[W1zzard]

Introduction

Today AMD released their new Radeon HD 4830 Series of graphics cards. The cards are positioned in the $100 to $150 segment to put additional pressure on NVIDIA.

Compared to the bigger brother, the HD 4850, AMD reduced the number of shaders from 800 to 640. The number of texture units is also lower with 32 instead of 40. Last but not least, the clock frequencies were reduced to 575 MHz core and 900 MHz memory as well.

PowerColor's Radeon HD 4830 has the exact same specifications as the AMD reference design but comes with a PCB designed by PowerColor (probably for cost reasons) and a dual slot cooler (for lower temperatures). Also included is a native HDMI output which emphasizes the potential use as a media PC card. While the exact price is not known yet for the Powercolor variant, expect it to be about $10 to $15 cheaper than the AMD reference design.

PLEASE NOTE: There is an issue with the HD 4830 sample from AMD. It has only 560 shaders instead of the intended 640. That's why the scores of the AMD card are so different. The card tested in this review has 80 missing shaders and does not represent intended HD 4830 performance. Read more about this here.

	Radeon HD 4350	GeForce 9400 GT	Radeon HD 4550	GeForce 9500 GT	Radeon HD 4670	Radeon HD 3850	Radeon HD 3870	GeForce 9600 GT	Radeon HD 4830	GeForce 8800 GT	GeForce 9800 GT	Radeon HD 4850
Shader units	80	16	80	32	320	320	320	64	640	112	112	800
ROPs	4	8	4	8	8	16	16	16	16	16	16	16
GPU	RV710	G96	RV710	G96	RV730	RV670	RV670	G94	RV770	G92	G92	RV770
Transistors	242M	314M	242M	314M	512M	666M	666M	505M	956M	754M	754M	956M
Memory Size	256 MB	512M	512 MB	256 MB / 512 MB	512 MB	256 MB	512 MB	512 MB	512 MB	512 MB	512 MB	512 MB
Memory Bus Width	64 bit	128 bit	64 bit	128 bit	128 bit	256 bit	256 bit	256 bit	256 bit	256 bit	256 bit	256 bit
Core Clock	600 MHz	550 MHz	600 MHz	550 MHz	750 MHz	670 MHz	777 MHz	650 MHz	575 MHz	600 MHz	600 MHz	625 MHz
Memory Clock	500 MHz	400 MHz	800 MHz	900 MHz	1000 MHz	828 MHz	1126 MHz	900 MHz	900 MHz	900 MHz	900 MHz	993 MHz
Price	$49	$59	$59	$89	$85	$99	$125	$90	$130	$140	$160	$170

Packaging & Contents

We received just the card from AMD, without package or any accessories. Retail cards will of course include the appropriate accessories like manual, driver CD and adapter cables.

The Card

Like the HD 4850, AMD's HD 4830 uses a single slot cooling solution. Actually, the cooler is the same as on the reference design HD 4850.


The card has two DVI ports which is the standard output configuration nowadays. If you need a VGA port you can use the included DVI adapter. When using a HDMI adapter (included as well), you will also have access to HDMI+HDCP+Audio, which allows easy setup of a media PC. AMD has integrated a Realtek 7.1 audio device inside the GPU which means that the sound card's HDMI output shows up as sound device in Windows. In my opinion this is an easier solution than on NVIDIA's cards where you have to route an audio cable from your motherboard to the VGA card.


Here are the front and the back of the card, high-res versions are also available (front, back). If you choose to use these images for voltmods etc, please include a link back to this site or let us post your article.

A Closer Look

As mentioned before, the heatsink is the same as on the Radeon HD 4850. It uses a big copper base to cool the GPU, memory and voltage regulation circuitry.


Two, three or four HD 4830 cards can be combined in CrossFire to improve performance or image quality.


A single 6-pin PCI-Express power connector is required to power the card.


The GDDR3 memory chips are made by Qimonda (formerly Infineon) and carry the model number HYB18H512321BF-10. With a latency of 1.0 ns they should be good for at least 1000 MHz.


AMD uses their RV770 GPU on the Radeon HD 4830. Compared to the "regular" GPU, the number of shaders and texture unit is reduced via a locking mechanism. The GPU silicon remains the same for this change.

Test System

Test System
CPU:	Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 @ 3.6 GHz (Wolfdale, 6144 KB Cache)
Motherboard:	Gigabyte P35C-DS3R Intel P35
Memory:	2x 1024MB A.DATA DDR2 1066+ CL4
Harddisk:	WD Raptor 740ADFD 74 GB
Power Supply:	OCZ GameXStream 700W
Software:	Windows XP SP2
Drivers:	NVIDIA: ForceWare 177.83 ATI: Catalyst 8.10

• All video card results were obtained on this exact system with the exact same configuration.
• All games were set to their highest quality setting

Each benchmark was tested at the following settings and resolution:

• 1024 x 768, No Anti-aliasing, No anisotropic filtering. This is a standard resolution without demanding display settings.
• 1280 x 1024, 2x Anti-aliasing, 8x anisotropic filtering. Common resolution for most smaller flatscreens today (17" - 19"). A bit of eye candy turned on in the drivers.
• 1680 x 1050, 4x Anti-aliasing, 16x anisotropic filter. Most common widescreen resolution on larger displays (19" - 22"). Very good looking driver graphics settings.
• 1920 x 1200, 4x Anti-aliasing, 16x anisotropic filter. Typical widescreen resolution for large displays (22" - 26"). Very good looking driver graphics settings.

Call of Duty 4

Call of Duty 4 is a first-person shooter that is built on the award winning Call of Duty Series. It is the first version to play in modern times. In a near-future conflict between the United States, Europe and Russia you get to play as a United States Marine and a British SAS operative. The engine is Infinity Ward's own creation and has true dynamic lighting, depth of field, dynamic shadows and HDR. Even though the game plot is scripted you will find yourself in intense battles, often working together with computer controlled team mates.

Call of Juarez

Call of Juarez was one of the first DX10 titles available on the market, that's why it was heavily used to demonstrate the benefits of DirectX 10. It runs on the Chrome Engine created by the polish game studio Techland. This first-person shooter game is set in a Wild West theme with the plot unfolding from the perspective of two characters: Billy and Reverend Ray. Each offers a different play style to keep the game interesting. Also included in the game is a "Concentration Mode" which slows down time in hectic situations - a feature first pioneered by the Max Payne Series.

Company Of Heroes

The real-time strategy game Company of Heroes is set during World War II where you take two American companies through several fights all over France to liberate the country from German occupation. Company of Heroes is the first game to use Relic's next-generation engine "Essence Engine" which includes support for HDR lighting, Shader Model 3.0, normal mapping, dynamic lighting and shadows. You are able to zoom in from the tactical view of the battle field to see the individual units fighting. Often you catch yourself admiring the detailed animations of the soldiers while the fight around you is raging. We tested the DX9 version of the game at maximum details.

Crysis

After the tremendous success of Far Cry, the German game studio Crytek released their latest shooter Crysis in 2007. The game was by far the most hyped and anticipated game in 2007, the forums were full of "Can my system run Crysis?" threads because of the high hardware requirements of this game. Just like in Far Cry the plot evolves on a small island with a thick and richly detailed jungle world. A lot of attention has been given to small details like correct physics. For example when you fire on a tree trunk, it will shatter and the tree will fall over leaving a stump behind. Enemies in a car can be stopped by shooting the tire of the car. The game graphics are by far the best ever seen in a PC game so far, yet the game still runs well on most computers. We tested the DX9 version with graphics set to "High", the highest non-DX10 setting in the game.

Enemy Territory: Quake Wars

The first-person shooter Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is set in the science-fiction universe of Quake and requires several classes to work together to achieve certain goals on a map. In the campaign mode you gain experience which you can use to buy upgrades for your class. The player gets to pick from five classes of either the Global Defense Force or the Strogg faction. As underlying game engine, the successful id Software Doom 3 engine has been licensed, but several features like MegaTextures have been added, giving the outdoor world a much more detailed appearance. We tested the DX9 version of the game at maximum details.

Far Cry

Far Cry was released in early 2004 by the new development studio Crytek. It quickly became a massive success because it was one of the first titles to take you in a beautiful 3D outdoor world. Far Cry was one of the most demanding games at its time. Even with today's video cards you can still see big differences in frame rates, especially at the higher resolutions.

FEAR

The first person shooter F.E.A.R, developed by Monolith Game Studios, was released in Fall 2005 and has a great 3D engine that uses a large number of shading and shadow effects to accurately model the game world. In addition to that it features a realistic physics engine that lets you interact with many objects in the game world. The game was voted game of the year by several publications.

Prey

Prey is based on a highly modified 3D engine made by id Software. This first person shooter brought a completely new way of gaming to the genre. In many levels you find yourself walking upside down or on the walls. This adds a completely new aspect to the gaming experience in this genre.

Quake 4

The Quake titles are among the most successful first person games. Developed by id Software, the famous game studio that brought you DOOM, you find yourself in a sci-fi world that is full of aliens and shocking effects. The main focus of the game is the single player story line. Quake 4 puts you on the home planet of the Strogg. In a number of missions you and your fellow marines will encounter all sorts of enemies, including some really huge aliens.

Splinter Cell 3: Chaos Theory

The Splinter Cell Series is endorsed by popular book author Tom Clancy. In the 2005 title Splinter Cell 3: Chaos Theory you play the NSA agent Sam Fisher who has to use stealth and finesse to make his way through a number of levels mainly set in eastern Asia. The game is based on a modified Unreal 2 engine with support for HDR, normal mapping, parallax mapping and soft shadows. A patch added Shader Model 2.0 support for ATI in addition to the Shader Model 3.0 support which was already part of the original shipping game.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

Before its release in 2007, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl was one of the most hyped games of the last years. This RPG/FPS hybrid game is set a few years in the future, after a nuclear disaster occurs at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The release of radiation causes strange things like mutations in the nearby area. You take the role of a Stalker who seeks fame and riches in the contaminated area around Chernobyl. The game engine features all the latest buzzwords like HDR, bullet physics, skeletal animation, soft shadows and weather effects. Stalker's vast outside world is richly modeled, you can interact with a large number of objects in the game thanks to the physics engine.

Team Fortress 2

Team Fortress 2 by the famous people from Valve software builds on an improved Half-Life 2 engine to deliver an action packed, team oriented, comic graphics first person shooter game. Even though the game features nice graphics, it tends to be very CPU limited, especially on lower resolutions. Players get to team up being either RED or BLU with a selection of nine classes. Each class offers a different play style, just like in the original Team Fortress games.

Unreal Tournament 3

The fourth game in Epic's highly successful Unreal Tournament Series is simply called Unreal Tournament 3. It is based on the all-new Unreal 3 engine which is a major step forward from the previous engine. The game principle is centered about an arena style gameplay where several contestants try to reach a certain kill count or capture a flag for example. As you would expect from a new 2007 title, the graphics are top notch, with large and detailed textures. One major drawback of the way the engine is designed is that there is no support for Anti-Aliasing. While video card vendors like ATI have found ways to force this in their drivers we did all our testing with AA disabled in DX9 at maximum settings.

World In Conflict

The realtime strategy game World In Conflict by Massive Entertainment is set in 1989 taking the player through a fictional conflict during the collapse of the Soviet Union. Unlike other RTS games, World in Conflict is not centered around building a base, you command units on the battlefield with a number of reinforcement points available to replace lost troops.
Massive's Masstech Game Engine makes heavy use of level-of-detail techniques which allow you to zoom in closely on the action displaying fights in high-fidelity with a large number of effects.

Folding@home

GPU accelerated computing is the latest trend to speed up computationally intense applications. One of the first projects to implement such a GPGPU method is Folding@home. Participants install a small program on their computer, the "Folding Client", which downloads work units from a server to be processed on the system.
In the past folding has been performed on on the CPU. Recently new clients have been developed for Folding on PlayStation 3, ATI and NVIDIA CUDA.

We used version 6.20r1 to download a work unit and fold it using whatever GPU acceleration is available. Due to the different GPU designs, different types of work unit were used. However, for most Folding users the PPD (Points Per Day) metric is the most important because that's what determines their ranking in the system.

Please note that the Folding client will not use multiple GPUs by default. So for cards like the HD 4870 X2 you would have to double the PPD we list here - assuming you would choose to fold on both GPUs too. For comparison: a PlayStation 3 gets about 900 PPD, a Core 2 Duo E8400 about 550 PPD per processor core.

If you want to join the good cause, use team number 50711, which is TechPowerUps own Folding Team.

3DMark03

Futuremark Corporation is the number one player in the world of synthetic benchmarking. The 3DMark series is the most popular test suite for video card testing and is used by gamers, overclockers and manufacturers alike to determine how fast their hardware is. Even though it is a few years old, 3DMark03 can easily stress today's video cards.

3DMark05

Another benchmark from Futuremark is 3DMark05 which comes with four completely new game tests that make massive use of shaders and lighting effects. 3DMark05 is a great test for modern video card architectures - in some tests you are often close to the 30 fps mark, below which your games will feel sluggish.

3DMark06

Even though it's based on Futuremark's 3DMark05, the new 3DMark06 adds new tests for Shader Model 3.0 and HDR rendering. It is also the first 3DMark to incorporate a CPU score into the final 3DMark score. All tests have received an overhaul, for example in the Canyon Flight test you can now see beautiful sun glare effects with the help of High Dynamic Range rendering.

Power Consumption

Cooling modern video cards is becoming more and more difficult, especially when users are asking for quiet cooling solutions. That's why the engineers are now paying much more attention to power consumption of new video card designs.

Test System
CPU:	Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 @ 3.6 GHz (Wolfdale, 6144 KB Cache)
Motherboard:	Gigabyte P35C-DS3R Intel P35
Memory:	2x 1024MB A.DATA DDR2 1066+ CL4
Harddisk:	WD Raptor 740ADFD 74 GB
Power Supply:	OCZ GameXStream 700W
Software:	Windows XP SP2

In order to characterize a video card's power consumption, the whole system's mains power draw was measured. This means that these numbers include CPU, Memory, HDD, Video card and PSU inefficiency.

The three result values are as following:

• Idle: Windows sitting at the desktop (1024x768 32-bit) all windows closed, drivers installed.
• Average: 3DMark03 Nature at 1280x1024, 6xAA, 16xAF. This results in the highest power consumption. Average of all readings (two per second) while the test was rendering (no title screen).
• Peak: 3DMark03 Nature at 1280x1024, 6xAA, 16xAF. This results in the highest power consumption. Highest single reading

AMD has achieved an excellent low power consumption with their new Radeon HD 4830. In idle it is easily the least demanding card in its class. This is achieved by a considerably reduced idle clock frequency. The GPU will sense its current load state (independent if it's running 2D or 3D) and adjust clocks according to a profile stored in the BIOS

Fan Noise

In the past years users would accept everything just to get more performance. Nowadays this has changed with people being more aware of the fan noise and power consumption of their graphic cards.
In order to properly test the fan noise a card emits we are using a Bruel & Kjaer 2236 sound level meter (~$4,000) which has the measurement range and accuracy we are looking for.


The tested graphics card is installed in a system that is completely passively cooled. That is passive PSU, passive CPU cooler, passive cooling on the motherboard and Solid-State HDD.
This setup allows us to eliminate secondary noise sources and test only the video card. To be more compliant with standards like DIN 45635 (we are not claiming to be fully DIN 45635 certified) the measurement is conducted at 100 cm distance and 160 cm over the floor. The ambient background noise level in the room is well below 20 dbA for all measurements. Please note that the dbA scale is not linear, it is logarithmic. 40 dbA is not twice as loud as 20 dbA. A 3 dbA increase results in double the sound pressure. The human hearing is a bit different and it is generally accepted that a 10 dbA increase doubles the perceived sound level.

Just like on the previous HD 4850, the cooler of the HD 4830 (which is the same) is refreshingly quiet. The card is barely audible even in a quiet computer. This makes the card an excellent choice for a media PC that should also be able to handle some light gaming.

Performance Summary

To create this graph we took all performance results of the four resolutions we tested, threw them together and calculated the relative performance of each card, compared to our review sample. In a fifth graph we also combined all tests in all resolutions to calculate the total relative performance of the review sample.

Performance per Watt

This graph was created by taking the relative performance numbers and putting them in contrast to the average power consumption results. To offset power consumption of the rest of the system we subtracted 50W from the average consumption.

Performance per Dollar

If you are looking for the best bang for the buck, then you will love this graph. We looked up the current USD price of each card on the popular online shop Newegg and used it and the relative performance numbers to calculate the Performance per Dollar Index.

Overclocking

To find the maximum overclock of our card we used a combination of AMD internal overclocking software and our benchmarking suite.



The final overclocks of our card are 760 MHz core (32% overclock) and 1105 MHz Memory (23% overclock). Wow! Those overclocks are incredible. During testing I actually thought my overclocking program is broken. If this overclock is actually what you will see on retail cards then you could get one of these babies and overclock it close to HD 4870 levels, while saving a ton of money.

Temperatures

While the idle temperature is quite low, the load temperatures are rather high (but still far from too hot). It seems that AMD favors a silent card over low temperature, which is a good thing in my opinion. All modern graphics cards are designed to withstand operating temperatures of up to 120°C. However, nobody dares to go close to that because users could burn their fingers which could result in a lawsuit. Also high temperatures are said to reduce the life time of the silicon.

Value and Conclusion

	The Radeon HD 4830 is available for around $130.
	Amazing overclocking potential Quiet Great price/performance ratio
	High temperatures Retail cards might be affected by shader count issue Not that much cheaper than HD 4850
9.3	AMD's new Radeon HD 4830 is positioned to fill one of the last gaps in the GPU market price ranges. While the HD 4670 has a tight grip on the sub-$100 market and the HD 4850 is a great choice in the sub-$200 range, AMD felt there was something missing in between $100 and $200. Considering price/performance, the HD 4830 is one of the best offers on the market today only rivaled by some low-end NVIDIA cards. What makes this card even more attractive is the massive overclocking potential we saw on our samples. Both cards easily went beyond 750 MHz core speeds which is more than 30% overclock. AMD's choice to reuse the fan of the HD 4830 seems right to me. The card is very quiet, while still running at acceptable temperatures under load. AMD's HD 4830 may not be the super gaming card that can handle the highest detail settings at all resolutions, but for gamers on a small budget, running at 1280x1024 for example, it is a great choice. Unfortunately there is one major issue at this time. The sample we received from AMD is missing 80 shaders, for more info read this article.