The Other Green Alternative
Some say green is the new red, and no place is that more true than in the rebranding of ATI to AMD. And yet, marketing similarities between AMD and Nvidia don’t end in color, as the newer, more efficient Radeon HD 6850 offers performance and a price nearly identical to Nvidia's GeForce GTX 460 1 GB. If you want to know more about the card itself, check out our launch review of the Radeon HD 6870 and 6850.
AMD’s slightly better power consumption figures mean that buyers of the new green team can go green for the same green, while saving a little green over the life of the card (Ed.: Xzibit approves, dawg).
If you believe this makes the Radeon HD 6850 a perfect mid-priced performance part, you're in good company, as the number of folks willing to spend ~$200 is much greater than the market for flagship $500 boards.
If you're ready to buy, there are plenty of options available. Some vendors even offer multiple models. Choosing a card certainly doesn’t have to be difficult. We simply asked every major manufacturer to send its best, and those who didn’t have anything to offer beyond AMD's reference design chose not to participate. That left us with four souped-up models for your consideration.
| Radeon HD 6850 1 GB Comparison Specifications | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Asus EAH6850 DC/2DIS/1GD5 | MSI R6850 PM2D1GD5 | PowerColor AX6850 1GBD5-PPDHG | Sapphire Toxic 6850 100315TXSR |
| GPU Clock | 790 MHz | 775 MHz | 820 MHz | 820 MHz |
| DRAM Rate | GDDR5-4000 | GDDR5-4000 | GDDR5-4400 | GDDR5-4400 |
| DVI | Two Dual-Link | Two Dual-Link | Two Dual-Link | Two Dual-Link |
| HDMI | Full-Size | Full-Size | Full-Size | Full-Size |
| DisplayPort | Full-Size | Full-Size | Full-Size | Dual Mini |
| VGA | By Adapter (x1) | By Adapter (x1) | By Adapter (x1) | By Adapter (x1) |
| Output Adapters | DVI to VGA | DVI to VGA | DVI to VGA | DVI to VGA Mini to Full DP |
| Length | 9.7" | 9.0" | 8.9" | 9.6" |
| Height | 4.8" | 4.4" | 4.4" | 4.4" |
| Total Thickness | 1.6" | 1.5" | 1.6" | 1.6" |
| Cooler Thickness | 1.4" | 1.4" | 1.4" | 1.4" |
| Weight | 18 Ounces | 16 Ounces | 19 Ounces | 27 Ounces |
| PCB Version | C223 Rev. 1.00 | V224 V1.0 | LF R97FF V1.0 | 109-C22237-00 |
| VRM | Three Phases | Three Phases | Four Phases | Four Phases |
| Warranty | Three Years | Three Years | Two Years | Two Years |
| Added Value | PCIe Power Adapter CrossFire Bridge CD Wallet | PCIe Power Adapter CrossFire Bridge | CrossFire Bridge Free "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" | 6' HDMI Cable 2 x PCIe Power Adapter CrossFire Bridge |
| Price | $200 | $205 | $210 | $210 |
