PowerColor HD 4850 PCS 2GB PCI-E
Packaging & Appearance
Published: 16th August 2008 | Source: PowerColor | Price: TBA |
Packaging & Appearance
Presented in a slimline cardboard box with dimensions not dissimilar to the graphics card contained within, the PowerColor HD4850 PCS packaging is very similar in appearance to the HD 4870 reviewed only but a few weeks ago. At the front of the box is PowerColors trademark female warrior style character (who we have to admit looks just a bit manly) along with the "PCS" logo and a couple of stickers denoting the basic specifications of the card (2GB / Dual DVI).
Around the back of the packaging are some basic bullet-point specifications along with a collection of features and short explanations. Unlike the packaging from some manufacturers, there are no hidden flaps or windows to peer into the packaging and get a glimpse of the card. This is a bit of a shame considering the rather fancy looking custom "PCS" cooling system shown further down the page.
The cards itself is protected from any courier inflicted damage by an inner-inner box, effectively placing 4 layers of cardboard between the graphics card and the outside world. Only the bare minimum accessories are included: S-Video cable, DVI-HDMI converter, DVI-VGA converter, Crossfire cable and a driver disk which is quite a disappointment considering this is essentially a premium HD4850.
At first glance the PowerColor HD 4850 PCS may look just like a reference AMD card with a replacement cooler. However, when comparing the card to a few others that we had in the office it was apparent that several aspects of the cards layout have been altered. Components such as the VRM's have being moved further down the PCB and the card in general looks a bit bare. Those looking to water cool this card with a full cover waterblock should probably check for compatibility issues first.
Finally we arrive at the cooling, and as we can see from the images above PowerColor have upgraded the stock cooling in favour of their own Zalman-like 'Flower' style cooler. Branded as the Professional Cooling System, the heat from the GPU is drawn away by a single large copper heatpipe bent into a circle. As the heat moves around the heatpipe it is dissipated by a large quantity of copper fins which are cooled by blower-style fan. The memory chips and VRM's also receive cooling via aluminium heatsinks that are securely fastened to the card with screws.
Most Recent Comments
Nice review mate. Why oh why did they have to go and do that? I would have preferred some software (3DM06 etc) than extra memory that handicaps a card.
What a shame
...any word on the Powercolor HD 4870 PCS+ tho? clocked up to 800MHz on the core and with a Zerotherm cooler...OCuk have it for £182ish at the moment but I've seen no reviews anywhere yet.
Also Asus have the EAH4870 TOP with stock cooler but 815MHz core....
I've seen a few reviews of the overclocked 4850s but if i'm dropping money i'll pay the extra for a 4870 or GTX 280 (depending on the 55nm version getting good reviews and not being eye-wateringly pricey). Want consistency too much to go for a dual GPU option when the biggest monitor i'm ever likely to have is a 24"
Also Asus have the EAH4870 TOP with stock cooler but 815MHz core....
I've seen a few reviews of the overclocked 4850s but if i'm dropping money i'll pay the extra for a 4870 or GTX 280 (depending on the 55nm version getting good reviews and not being eye-wateringly pricey). Want consistency too much to go for a dual GPU option when the biggest monitor i'm ever likely to have is a 24"
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Originally Posted by name='gdawg304'
...any word on the Powercolor HD 4870 PCS+ tho? clocked up to 800MHz on the core and with a Zerotherm cooler...OCuk have it for £182ish at the moment but I've seen no reviews anywhere yet.
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Ah well - that's a shame. Thought the pre-OC'd 4870 would be a hot one to review considering the fuss over the standard card....I shall have to keep my eyes open I guess!
(Not to mention comparing non-standard cooling given the issues in reviews over the temps on the stock cooler). Still - there are only so many hours in the day for reviewing!
The one on the 4870 is a different design than the 4850 so I wonder how they compare.
(Not to mention comparing non-standard cooling given the issues in reviews over the temps on the stock cooler). Still - there are only so many hours in the day for reviewing!
The one on the 4870 is a different design than the 4850 so I wonder how they compare.
ATI were doing so well
the 4850 2gb and 4850x2 will keep profits down
those cards shouldnt have been bothered with
the main 3 cards are the ones everyone wants and where the honey is for a company that wasnt doing so well. I think they should have kept it simple.
the 4850 2gb and 4850x2 will keep profits down
those cards shouldnt have been bothered with
the main 3 cards are the ones everyone wants and where the honey is for a company that wasnt doing so well. I think they should have kept it simple.
without wanting to pimp other websites - for anyone interested there's a review of an overclocked Diamond 4870 on Tweaktown
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/155...ion/index.html
much higher memory speed than the powercolor oc'd version...but stock cooler.
Not sure about their method of testing noise with a sensor 2cm from the fan - would rather have a subjective test of what it sounds from inside a case under a desk! Conflicting noise reports have put me off the GTX 280 so far (since the price drop, at least). That and the threat of 55nm parts from nvidia....maybe i'll just wait for the next gen when a card might be released to play crysis on very high....lol
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/155...ion/index.html
much higher memory speed than the powercolor oc'd version...but stock cooler.
Not sure about their method of testing noise with a sensor 2cm from the fan - would rather have a subjective test of what it sounds from inside a case under a desk! Conflicting noise reports have put me off the GTX 280 so far (since the price drop, at least). That and the threat of 55nm parts from nvidia....maybe i'll just wait for the next gen when a card might be released to play crysis on very high....lol
what a waste.....
Quote:
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Originally Posted by name='tinytomlogan'
ATI were doing so well
the 4850 2gb and 4850x2 will keep profits down those cards shouldnt have been bothered with the main 3 cards are the ones everyone wants and where the honey is for a company that wasnt doing so well. I think they should have kept it simple. |
But yeah the 4850 2GB is a bit pointless.
As part of our review procedure, all manufacturers are given the right to reply to any issues that arise or comments we make during the course of the review. PowerColor have chosen to excersize this right and have replied with the following statement:
This is an engineer sample in early stage of this model and we still try hard to make it performance well and then provide to customers the best product; based on the feedback produced by the Overclock3D review of our HD 4850 2GB, we have decided to make some alterations to the product before it enters the retail market. The card will now feature the same memory speed as a reference 4850 512MB giving it the same performance in games that do not make use of the 2GB frame buffer, and greater performance in games that do. The retail product will have higher clocked memory to get great performance with games.
This is an engineer sample in early stage of this model and we still try hard to make it performance well and then provide to customers the best product; based on the feedback produced by the Overclock3D review of our HD 4850 2GB, we have decided to make some alterations to the product before it enters the retail market. The card will now feature the same memory speed as a reference 4850 512MB giving it the same performance in games that do not make use of the 2GB frame buffer, and greater performance in games that do. The retail product will have higher clocked memory to get great performance with games.
That's great stuff.... Fair play to them for listening to the feedback and actually acting on it.
Really impressed.
Really impressed.
Fair play from Powercolor, they're always on the case
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PowerColor HD 4850 PCS 2GB Review