Conclusion

Leaping onto the ATI bandwagon after being such a huge representative of Nvidia may be seen by some as a bad move but their is no doubting that XFX know a thing or two about graphics cards. The benefits of having XFX in partnership with ATI are plain to see with the XXX overclocked range out in full force. Sure the cards overclock to this level easily anyway but having the card pre clocked means you do not have to be troubled with the catalyst control centre's Overdrive or other overclocking utility allowing even the most inept enthusiast to gains those valuable extra frames per second.

All of the cards on show today were well packaged if somewhat a little less appealing as the Nvidia counterparts. No games or software is included with any of the cards apart from the recently released 4890XXX which is a little disappointing considering the cards are not priced any lower than the majority of their competitors.

The 4800 series have proved themselves time and again to be very popular among enthusiasts thanks to the awesome performance they provide along with very good cost/performance ratio. But which one should you choose? The 4850 is certainly a very good card but it is left wanting at extreme resolutions. The 4870 was one of the most popular cards of 2008 thanks to it hitting the sweet spot of bang per buck but even though this card is a XXX version it now makes little sense to buy when you compare it to the new kid on the block, the 4890XXX. This card can perform at all levels, comes in a somewhat interesting (if frustrating) package and can overclock to supreme speeds with ease. Then we come to the mighty 4870x2. Despite it now being dethroned by the GTX295, the 4870x2 is still a fantastic card. Costing £330 one would think this card would be found lacking when it comes to bang per buck but due to it's extra ordinary performance it can hold its own against much cheaper cards.

Whatever your  requirement, one thing is for sure, XFX have a GPU that can cater for every taste be it budget, performance or power consumption and now with an allegiance to ATI as well as Nvidia, XFX have given the end user the choice of their preferred manufacturer.

 The Good
- Extreme performance of the HD4870x2
- Price of the 4850XXX
- Included game of the 4890XXX

The Medicore
- Stock ATI cooler is becoming tiresome
- Packaging not to the same standard of Nvidia

The Poor
- Noisy fans
 

XFX HD4850XXX

XFX HD4870XXX

XFX HD4890XXX

XFX HD4870x2

Thanks to XFX for providing all of the card on test today. Discuss in our forums.