Introduction

When it comes to video cards, people out there would want to have a video card to out rank their friends’ system. Whether it is an NVIDIA, or an ATI card, they must have some card to help run their graphically challenged games.This version of Sapphire’s Radeon HD 4850 comes with a GDDR3 memory type, 512MB memory size, and it is one slot. This card, Sapphire’s version of the ATI Radeon HD 4850, this precious gem is highly appraised, in a good way at many computer oriented websites. The actual model number for this particular card is 100245L. Now this card looks like it can handle a lot, considering it is just a one slot card. Will this gem shine for our gamer enthusiasts out there? We will see.

The Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 is appraised greatly by users. This version of the HD 4850 by Sapphire is definitely something to look at. Now, the important thing on a video card is how it would do with the temperature of your current system. Of course, temperature is a very important subject when it comes down to gaming and computers in general. Too much heat can lead to slow response times, to the point where it can lead to the computer to slow to a crawl, causing it to freeze. Anyone that uses a computer, gamer or not, does not want that to happen. Let us go on a treasure hunt and seek out this gem that could be right to display on your system. 

The Product

Ok, the package is off, and now the gem is unveiled. As you can see, it does have a huge fan, and what I like about the card is that it is just one slot. Honestly, I think some people out there get discouraged because of that reason: it is one slot. The package came with additional wiring and a DVI to VGA adapter. 

This is a PCI Express 2.0 x16 which is commonly known for video cards today. This card does have HD capabilities if you need it to be, which would be via adapter.  The first view shows the top of the card. The second view shows the bottom of the card. 

This view below shows the amount of space you would need to insert the card. The driver software is also included with the package, and as always, easy to follow. The other view is showing the power connector slot needed to plug into your power supply wire, which is the black square with six slots located on the center of the picture. 

Installation

The installation is known to be simple and self explanatory for any user. To get things started, I am going to go through what the installation program would look like. Here you would see Sapphire's logo and the basic initial process of installing the driver.

The next step is to pick which language you would want, to install or uninstall the driver, and the location of where to install the driver. The installation software scans through the system, and then it would show the summary of what is going to install.

After the summary and analyzing the computer, the software brings up the End User License Agreement (EULA) screen, and afterwards it will install the actual driver and display manager. Then, of course, after the completion of the software, it will prompt you to restart the computer, and it should be set up properly. 

Specifications and Features

Testing

To benchmark the video card, we will use our suite of popular games and a synthetic benchmark created by FutureMark. For testing purposes, all scores will be posted on a graphical chart which will progress from lowest to highest resolutions. All benchmarks will be on their own individual pages to eliminate confusion. Graphs will measure Frames per Second (FPS) in each resolution except for 3DMark Vantage which will reflect an overall score.

Test System(s):

• Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz
• GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX
• 3 GB RAM
• RAIDMAX AURORA RX-580F 580W
• Seagate Barracuda 1.5 TB SATA Hard Drive
• Sony CD –RW. DVD + RW
• Windows Vista Ultimate SP1

Benchmarks

• 3D Mark Vantage
• Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway
• Crysis
• World in Conflict

Resolutions

• 1024 x 768
• 1280 x 1024
• 1680 x 1050

As I mentioned earlier, I am going to go through some benchmarks to see if the card will handle the obstacles it would encounter. I want you to know that you should focus on a NVIDIA 9600GT so we get a good comparison. The others are there to show you what they can do, as well. We will see if this truly is a gem that shines for us.

3D Mark Vantage

 3D Mark Vantage is a program that is specifically designed to test the overall performance on a graphics card. It is not necessarily meant to rate the Frames Per Second.

There are two important tests in here that we need to look at. The others are just the CPU side of it, testing the AI and the physics. This test will go through the same resolutions as mentioned above.

Settings

• Entry at 1024 x 768
• Performance at 1280 x 1024
• High at 1680 x 1050

Comparison

Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway

Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway is a game that has a storyline following Sgt. Matt Baker during Operation: Market Garden. The game uses the Unreal Engine, so, of course, the graphics are expected to be good.

Settings

All Levels set to High

 Comparison

Crysis

Crysis, a game that makes every poor gamer out there cry. This game is a killer on graphics, and of course, most graphics cards out there would bow down to Crysis.

 
Settings

• AA x2
• Graphics: High

Comparison

World In Conflict

World in Conflict is a strategic game set in a scenario of a World War III battle with the US against the Soviet Union on American soil. The game has amazing graphics and requires determination and teamwork.

Settings

• AA x4
• AS x16
• Graphics: Very High

Comparison

Conclusion

Price Point

Price: $145.00 

Class: Mainstream

The Sapphire Radeon HD4850 is competitively priced with an NVIDIA 9800GT. The NVIDIA 9600GT I chose to compare with is a little cheaper, ranging from 95-160 depending on the card and manufacturer of course.

Performance

Overall, the power of the card seems to hold up just fine in the long run. What was a surprise to me is that my results, compared with the 9600GT shows on World in Conflict and Crysis, and if you look at the results, clearly, the HD4850 dominates. The card itself is really quiet, even if you set up the fan in high speed! Surprising, since the fan looks huge. I didn’t get any problems with the outputs for DVI, as well as the DVI/VGA Adapter that came with it. It is definitely crystal clear.

Reviewer’s Opinion

The HD4850 wasn’t difficult to install. The driver software that came with it is simple to follow. I didn’t sense any heating problems. The card is really quiet, and it seems to perform well under the stress tests we have gone through. I was somewhat surprised that the card handled Crysis and World in Conflict well.  That is probably because the last card I used in this system was a Radeon X1600, and let me tell you, that is a huge difference. Also, to point out, it does support HDCP, so you can view High Definition videos, or even Blu-Rays, if you choose to.

“What’s my complaint?” you may ask. I will say there aren’t any. At least, I can’t think of anything, really. Here’s why. It’s simple to install, it’s good enough for my system to run, and I expected it to do well. This version of SAPPHIRE’s HD4850 is a precious gem that is definitely needed to be displayed to any gamer out there that just wants a card that meets their needs. If you are that gamer, well I will say that you shouldn’t be disappointed. This should do the job. I honestly think the price for this card is fair.

Pros

• Simple Installation
• Quiet
• Performance
• Connections
• HDCP Compatible.

Cons

• None