned dollars but this time ATI is marketing their 4800 cards while it is Nvidia with the 9800 name. Neither of these series is geared towards the high end but rather the burgeoning performance class which offers the best possible performance at a palatable price. It is in this $150 to $300 price range that the new battles for market dominance are being fought which not only benefits the consumers but also forces the manufacturers to find new ways to market their products.
Over the last year or so there has been a significant shift away from the high end parts that had long been the staples of any GPU manufacturer. While the margins on these high end parts may bolster the bottom line, the Big Two (ATI and Nvidia) have to contend with a struggling economy, soaring gas prices and a subprime mortgage fiasco in the USA. While none of these economic issues is rooted in the high-tech world, they each contribute to whittle away at the consumer’s purchasing power and with it their likelihood of buying a $700 graphics card. Economics may be an odd thing to be talking about in a graphics card review but in this day and age it takes a huge toll on what can be sold in the current marketplace. So, Nvidia took a gamble with their $650 GTX 280 and brought in a card which performs well enough to take the overall performance crown but ATI has taken a significantly different route with their recent releases. We believe that ATI has priced their cards perfectly for this new market but the proof is in the pudding so to speak and only time will tell if this marketing strategy pays off for them.
The HD4850 is a product which is aimed straight for the throat of Nvidia’s 9800GTX and has actually incited a quick and dramatic response from the boys in green. After the initial performance reports of this card were released, Nvidia quickly knocked nearly $100 off the MSRP of their then $300 GTX so it could compete mono a mono with ATI’s new wunderkind. Not only is the HD4850 seemingly perfectly suited for budget-minded gamers in the $200 price bracket but it also offers a bevy of other features including audio out through HDMI as well as Havok physics support. The more features the better we say.
For this review, long-time ATI board partner Sapphire sent us one of their HD4850 cards to take a look at. Sapphire has been around for longer than many of us can remember and have a history of delivering very affordable cards to consumers even though they are often devoid of any extras. One thing that has always been a plus with Sapphire is that their products have always been widely available here in Canada and abroad which means that if you look at literally any e-tailer, you will find Sapphire cards for sale. Unfortunately, like many other ATI board partners Sapphire believes it is acceptable to offer customers a meager 2-year warranty. While we understand most people will keep their cards for less than a year and while I run the risk of sounding like a broken record, seeing a longer warranty would be nice for once.
All in all, this looks like it could be a banner year for ATI so let’s get this show on the road and give you this review you have been waiting for!!
Second wave of Radeon 4850 cards to go against Nvidia’s 9800 GTX+
June 24, 2008 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
The first wave of Radeon 4850 boards is already on store shelves, with prices that already are below the MSRP of $199. In Europe, we have seen prices of 130 Euro – which is about $200 and quite surprising, as prices in Europe always have been higher than in the U.S. in the past.
Now we hear that ATI has removed all overclocking restrictions, giving add-in board (AIB) partners more room for new products. Our sources indicate that vendors are preparing a second wave of cards that will feature higher clocks for the GPU and the memory.
Senior ATI officials told us that “4850 Overclocked” cards are likely to come with a core that is clocked about 50 MHz higher, while the GDDR3 memory will be clocked to get at least 5-6 GB/s of bandwidth. Cooling will also change. Pre-announcements indicate that overclocked cards are on their way from companies such as HIS, Sapphire and Diamond.
If you are looking for a big performance jump for acceptable money, this summer is likely to be hot: The Radeon 4850 and the GeForce 9800GTX+ are aiming to attract all those customers that want the most bang for the buck.
As a side note, we also learned that the Radeon 4870 will not be tied down to its default clock speed for very long. We heard that at least one AIB vendor is preparing an overclocked 4870 card.
RV770 Debut – Radeon HD4850 CrossfireX Scaling
June 24, 2008 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
The usual bla-bla about every new graphics accelerator released does get boring for readers and writers alike. To keep things simple, the HD4850 will pack all the features of the HD3850 and offer better number crunching. Priced to beat the NVIDIA 9800GTX in speed and value, the official threat from the Green Camp would be the price-slashed GeForce 9800GTX. On to the pictures!
Force3D unleashes Radeon HD4850 & 4870 Graphics
June 24, 2008 by Cabro · Leave a Comment
