AMD Radeon HD 4800 Series @ [H]

harmattan said:
BB order is backordered. They had no problem debiting my card though :mad:

These things went quick. I think I ordered about 5 mns after they showed up on the site. Unless they never had any to begin with...

Was really looking forward to better AoC gaming.
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same boat
and I'm sure a refund would take a few days to process even though the debit happens instantly :rolleyes:
I almost cancelled my BB.com order earlier today when I saw them in stock at newegg. Now it appears that would have been the right decision.
 
Can [H] provide an educated guess as to how the 4870x2 will perform after testing the single gpu 4870 or what to expect ?
 
My infantile mind just can't seem to grasp the concept of actually "needing" more power than a single 8800 for anything.
 
Proxy said:
Then why did you include CoD4 in the GTX 260/280 evaluation? I was gonna ask, why didn't you guys include all the games from the GTX 260/280 evaluation in the 4870 evaluation? I'd like have seen how well the 4870 could do CoD4 at 2560x1600 with the same amount of AA the GTX 260 and 280 did.
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We decided after that evaluation that CoD4 was useless to us for evaluation purposes.
 
Darkatom said:
Can [H] provide an educated guess as to how the 4870x2 will perform after testing the single gpu 4870 or what to expect ?
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Dunno yet. I think driver maturity is going to be key here as to whether or not it is successful.
 
Thanks Brent, Mark, and Kyle! Excellent first review and I look forward to reading some more.

And to everyone else coming in here and asking, frankly, asinine questions. Why don't you try reading all the posts before you ask a question that has been asked and answered three times already?

My father plays COD4 on his x800pro at 1600x1200 with the settings up and has no problems. Do you really think that a brand new 4850 is going to have any problems? Do you people get it yet?
 
These are great days for the real time horde :D Truly exciting times!!

Excellent review so far, looking very much forward to the "add ons" (power + IQ). Cheers!
 
TheBluePill said:
Crysis is a TWIMTBP Title.. It seems like all titles with that branding run better on nVidia hardware.
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Not really. Bioshock is a TWIMTBP title and both the 3800 and 4800 series do better than their Nvidia counterparts.
 
So where can you get the latest driver for the 4870? I can't find even a 4850 driver on ATI's site.
 
Brent_Justice said:
Multiplayer gaming is a hard beast to test since situations change randomly, in multiplayer you have to make sure you are on the same server, with the same ping, with the same amount of people on screen, it varies so much. We had done it in the past, but currently the games we are using are intense in single player. We are always on the lookout for more games to bring into the fold.
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Thank you for the reply. Yea, gameplay varies from server to server and various other factors but I think it would be helpful if you guys threw in that stuff alongside sp testing to help people get a better idea of gpu performance.
 
DeadSkull said:
Thank you for the reply. Yea, gameplay varies from server to server and various other factors but I think it would be helpful if you guys threw in that stuff alongside sp testing to help people get a better idea of gpu performance.
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I don't know man, that kind of thing might be just as dependant on the Net Card as the GPU.
 
Mat3 said:
Are there any hints about whether the 4780X2 is just a more efficient crossfire-on-a-card setup or whether there's real integration between the two GPUs (shared memory and/or same frame rendering)?
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If I understand it right yes, the GPUs are not actually being "crossfired" rather they are using the memory to to bridge them. this is a totally different then the usual dual card solution. If they pull this off they should have a real winner here. and cheaper too. One gigabyte of shared memory is going to be cheaper then mirrored memory. and the performance hit of keeping everything in synchronization should be less. can't wait for the H review.
 
i have seen that the review for crysis shows no aa but uses 16 x af.how much of a performance drop does 16 x af cause.thx
 
This is exciting, I'm not building till mid august, plenty of time for a full scale pricing war.
 
The Doc said:
How long are these cards?
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Look down and you'll see how long they aren't... :D j/k


At least they're not as long as this: :eek:

bitchin.jpg
 
Thanks [H]! :D
Finally know, why I've spend too mutch on X38 mobo - crossfire *_*

Just curious - only X2 cards can have 4 dvi outputs (like some asus TOP models), and use them all without switching out CF? or maybe simple crossfire (two 1chip solutions, let's say 2x4850) can do it too?
 
getting real about the whole NVidia vs. ATI thing:

I just traded in my 9600GT *to my 7 years old daughters computer* for one of the BB $150 VisionTek 4850 deals. Quite honestly, I have a 22" Gateway LCD (1680 x 1050) 2275W monitor and this video card (without Crossfire) blows it away. I am running all my games, except Crysis, at max settings. In COD:MW the game stuttered a bit at max settings on the NVidia card, but its smooth as buttah on the new ATI 4850. In Crysis, I am still able to play at moderate/high settings, which isn't bad at all considering I don't have CF or SLI nor spent a small IPO fortune to buy a dual gpu video card.

If you are like me and have a 22" or less sized LCD monitor, and don't care about playing Crysis at the highest settings, this is going to be the card you need to buy this year.

I am a 20 year gamer, old skool lan party and original CW on a 386, and its always been like this. First it was the Riva's TNTs, then the Diamond 3D accelerators, then the GForces, then ATI came in with the 9700/9800s, and back again to the 6800s, etc. This is like the 9700 era once again, it will take some time for NVidia to come up with a blockbuster but they will eventually. Until then, enjoy the ride.

This is not so much good for us as consumers, as it keeps the technology moving as well which is where we really win. We'll probably see true 3D gaming faster with the competition.
 
Wow, truly incredible review!

I do have an important "overall" question though (perhaps even Brent or Kyle can throw in some feedback as well?) broken-down into parts:

1) Is it worth the move to a single 4870 from a single 8800GTX?

2) Particularly for someone who runs 22" widescreen (1650 res) and prefers maxing AA and AF?

3) Would the 4870 trounce the 8800GTX at this res, with everything maxed (or in general)?

4) If not, is there a possibility of the 1GB taking that role?

If the 4870 still rides high enough above the 8800GTX, for the cost, I'd still pick one up now. Then, if the 1GB version pushes things even further, the 512 will go to my wife and I will obtain the 1GB for my rig.

Please, impart your GPU wisdom upon me, and I shall be tremendously grateful! ;)

Again, excellent review!
 
RD said:
I just traded in my 9600GT *to my 7 years old daughters computer* for one of the BB $150 VisionTek 4850 deals.
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Oh yeah! Best Buy $149.99 for a HD4850, ftw! :cool:

Same here.
 
I can't believe this. It is so UBER awesome. ATI is bitch slapping nvidia for the bang 4 buck title. I've for the last few years bought nvidia cards but the 4870 is hard to pass up. overclocked it could possibly trade blows with the GTX 280 and without it trades blows with the GTX 260.

ATi is driving down the price of high end graphics hardware.

Long overdue!!!!

I'm known on these forums to usually be a early adopter for the high end graphics hardware. With only Crysis challenging cards these days what is the point of spending $650.00.

I hope nvidia wakes up and drops the prices of their cards before I sell my 8800GTX and get the rest of the money because if not I'll be scooping up a 4870. It would be nice to have some more options but ATI FTW this time.
 
Infaustium said:
Wow, truly incredible review!

I do have an important "overall" question though (perhaps even Brent or Kyle can throw in some feedback as well?) broken-down into parts:

1) Is it worth the move to a single 4870 from a single 8800GTX?

2) Particularly for someone who runs 22" widescreen (1650 res) and prefers maxing AA and AF?

3) Would the 4870 trounce the 8800GTX at this res, with everything maxed (or in general)?

4) If not, is there a possibility of the 1GB taking that role?

If the 4870 still rides high enough above the 8800GTX, for the cost, I'd still pick one up now. Then, if the 1GB version pushes things even further, the 512 will go to my wife and I will obtain the 1GB for my rig.

Please, impart your GPU wisdom upon me, and I shall be tremendously grateful! ;)

Again, excellent review!
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my 4850 trounces my 8800gtx
 
I'm gaming on a 42" tv at 1920x1080, so I know that these cards can do that resolution and then some, and if what anad says with their lack of performance drop with 8xAA I think I just really lucked out.

So hopefully they get on their asses and pick up the pace on getting better CF support out!
 
Alright it's about time AMD's teams got their stuff together..
Let the battle begin..
It's been such a lull for the last year.
Now AMD needs to add some juice to their CPU line...
 
Glad to see AMD is doing something finaly. good review kyle and brent
 
TAXMANCOMETH said:
can someone post a link or instructions to buy for $149 at BB?
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It was this super rare deal on the first day (or hours) that the HD4850 was out at bestbuy. I went to the store to find an ATI TV Wonder and saw the HD4850 sitting there. At first I was like, "Wow, I didn't realize they were out yet". Then I saw the price tag and was like, "That can't be right, but that's what the sign says!". I double checked the price with three store employees to ensure it was ONLY $149.99 since the sign said $50 off sale from $199.99 (the cards were all new, not used). There was probably some mistake in their system, but for that price I couldn't resist. I (and everybody else) really didn't know how good of a card it was going to be, but still, for that price I though, "Even if it's only as good as a HD3850, it will still be a large upgrade for me.". So, after purchasing this, BB raised the price to $199 about an hour or so later (my friend tried to get one at that price).

When I went to play my games, I could max everything at 1440x900 (best my LCD can do) where as before my 7900GT could struggle at 1280x800 with lower settings and lower AA and AF.

This card deserves the OMGWTFATISAUCE award for awesomeness!

Go Kyle and AMD/ATI!!!!1!!11!!!one!!1 :D

EDIT:

I think the colors are appropriate for this pic: ;)

http://bevan.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/pwned4.jpg
 
-Tetsuo- said:
my 4850 trounces my 8800gtx
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Seriously? Is this a statement I can trust as objective, here? Just want to be sure, not questioning your integrity, I just don't know you ;)

Originally Posted by Infaustium View Post
Wow, truly incredible review!

I do have an important "overall" question though (perhaps even Brent or Kyle can throw in some feedback as well?) broken-down into parts:

1) Is it worth the move to a single 4870 from a single 8800GTX?

2) Particularly for someone who runs 22" widescreen (1650 res) and prefers maxing AA and AF?

3) Would the 4870 trounce the 8800GTX at this res, with everything maxed (or in general)?

4) If not, is there a possibility of the 1GB taking that role?
Click to expand...

Any other feedback on these questions?
Much appreciated.
 
I may actually get a replacement for my x1950 pro now. I just need to decide which card to get.:)
 
Thank you guys for a review that I was very excited to read. As a long time (8 year) of AMD CPUS and Nvidia GPUs I made the move to Intel this year and went with the X38 chipset with thought that sometime in the near future I might try out Crossfire. This review and the GTX260/280 review have sealed the deal.

I am very happy to see these cards live up to what I personally hoped they would be perfornance and price wise. I agree that these cards are good for everyone no matter which brand your loyalties swing toward.
 
Fine review guys - my next card purchase is looking like a 4870. Some $100 cheaper than the comparable GTX 260. (And how I'd like to put that $100 on something like a hand gun or a VRaptor)...

Also, @Kyle, Brent, et al...
I simply cannot believe that you have not included QUAKE 2 in your testing benchmarks. I mean, seriously... get with the times, guys.

:D
 
snowden said:
My father plays COD4 on his x800pro at 1600x1200 with the settings up and has no problems. Do you really think that a brand new 4850 is going to have any problems? Do you people get it yet?
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I know he doesnt play it with AA shadows and specular map. That card would die in a decent sized server.


cod4 does run smooth but at higher res and EVERYthing cranked up, i drop frames many times to a point where it could mean life or death.
 
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