CrossFire With MSI Radeon HD 4850 (R4850-T2D512)
On our test system, the Radeon HD 4850 in CrossFire mode only gains a bit of performance on average compared to the HD 4870 at 1680x1050 pixels with anti-aliasing turned on. This benefit of up to 5% in performance isn’t actually worthwhile at current prices and taking energy consumption into consideration. A pair of Radeon HD 4850s would cost $360, while the single HD 4870 can be purchased for $270.
You should also take a good look at the results for the individual games, though. With anti-aliasing, the HD 4850 in CrossFire is faster at many resolutions. For example, Mass Effect running at 1920x1200 with 4xAA achieves 38.6 fps with the HD 4870, but hits 50.2 fps with the HD 4850 CrossFire. World in Conflict at 1920x1200 with 4xAA runs at 34.8 fps on the HD 4870, but 44.5 fps with the HD 4850 in CrossFire.
In 2D mode, the power consumption of the entire system increases to 177 watts. Under full 3D load, it is 367 watts, which is 79 watts more than an individual HD 4870 requires. Anyone who wishes to operate AMD’s Radeon HD 4870 in CrossFire mode will need a solid power supply with between 300 and 340 watts and 25 to 28 A on the 12 volt rail for a standard system.
In 2D mode, the paired cards are nice and quiet at just 36.3 dB(A). Only when under full load does the noise increase to a significantly louder 46 dB(A), which is also achieved by a single HD 4870. The temperatures are two degrees higher in 2D mode (for CrossFire) versus a single card. You need to remember though, that from now on you have two substantial heat sources tucked away in your PC case. Even with very good ventilation, the temperature of the remaining components should be checked frequently.
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Yet again, loads of this review is missing - get your fingers out people!
yeh what the?? Someone isn't uploading these articles properly, only 7 pages showing, and no scroll bar on the drop down, or even a "next page" link. Only uploaded half the article?
rofl, i don't mean to be picky... but i'm missing something ^_^
To be continued next month folks....
(Or pop over to the USA website for spoilers!!)
Bob
Under 3D full load, the GeForce GTX 260 consumes 336 watts. A solid power supply with 280 to 320 watts of overall power and 23 to 27 A on the 12 volt rail should be sufficient here.
Uhhmmm isn't 336 Watts > 280-320 Watts ??
I've been over to the US site.. The article isn't worth reading guys as the Catalyst driver (v 8.6) is totally out-of-date (current: v 8.8). Just a heads up!!
Bob
well - wouldn't it be obvious to review HD 4870 X2 2GB DDR5 Dual GPU ??? it's the best card from radeon right?
So once again we only have half of the article? WTF?
Could THG get any worse?
Once again Toms UK screws up royally.
Another copy and paste from the US site - and a half-arsed effort at that.
Utter bollocks - just read the US Toms site. All the pages are from there anyway (UK 'staff' can't even bother to change $ to £ in articles) and they're complete.
So once again we only have half of the article? WTF?Could THG get any worse?
Has been going on for a long time iJacks...
I've been over to the US site.. The article isn't worth reading guys as the Catalyst driver (v 8.6) is totally out-of-date (current: v 8.8). Just a heads up!! Bob
+1
Yeh the review is pretty much pointless cos drivers are several months out of date.
Surely if you are comparing "the fastest 3D cards", the 4870X2 should be here
Yet another TomsHardFail.
4870X2??? and i can't see any benchmarks here.
Be nice to have the 9800gx2 in SLI
as also the 280 in TRI SLI
and as others have mention the GDDR5 4870
Maybe these other top dogs will appear in another review.
Haven't I read this already?
Why is it back at the top of the list? Because we have the missing 29 pages?
witch is faster : HD3850 512mb or 8800GT 256mb ? ant how many %? thx
witch is faster : HD3850 512mb or 8800GT 256mb ? ant how many %? thx
8800GT
How can I check the us page? if I write www.tomshardware.com in my firefox browser I am redirected automatically to www.tomshardware.co.uk. I want to see the .com, not the .co.uk
How can I check the us page? if I write www.tomshardware.com in my firefox browser I am redirected automatically to www.tomshardware.co.uk. I want to see the .com, not the .co.uk
Use:
We can see the whole GPU article on the UK website now anyway... Yippie!!
Bob
Sorry (stupid THG comments not working, mutter, mutter)...
Use:
http://www.tomshardware.com/us/
Bob