Sapphire Backs Radeon HD 4850 X2 with 1 GB Model

btarunr · Nov 4, 2008, 12:27 PM

Sapphire has really stepped up on its engineering lately, designing the industry's first graphics card based on two RV770 Pro (Radeon HD 4850) cores. While the card that has been making news for a while now, has 2GB of GDDR3 memory, with each GPU having access to 1GB of it, Sapphire has decided to carve yet another SKU, the Radeon HD 4850 X2 1GB, where each GPU has access to 512 MB of it.

The card is expected to fit comfortably between the Radeon HD 4870 1GB and the Sapphire HD 4850 2GB in the markets, while offering performance levels that justify its price. The two RV770 GPUs are clocked at 625 MHz, with memory clocked at 1,986 MHz. There is no word on its availability or pricing yet.

Source: TechConnect Magazine

lemonadesoda · Nov 4, 2008, 12:37 PM

This really is a strange product.

Surely a 4850 1GB version is a more interesting market offering. A "cheaper" 4870. (apologies if this product is already out there). To "cripple" (its all relative) a GPU to 512 then turbo boost it with 2 GPUs?? That's like a rocket strapped to a go-cart. My guess is it will WHIZZ until it needs to do some texture swapping with main memory, which may be frequent due to only 512MB "effective" GPU space, then suffer from those nasty microstutters/frame lags as graphics assets are loaded and swapped in and out of the GPU.

Actually, on EDIT, I take that back. IF you are gaming at "popular" resultions like 1680x1050 or 1600x1200 you are probably absolutely fine. You get extra ZOOM with the x2 processors.

BUT, if you are running high-res like 1920x1200 or 2560x1600 then you might suffer from the limited memory issue.

SO, net net, this is a great performance part for a "consumer" gamer, but NOT a good part for a workstation or "elitist" gamer.

btarunr · Nov 4, 2008, 12:50 PM

That's 512M, sir. The ordinary HD 4850 cards you get are 512 MB cards, right? in this card, each GPU gets 512M of GDDR3 memory, instead of 1GB/GPU on the 2GB card.

[I.R.A]_FBi · Nov 4, 2008, 12:54 PM

is this one mondo-sized as well?

btarunr · Nov 4, 2008, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by [I.R.A]_FBi

is this one mondo-sized as well?

Yes, it's essentially the same card as the 2GB one, the longest card ever sold in recent times.

lemonadesoda · Nov 4, 2008, 12:59 PM

^^ Oh man, typos can be embarrassing

TRIPTEX_CAN · Nov 4, 2008, 01:05 PM

Pricing will make or break this card but it's nice that Sapphire will sell this card. It fits perfect for gamers that want a good dual GPU card with good performance and less cost than the 2Gb models plus it's good for Tri-CrossfireX.

DarkMatter · Nov 4, 2008, 01:07 PM

I suppose* he is refering to the fact that for a GPU with twice the power (= supposed to be able to attain twice the performance at highest settings) you need twice the memory. Games still use AFR as the multi-GPU rendering method AFAIK, so everything must be duplicated in RAM. Because this card is for those who want higher resolutions and settings with higher performance, you need more memory (per GPU) than the one you need on the single HD4850. You don't need as much as twice the memory, but you do need a lot more. I wouldn't say this 1GB X2 will be crippled compared to the 2GB one but it will surely perform quite worse IMO. That can put this card dangerously close to the HD4870 in performance, which can make it pointless.

It also might happen it's not crippled at all, which would make the 2GB variants pointless, but I don't think this will be the case. Reviews should make all this clear. Any reviews of 1GB cards around?

*Maybe too much assumtion on my part as his post does look as he thinks the regular HD4850 has 1GB of memory.

[I.R.A]_FBi · Nov 4, 2008, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkMatter

I suppose* he is refering to the fact that for a GPU with twice the power (= supposed to be able to attain twice the performance at highest settings) you need twice the memory. Games still use AFR as the multi-GPU rendering method AFAIK, so everything must be duplicated in RAM. Because this card is for those who want higher resolutions and settings with higher performance, you need more memory (per GPU) than the one you need on the single HD4850. You don't need as much as twice the memory, but you do need a lot more. I wouldn't say this 1GB X2 will be crippled compared to the 2GB one but it will surely perform quite worse IMO. That can put this card dangerously close to the HD4870 in performance, which can make it pointless.

It also might happen it's not crippled at all, which would make the 2GB variants pointless, but I don't think this will be the case. Reviews should make all this clear. Any reviews of 1GB cards around?

*Maybe too much assumtion on my part as his post does look as he thinks the regular HD4850 has 1GB of memory.

He means one r770 gpu on teh 2 gb x2 model has 1024 mb.

Also this should be faster than a 4870 in corssfire games

KieranD · Nov 4, 2008, 01:16 PM

that cooling looks like it would be a good single 4870 cooler yeah i know about the palit 4870 but apparently it wasnt as good coz it was lound and not as good as expected

TRIPTEX_CAN · Nov 4, 2008, 01:24 PM

I'm waiting for these to ship with the 4870x2 stock cooler but I dont know if it will happen. I dont like this cooler and I dont really think 4 display ports is necessary. I'd rather see the extra cost of the display ports spent on a better cooler.

DarkMatter · Nov 4, 2008, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by [I.R.A]_FBi

He means one r770 gpu on teh 2 gb x2 model has 1024 mb.

Also this should be faster than a 4870 in corssfire games

That's not what lemonade was saying before the edit, and I was replying to that. My post was obsolete the same second I posted it, but i's what happens when you are writing and cooking at the same time. Not at the same time, lol, but I started writing, then I went to the kitchen and some mins later I returned and sent the post.

PCpraiser100 · Nov 4, 2008, 02:48 PM

I won't say but the HD 4850 is barely anything from an HD 4870. This is probably going to be a hot buy for users once they see the benchmarks between the HD 4850 and the HD 4870. I mean, in Half-life 2 the gap between them when Xfired on full settings is like 15fps!

francis511 · Nov 4, 2008, 03:20 PM

Everyone seen this ?

http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1397

btarunr · Nov 4, 2008, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by francis511

Everyone seen this ?

http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1397

or this?

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sapphire/HD_4850_X2/

Exavier · Nov 4, 2008, 03:32 PM

good review thanks

I'll stick with my card, maybe get another..

WarEagleAU · Nov 4, 2008, 04:26 PM

Interesting, but they should have brought this out first, then announced a 2GB version.

Hayder_Master · Nov 5, 2008, 05:33 AM

i see 4850x2 with 1G more acceptable than 2G , im sure there is no different between 1G gddr3 and 2G gddr3 , better keep 2G for 4870x2

Nov 4, 2008, 12:27 PM	#1
btarunr Editor & Senior Moderator Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Hyderabad, India Posts: 14,983 (7.30/day) Thanks: 788 Thanked 12,899 Times in 5,650 Posts System Specs	Sapphire Backs Radeon HD 4850 X2 with 1 GB Model Sapphire has really stepped up on its engineering lately, designing the industry's first graphics card based on two RV770 Pro (Radeon HD 4850) cores. While the card that has been making news for a while now, has 2GB of GDDR3 memory, with each GPU having access to 1GB of it, Sapphire has decided to carve yet another SKU, the Radeon HD 4850 X2 1GB, where each GPU has access to 512 MB of it. The card is expected to fit comfortably between the Radeon HD 4870 1GB and the Sapphire HD 4850 2GB in the markets, while offering performance levels that justify its price. The two RV770 GPUs are clocked at 625 MHz, with memory clocked at 1,986 MHz. There is no word on its availability or pricing yet. Source: TechConnect Magazine

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Nov 4, 2008, 12:37 PM	#2
lemonadesoda Eligible for custom title Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 5,337 (2.17/day) Thanks: 749 Thanked 960 Times in 710 Posts System Specs	This really is a strange product. Surely a 4850 1GB version is a more interesting market offering. A "cheaper" 4870. (apologies if this product is already out there). To "cripple" (its all relative) a GPU to 512 then turbo boost it with 2 GPUs?? That's like a rocket strapped to a go-cart. My guess is it will WHIZZ until it needs to do some texture swapping with main memory, which may be frequent due to only 512MB "effective" GPU space, then suffer from those nasty microstutters/frame lags as graphics assets are loaded and swapped in and out of the GPU. Actually, on EDIT, I take that back. IF you are gaming at "popular" resultions like 1680x1050 or 1600x1200 you are probably absolutely fine. You get extra ZOOM with the x2 processors. BUT, if you are running high-res like 1920x1200 or 2560x1600 then you might suffer from the limited memory issue. SO, net net, this is a great performance part for a "consumer" gamer, but NOT a good part for a workstation or "elitist" gamer. Last edited by lemonadesoda; Nov 4, 2008 at 12:59 PM.

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Nov 4, 2008, 12:50 PM	#3
btarunr Editor & Senior Moderator Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Hyderabad, India Posts: 14,983 (7.30/day) Thanks: 788 Thanked 12,899 Times in 5,650 Posts System Specs	That's 512M, sir. The ordinary HD 4850 cards you get are 512 MB cards, right? in this card, each GPU gets 512M of GDDR3 memory, instead of 1GB/GPU on the 2GB card. __________________ Gadgets, Phones, Tablets, Cameras, TVs, HiFi...NextPowerUp

Nov 4, 2008, 12:54 PM	#4
[I.R.A]_FBi Eligible for custom title Join Date: May 2007 Location: c:\programs\kitteh.exe Posts: 6,152 (2.80/day) Thanks: 724 Thanked 556 Times in 461 Posts System Specs	is this one mondo-sized as well? __________________ Rig 1+1 Athlon XP 2200+, MSI KM2M Combo, ATI 9200SE 128 MB DDR, 2 X 512 MB DDR333, 250GB + 80 HDD? “try intel cpu, amd is only good for going to nude sites” -firehawkxd “go for the 5850 now and play games while the nvidiots wait for the ceo to show an actual working product” -W1zzard “An MSI logo? This offends my retina. I await your apology.” -MRCL www.autolounge.com.jm

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Nov 4, 2008, 12:59 PM	#6
lemonadesoda Eligible for custom title Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 5,337 (2.17/day) Thanks: 749 Thanked 960 Times in 710 Posts System Specs	^^ Oh man, typos can be embarrassing

Nov 4, 2008, 01:05 PM	#7
TRIPTEX_CAN Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: BC.CAN Posts: 2,342 (1.21/day) Thanks: 805 Thanked 726 Times in 554 Posts System Specs	Pricing will make or break this card but it's nice that Sapphire will sell this card. It fits perfect for gamers that want a good dual GPU card with good performance and less cost than the 2Gb models plus it's good for Tri-CrossfireX. __________________ “come to canada and I'll put my maple syrup in your mouth”

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Nov 4, 2008, 01:07 PM	#8
DarkMatter Banned Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 1,694 (0.82/day) Thanks: 43 Thanked 188 Times in 152 Posts System Specs	I suppose* he is refering to the fact that for a GPU with twice the power (= supposed to be able to attain twice the performance at highest settings) you need twice the memory. Games still use AFR as the multi-GPU rendering method AFAIK, so everything must be duplicated in RAM. Because this card is for those who want higher resolutions and settings with higher performance, you need more memory (per GPU) than the one you need on the single HD4850. You don't need as much as twice the memory, but you do need a lot more. I wouldn't say this 1GB X2 will be crippled compared to the 2GB one but it will surely perform quite worse IMO. That can put this card dangerously close to the HD4870 in performance, which can make it pointless. It also might happen it's not crippled at all, which would make the 2GB variants pointless, but I don't think this will be the case. Reviews should make all this clear. Any reviews of 1GB cards around? *Maybe too much assumtion on my part as his post does look as he thinks the regular HD4850 has 1GB of memory.

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Nov 4, 2008, 01:16 PM	#10
KieranD Eligible for custom title Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Glasgow, Scotland Posts: 5,460 (2.59/day) Thanks: 1,640 Thanked 821 Times in 712 Posts System Specs	that cooling looks like it would be a good single 4870 cooler yeah i know about the palit 4870 but apparently it wasnt as good coz it was lound and not as good as expected __________________ http://myinstants.com/instant/transformer/

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Nov 4, 2008, 01:24 PM	#11
TRIPTEX_CAN Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: BC.CAN Posts: 2,342 (1.21/day) Thanks: 805 Thanked 726 Times in 554 Posts System Specs	I'm waiting for these to ship with the 4870x2 stock cooler but I dont know if it will happen. I dont like this cooler and I dont really think 4 display ports is necessary. I'd rather see the extra cost of the display ports spent on a better cooler. __________________ “come to canada and I'll put my maple syrup in your mouth”

Nov 4, 2008, 02:48 PM	#13
PCpraiser100 Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1,059 (0.60/day) Thanks: 67 Thanked 68 Times in 61 Posts System Specs	I won't say but the HD 4850 is barely anything from an HD 4870. This is probably going to be a hot buy for users once they see the benchmarks between the HD 4850 and the HD 4870. I mean, in Half-life 2 the gap between them when Xfired on full settings is like 15fps!

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Nov 4, 2008, 03:32 PM	#16
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Nov 4, 2008, 04:26 PM	#17
WarEagleAU Bird of Prey Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Gurley, AL Posts: 9,994 (3.98/day) Thanks: 3,810 Thanked 557 Times in 521 Posts System Specs	Interesting, but they should have brought this out first, then announced a 2GB version. __________________ =-TheEagle-= http://www.heatware.com/eval.php?id=62454 “You crazy? Surfing any website without an antivirus is like freaking with a dirty woman without protection” -OzzmanFloyd120 - Edited for content and clarity

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Nov 5, 2008, 05:33 AM	#18
Hayder_Master Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: IRAQ-Baghdad Posts: 4,860 (2.62/day) Thanks: 388 Thanked 639 Times in 444 Posts System Specs	i see 4850x2 with 1G more acceptable than 2G , im sure there is no different between 1G gddr3 and 2G gddr3 , better keep 2G for 4870x2 __________________ Easiest way to overclock the graphic card guide Easiest way to overclock your graphic card , my other overclocking threads , Core i7-1156 Overclocking and Feedback Thread , C2Q overclocking and feedback thread , C2QX overclocking and feedback thread ,C2D overclocking and feedback thread ,AMDX2 overclocking and feedback thread

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