When buying a laptop, many people think about how to get the greatest benefit in technical specifications for a lower price. However, as practice shows, the numbers written on paper with the characteristics do not always correspond to the real quality and performance of the laptop. Today we will talk about the "mobile" video card AMD Radeon HD 7670M, which can be found on many gaming computers of economy class.
General
Let's start with the most basic characteristics. The AMD Radeon HD 7670M graphics card belongs to the classes of gaming and office graphics cards. This means that due to its technical capabilities it is able to run most modern games, but far from the maximum settings.
It connects via the PCI-E x16 interface, which provides fast data exchange between it and the motherboard. The use of this video card (more precisely, its full model) is possible even in ordinary personal computers, but it is not recommended due to low compatibility and performance in large systems.
By the way, it is worth paying attention to the process technology. The crystal size is as much as 40 nm, which already indicates a fairly outdated technology. On most newer graphics cards, this setting is approximately 28 nm. To make it easier to understand, let’s explain - this parameter is responsible for the cooling and clock speed of the device, so the lower it is, the better not only for the user, but for the entire laptop as well, since overheating does not occur in resource-intensive applications.
Technics
Now let's talk about the technical capabilities of AMD Radeon HD 7670M. The characteristics that are responsible for the performance and speed of calculations are morally obsolete 4 years ago, but still allow you to run the latest games on the minimum settings.
The frequency of the GPU is 600 MHz, which, without a doubt, is a very understated feature. On the other hand, this allows you to reduce heat dissipation, which means that there will be fewer failures in the laptop.
The amount of video memory format GDDR5 is 2 GB. Yes, and with a frequency of 3600 MHz. Using a PCI-E slot, this provides a bandwidth of 57.6 Mbps. Fairly good performance for a budget card, if not for the outdated 5D architecture.
Thus, the AMD Radeon HD 7670M is a good example of what a budget card should be available to everyone. On average, based on the technical characteristics, it has good potential and moderate heat dissipation.
Maths
The next step in considering the AMD Radeon HD 7670M will be its computing unit. Most of the performance of the video card will depend on these parameters. To better understand, we will compare this device with a video card of the same price category, but for personal computers. Take for example the Radeon R7 240.
The first parameter is the number of processors for calculating the color gamut and geometric structure of the image. As you yourself understand, the higher this value, the faster the processing of the future picture. Here, of course, AMD Radeon HD 7670M wins. The number of processors is 480 versus 320 for R7.
Next up are the texture and rasterization blocks. And again, 7670 wins, though not by much. It has 24 and 8 blocks, respectively, in contrast to the 20 and 8 of the R7.
But then it becomes more interesting. Although they have the same degree of anisotropic filtering , the R7 is able to support newer standards, while the 7670M costs DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4.1. So, despite the fact that the video card under consideration has higher production capacities, it is not able to maintain its relevance in modern systems.
Additionally
What else is worth mentioning when we talk about the AMD Radeon HD 7670M? The characteristics of the video card that we reviewed are clearly overpriced for such an old model. Therefore, the price for this performance comes at a considerable price.
This video card occupies two slots in a laptop and requires a lot of space due to the need for additional cooling. Indeed, it is now difficult to find a laptop graphics card with a separate cooler designed for this purpose.
Moreover, the approximate amount of heat that must be dissipated is about 66 watts. For a laptop, this can be fatal if you do not use additional cooling systems. If you are going to use a laptop with an installed AMD Radeon HD 7670M graphics card for games, then bother to get additional cooling, for example, a special stand with coolers.
Tests
How does this video card behave in practice? There is no point in comparing it with modern game cards , so the main indicators were evaluated based on the realities of 2011.
3D performance should be similar to counterparts with the same frequencies and the same structure. However, in practice it turns out that this video card periodically produces better results than the HD 6730M, which itself is a cut above this budget card. Of course, the tests can vary greatly depending on the software, but the fact remains that in the 2011 games (peers of the video card) the 7670M gives maximum performance only at medium settings for image detail.
Reviews
Any technical inspections by professionals in the factory and the declared standards go to dust when it comes to field trials. Who cares what indicators the device produced in tests, if here and now it refuses to work fully? Let's look at user reviews to better understand what the AMD Radeon HD 7670M is about. The reviews that we present have been left by users over the past 2 years, so that their relevance has not yet been lost. Let's start with the positives.
Most users note that the video card works with a bang. In games until 2012, inclusive, there is high performance even at high settings, which is very good for a budget video card. At the same time, with a certain skill, it is possible to launch the newest games until 2016, at least at the “minimum wage”. According to some statements, the same GTA 5 runs at ultra-high settings, but only if you completely donate and turn off the shadows. In addition, this card can be overclocked, which also allows you to use it in modern realities.
Negative
Despite the fact that the vast majority of buyers are satisfied with their purchase, the dark sides always remain. The same is true for AMD Radeon HD 7670M. Reviews carry relatively little negative information.
The first is, of course, overheating of the video card. Even at the stage of technical assessment, we noted outdated technology, due to which the heat generated increases. Even an active cooling system on the board itself does not save.
The second is performance in new games. In most cases, overclocking a video card saves, but it must be done with great accuracy, all for the same reason, an elevated temperature. In addition, there are several different models of this video card. If you are dealing with 512 MB of memory, even overclocking will not help here, but the model with 1024 MB is pulling the whole system.
The third complaint is related to the compatibility of this video card. Some users had a problem - the system refused to correctly recognize the parameters of the video card. Only flashing BIOS to an older version helped. This means that people buying new laptops with such a card should be very careful. Perhaps they will not work at full capacity.
Summary
Today we told you about the AMD Radeon HD 7670M graphics card. Like most devices of the same price category, it cannot boast sky-high performance or performance, but it is quite capable of becoming a reliable "friend" for most modern laptops. Despite the low technical indicators, it gives good results in practice. And in most cases, the only thing the user needs to take care of is additional cooling. If it was required to compile a rating of video cards for laptops, then in the recent 2011, it would rightfully occupy leading lines. However, now this is just another opportunity to save on the price of the purchased device.