The Death of the Radeon 4850 X2

[Robert-The-Rambler]

Well, I just happened to be checking out Newegg.com just for kicks and it looks like one of the hotttest running best values in the graphics industry has been discontinued. I have two of them in separate PCs and I can say that it was great while it lasted and actually gave non crossfire motherboard owners a great alternative to the 4870 X2 and GeForce 295 with lower power consumption and respectable performance for a single PCB multi GPU setup. I'm not totally surprised because it looked to me like the card was crippled on purpose and made as large as the Titanic with heat issues to not cannabilize 4870 X2 sales. A real 4850 X2 solution with the same cooling as the 4870 X2s would have really been a problem for ATIs flagship. Anyhow I raise my Mountain Dew Voltage in honor the 4850 X2 and say RIP as I wait and see what might be in store for the 5850 X2.

 

[kyle2020]

I raise my bottle of Becks in appreciation of such a good card, one Ive almost purchased for myself on numerous occasions.

 

[JATownes]

I almost bought one as well...I drain this Bud Light in your honor 4850x2... May you rest in peace...or be raised from the dead as the HD5850x2

 

[InTeL-iNsIdE]

I raise my bottle of Becks in appreciation of such a good card, one Ive almost purchased for myself on numerous occasions.

Here here, I raise my cider and black

 

[YinYang.ERROR]

My god you scared the crap out of me, I thought you said 4850, not 4850x2.

 

[newtekie1]

Definitely sad, I wish more manufacturers would have picked this card up, it was a powerhouse for the the price. $300 was a steal for the card!

 

[JATownes]

Off-Topic: I opened a Bud Light to honor this 4850x2...and now I am on my third...gonna be a drinking kind of day....and I blame Kyle2020

I raise my bottle of Becks in appreciation of such a good card, one Ive almost purchased for myself on numerous occasions.

He got me thinking about the beer in the fridge...Thanks Kyle...I needed a good alcohol day...

 

[LagunaX]

I'm going to download catalyst 9.8 and run a benchmark with my 4850x2 in honor...

 

[ShRoOmAlIsTiC]

Tip my black cherry vodka and coke to the 4850x2, I own the 4850x2 2gb and gave the 4850x2 1gb to my cousin. Awesome card and couldnt be happier with it. If it had a big enough hole I would stick my you know what in it.

 

[JATownes]

Tip my black cherry vodka and coke to the 4850x2, I own the 4850x2 2gb and gave the 4850x2 1gb to my cousin. Awesome card and couldnt be happier with it. If it had a big enough hole I would stick my you know what in it.

Maybe it is the alcohol, but I lol'd ...really though...electrical shock could hurt. (this is my new sig quote...)

 

[Robert-The-Rambler]

Thanks for your condolences guys....

I raise yet another Mountain Dew and hope for a brighter future.....

 

[TheLaughingMan]

To drunk to remember what my drink is. Your glory will be missed 4850 X2.

 

[Robert-The-Rambler]

Some Available At Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001KAKT4Q/?tag=tec06d-20

Probably because it is not the first choice for PC hardware but alas it is not being manufactured anymore.

It can still be found around the web at other websites as well but once the egg drops it the writing is on the wall.

 

[HossHuge]

I have never seen the 4850x2 in action but I'll get drunk anyway....

 

[TheLaughingMan]

I have never seen the 4850x2 in action but I'll get drunk anyway....

Image a Nvidia GTX 280 for about $120 cheaper (I think it sat at $220 for the longest). Hell in some cases the 4850 X2 gave the 4870 X2 and GTX 285 a run for their money.

 

[kyle2020]

Off-Topic: I opened a Bud Light to honor this 4850x2...and now I am on my third...gonna be a drinking kind of day....and I blame Kyle2020



He got me thinking about the beer in the fridge...Thanks Kyle...I needed a good alcohol day...

Yeah, any excuse

haha. Your welcome.

 

[Velvet Wafer]

I raise my bottle of Becks in appreciation of such a good card, one Ive almost purchased for myself on numerous occasions.

do you like german beer? i always asked me why we are an export country

ot: i would have bought that monster... but it was much too long for my case

 

[kyle2020]

I do, Becks is just such a refreshing brew, cant beat it tbh.

If I can find an X2 for cheaps I may treat myself.

 

[qubit]

The 4870 X2 seems to be discontinued as well. www.overclockers.co.uk don't list it any more, although other sites do, for now. This is a pretty good indication that it's been dropped.

The real question is why has it been dropped? The new generation aren't out yet, leaving the GTX 295 as the clear top dog.

 

[Velvet Wafer]

The 4870 X2 seems to be discontinued as well. www.overclockers.co.uk don't list it any more, although other sites do, for now. This is a pretty good indication that it's been dropped.

The real question is why has it been dropped? The new generation aren't out yet, leaving the GTX 295 as the clear top dog.

my shop doesnt even has 4870x2 in its stocks anymore... there is something big to come

 

[kyle2020]

Well I can pick up a 4850X2 for £150 here, but ill wait for the new 5 series to launch, hope that they are still being sold, and then swoop and nab one.

 

[MikeB]

What a great card indeed!!! I still run it and plan to until the DX11 cards get sorted out. I have NEVER had a single game that the card would not play, and I bought many a game the first week they were out. It still slices through the latest games like Batman and RE5 like butter. Heck, it still deliver 90-95% of what the new 5850 puts out.

Many folks mistaking think it *only* competes with the GTX280, but the reality is it puts a hurtin' on the GTX285 as well.

AnandTech nailed it here... http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3517&p=14.
The article states:
"But the real stand out has to be the Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 X2 2GB. This unique card really shined and held it's own all the way up to 2560x1600. While a 1GB 4850 might not make much sense (the extra RAM only really helps at resolutions where the 4850 can't keep up in terms of processing power), the 1GB of RAM per GPU on the 4850 X2 2GB really helps make this single card multiGPU option high end.
The Sapphire 4850 X2 costs less than a single NVIDIA GTX 280 or 285, and performs better than these as well. While the Radeon HD 4870 X2 is viable as high end single card multiGPU option, it competes at a price point beyond NVIDIA's high end. the 4850 X2 really puts pressure on anything that costs between $300 and $400 from the competition. It's very surprising to us that AMD hasn't pushed this configuration and that Sapphire are the only manufacturer to have put one of these out there."

It's a shame the card received such little fanfare. The reviews rightfully dinged the card for excessively loud fan. There was a bios released that fixed the issue (I got it and detailed my experiences with it here) but it was mysteriously kept under wraps. I would agree with earlier posters that ATI really didn't want the 4850X2 to be successful as they feared it would cannibalize the 4870X2 sales, and so they did what they could to keep the card down... like take 6 months before they even added it to the standard driver support.

Well, I feel privileged to have owned one of the greatest bang for the buck cards ever! It purrs ever so quietly in my machine as I type this, proud I'm sure.

4850X2, HERES TO YOU!

 

[SonDa5]

It's not dead just yet.


Around $400 for 2 HD4850x2 with spooky20 coupon. Throw in Bing Cash back for a little extra savings.

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=AT-485X2_2

Quadfire power deal.

Fair well HD4850x2.