Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 X2 2GB

Rob Williams · 01-07-2009, 04:59 AM

If you game at ultra-high resolutions and want to know where the best bang for the buck can be found in graphics cards, look no further than Sapphire's dual-GPU HD 4850 X2. At $300, it's priced-right and offers incredible performance regardless of whether you prefer high anti-aliasing settings or resolutions.

You can read our full review here and discuss it here!

01-15-2009, 03:29 PM

Sir,

Can u please update this review with the GTX285 benches as well? Even benching 2 Titles and a Quick Note on the Power consumption could do. Really waiting in anticipation on this front.

Also, did u find any difficulty with the Driver installations of the 4850x2 onto Vista64? Many ppl on Newegg and thousands of forums have reported this.

Regds,
Rutvij.

Rob Williams · 01-15-2009, 06:02 PM

I have a lot of work in front of me for the next couple days with a lot of benchmarking, so I'll have these results next week.

01-23-2009, 02:01 PM

I was wondering what power supply you used to test with.

Rob Williams · 01-23-2009, 05:54 PM

All system specs are listed in the review:

http://techgage.com/article/sapphire..._4850_x2_2gb/2

Merlin · 01-23-2009, 06:11 PM

I see the GTX295 blowing the 4850x2 away, unless running really low resolutions,
It's a demon

b1lk1 · 01-23-2009, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merlin

I see the GTX295 blowing the 4850x2 away, unless running really low resolutions,
It's a demon

HD4850X2 is not meant to compete with teh GTX295. Considering the HD4850X2 costs up to $250 less......

Merlin · 01-23-2009, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b1lk1

HD4850X2 is not meant to compete with teh GTX295. Considering the HD4850X2 costs up to $250 less......

Brain fart here, thought at seeing the ( x2 ) it was the 4870

Rob Williams · 01-26-2009, 04:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merlin

I see the GTX295 blowing the 4850x2 away, unless running really low resolutions,
It's a demon

Low resolutions are useless for dual-GPU cards... there will just be no differences in performance, even with AA, as far as I'm concerned. High AA seems to depend more on memory, not raw GPU power, so at low resolutions, fast dual-GPU cards can compare to mid-range single-GPU cards, depending on the title.

The GTX 295 is a unique breed though, and it belongs to the 30" club. You have no reason to own that card if you don't have a 30" monitor, it's that simple. The GTX 285 on the other hand, is uber-fast and will benefit anyone, thanks to it's faster clock speed. But even then, a 24" monitor minimum is recommended.

Seems extreme, but the good news to gleam from this is that all these findings mean is that affordable cards offer enough power for most people. That's a great thing.

01-07-2009, 04:59 AM	#1
Rob Williams Editor in Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 8,921	Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 X2 2GB If you game at ultra-high resolutions and want to know where the best bang for the buck can be found in graphics cards, look no further than Sapphire's dual-GPU HD 4850 X2. At $300, it's priced-right and offers incredible performance regardless of whether you prefer high anti-aliasing settings or resolutions. You can read our full review here and discuss it here! __________________ Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 @ 3.20GHz, ASUS P5K Premium WiFi-AP, OCZ 8GB PC2-6400, EVGA GTX 285 1024MB Seagate 500GB, 750GB & 1TB, Pioneer 22x ODD, Corsair 1000HX, Thermalright Ultra-120, CM Storm Sniper Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Ultrasone PRO 750, Gentoo Linux (KDE 4.3.2, 2.6.31 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter Profiles: Last.fm \| Xbox Live \| Steam

01-15-2009, 03:29 PM	#2
Unregistered Guest Poster Posts: n/a	vs GTX285? Sir, Can u please update this review with the GTX285 benches as well? Even benching 2 Titles and a Quick Note on the Power consumption could do. Really waiting in anticipation on this front. Also, did u find any difficulty with the Driver installations of the 4850x2 onto Vista64? Many ppl on Newegg and thousands of forums have reported this. Regds, Rutvij.

01-15-2009, 06:02 PM	#3
Rob Williams Editor in Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 8,921	I have a lot of work in front of me for the next couple days with a lot of benchmarking, so I'll have these results next week. __________________ Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 @ 3.20GHz, ASUS P5K Premium WiFi-AP, OCZ 8GB PC2-6400, EVGA GTX 285 1024MB Seagate 500GB, 750GB & 1TB, Pioneer 22x ODD, Corsair 1000HX, Thermalright Ultra-120, CM Storm Sniper Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Ultrasone PRO 750, Gentoo Linux (KDE 4.3.2, 2.6.31 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter Profiles: Last.fm \| Xbox Live \| Steam

01-23-2009, 02:01 PM	#4
Unregistered Guest Poster Posts: n/a	PowerSupply I was wondering what power supply you used to test with.

01-23-2009, 05:54 PM	#5
Rob Williams Editor in Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 8,921	All system specs are listed in the review: http://techgage.com/article/sapphire..._4850_x2_2gb/2 __________________ Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 @ 3.20GHz, ASUS P5K Premium WiFi-AP, OCZ 8GB PC2-6400, EVGA GTX 285 1024MB Seagate 500GB, 750GB & 1TB, Pioneer 22x ODD, Corsair 1000HX, Thermalright Ultra-120, CM Storm Sniper Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Ultrasone PRO 750, Gentoo Linux (KDE 4.3.2, 2.6.31 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter Profiles: Last.fm \| Xbox Live \| Steam

01-23-2009, 06:11 PM	#6
Merlin The Tech Wizard Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Woodstock,Ga Posts: 1,847	I see the GTX295 blowing the 4850x2 away, unless running really low resolutions, It's a demon __________________ WinVista 64 bit , Intel i7 920 watercooled loop #1red 1/2" tubing, MSI Platinum mobo, GTX280 GPU watercooled loop #2 blue 3/8" tubing... Silverstone Strider 1000 watt, HAF Coolermaster case...150 gig Raptor..2 ea. 1 TB WD Green Synology NAS 207 Network Server with 2 Hitachi Terabite drives

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