XFX Radeon HD 4850 1GB Video Card Review

Introduction

Over the past few years, we have had opportunity to review a number of products from XFX. My first XFX video card review was the 7900 GTX XXX Edition. A lot has changed in the 3 years since, and while it is not really news now, it is still worth mentioning that after years offering exclusively NVIDIA video cards, XFX started offering products from ATI this year. *Insert applause here.*

One of their first products is what we are reviewing today, the XFX Radeon HD 4850 1GB. Just by the name, you can tell that it is not just another reference card due to the amount of memory. The HD 4850 originally launched with just 512MB in June of last year. Packed with more memory, this extremely capable performer now has the frame buffer to keep up with much more expensive video cards. At just $124.99 shipped, this is one great bang for the buck graphics card.

The XFX Radeon HD 4850 1GB is a dual slot card, featuring a jet-black shroud over its heat sink and fan. You can clearly see the letters XFX on the shroud. I really prefer this over stickers that most cards have.

As far as power is concerned, only a single 6-pin PCI-e power cable is required. It is recommended that a 450 Watt or greater power supply is used in the system. If you plan to run a pair of these in CrossFire, that moves the recommendation to 550 Watts.

XFX adds a little flair to their DVI ports with some red accent. I have found this handy in low light situations, while crawling under my desk to hook up the monitor! Both of the DVI ports are dual link, each of which can run up to 2560×1600 in resolution. The outputs are HDCP capable. There is also an S-Video style connector for RGB out in case you wanted to use component cables to hook to your HDTV.

On the back of the card we see that the PCB is flat black, which I think is a nice touch.