Radeon HD 4870 X2: Four Cards Compared

HIS Radeon HD 4870 X2 (H487X2F2GP)

HIS shipped its card with a reference clock rate and cooler—there’s also an improved model available with IceQ cooler. The GPU is clocked at 750 MHz, while the DDR5 memory runs at 900 MHz. In order to allow this card to compete with the rest of the test group, we overclocked it and tested with both standard and overclocked settings. When running the tests in standard settings, we got the baseline results for a reference Radeon HD 4870 X2, which can be used to analyze the performance impact of the OC settings.

The graphics processor can be clocked to 800 MHz, which is also the limit in the graphics driver. The graphics memory can be set to 965 MHz, equaling a DDR5 clock speed of 3,860 MHz. Although this reference model only features—of course—reference cooling, it doesn’t have problems with increased clock speeds.

Under high load, however, you can run into temperature problems that can be solved by manually increasing the fan speed. This is due to a relatively high temperature threshold, which is already 92°C with standard settings, and rises up to 95 degrees when overclocked. When the graphics card reaches these extraneous temperatures, the fan speeds up and keeps the card at that temperature. In normal 3D operations you won’t see problems because the card is able to cool down every so often—no game uses 100 percent of the GPU’s processing power all the time.

In the accessories from HIS you will find a standard 6-pin power adapter, a CrossFire bridge, and a DVI-HDMI adapter. The card comes with a driver CD, which promises the buyer Half Life 2: Lost Coast or Half Life 2: Death Match if he signs up for a Steam account. One fancy idea is the multi-function screwdriver with interchangeable bits, integrated flashlight, and a level.