Long-term 6 month review! (Sapphire Radeon HD 4870)

Member Name: Lucius86

Product:	Sapphire Radeon HD 4870
Date:	13/05/09 (17 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very fast, easy installation.

Disadvantages: Hot, 512MB RAM can limit it at higher resolutions

I bought this graphics card when it first came out, and I have been very impressed with it so far considering its my first ATi product for quite a few years. However, comparing it to other graphics cards that are available on the market now, this would not be a wise choice.

Firstly, NVidia have released an updated GTX260 that surpasses this cards performance, and secondly I would opt for the 1GB option. Upto resolutions of 1680*1050, with a little AA and AF this card handles everything, including Crysis at a mixture of High and Very High details. But if you go beyond that, it runs out of memory on the card and the frame rate starts to stutter, providing an inconstant gaming experience. Having said all this, it is only in Crysis I have had this issue, but as games become more and more demanding it is something to consider.

This card should also be noted that it can run the Folding @ Home application (made by Stanford University), which simulates protein folding to help fight cancer. It is far superior to CPU folding, getting on average 3700 points per day, but again trails in comparison to NVidia products of similar price, which get around 5000-6000PPD.

This card generates a lot of heat too - checking the Catalyst Control Center it usually gets to around 88 degrees celcius during load, and you can really feel it out of the exhaust of the PC!!!

The ATi Catalyst drivers are great, they work just as well, if not better than NVidia's forceware, and it's nice getting a monthly update.

Overall, it was a great card on purchase, but I would opt today for the 1Gb model just for the extra future-proofing or if you game at a higher resolution.

Summary: A great card, but there are better options out there today.

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