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ATI Radeon HD 4850 exposed: we take a first look

by Tarinder Sandhu on 19 June 2008, 21:02

Tags: Sapphire RADEON HD 4850 , AMD (NYSE:AMD)

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qansz

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Sapphire's bundle, and numbers to follow

We received the full-retail package from Sapphire.



Chances are that UK buyers will receive a 'lite' package, however.


If you manage to snag the retail version, here's what you get:

Items Multi-language install manual
Ruby ROM v1.1 (demos and apps)
CyberLink PowerDVD 7 - 6-ch version
CyberLink DVD Suite
3DMark 06 full version
2GiB USB stick
Flexible-style CrossFire bridge
DVI-to-VGA dongle
DVI-to-HDMI dongle
Mini-DIN-to-HDTV cable
Case sticker

The 2GiB USB stick is an interesting inclusion. Given what we know about pricing, we expect to the full-retail to ship at around £135, or, right now, GeForce 9800 GTX money.

Warranty

The Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 512MiB is backed up by a two-year warranty. Claims in the first year are handled by the supplier from whom the card was purchased from. Claims after this period are handled by a U.K.-based service centre.

Some numbers?

We've run the stock-clocked Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 against a gaggle of other mid-range cards, all stock-clocked, with 3DMark Vantage's default performance test. Have a looksie at the numbers yourself.



Catalyst 8.6 drivers were used for the ATI cards and ForceWare 175.16 for the NVIDIA cards.

Encouraging performance for a £125, it seems. Full set, run with our medium and high-quality settings, to follow. Look back to the GeForce GTX 280 review to see how other high-end cards scored, albeit with a better subsystem.


HEXUS Forums :: 38 Comments

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are we sure the top 3850 is a reference design? the heatsink on mine is identical to the 4850's setup

apart from that.. i look forward to the numbers immensely :D

edit: it doesnt have a 6 pin adapter either.. thats no 3850!

edit again: its a 2600 XT
It may not be the latest reference design, but I do recall that being an ATI-supplied card.
Looking forward to the numbers for this.

If it can get close to the 9800GTX then it could be a real winner - it's slimmer, less power-hungry and by the sounds of it cooler and quieter too.

Maybe the 9800GTX price drops by nVidia would suggest that they've seen the numbers for the 4850 and it was too close to the GTX for the old pricing to be justified? Just a thought…
numbers are out, and can be explained in one stolen sentence.

Faster than 9800GTX & 880Ultra, sometimes even beating GTX 260 :D

price in the £££ is going to be key
Interesting… very interesting… :)