Each brand in the electronics market has one unique product that has brought fame to its manufacturer and made history thanks to its features. ATI has such a flagship gaming video adapter Radeon HD 4870. Overview, specifications, photos, owner reviews in this article will allow the reader to learn more closely about this interesting product.
Current state of affairs
It is immediately worth noting that the once popular and very high-performance graphics card has been occupying the last positions in the ranking of gaming devices for several years, however, as practice shows, the graphics accelerator is not going to give up without a fight. If the reader looks at the system requirements for the latest games on the market a few months ago, they will certainly see that for a comfortable game, developers recommend using Radeon HD 4870, the specifications of which meet the minimum requirements.
It is clear that this video adapter is unlikely to be suitable for playing at high resolutions in a resource-intensive application, but the graphics accelerator still has potential, especially when it comes to a dual-core market representative. But first things first.
Entry Level Game Class
Video card Radeon HD 4870, unlike other products of the 4000th series of ATI video adapters, received a new RV770 core, and, accordingly, a modern set of instructions with support for all existing technologies at that time. The manufacturer managed to place almost 1 billion transistors on the area of the crystal core 256 mm 2 . The graphics accelerator has 800 universal processors, 16 rasterization units and 40 texture units. This video card was one of the first to receive an advanced 256-bit GDDR5 bus operating at a frequency of 900 MHz.
The factory-made graphics core received an underestimated frequency of 750 MHz. However, the reader should not pay attention to this indicator, since the final products released under well-known brands have resolved the issue with the speed of the GPU. It is better to pay attention to the power consumption of the game adapter - 160 watts at maximum load. There is something to think about for all owners of low-power power supplies.
All known technologies
Since the performance characteristics are in the first place for the Radeon HD 4870 video adapter, the manufacturer simply had to supply its product with DirectX 10.1 libraries that were relevant at that time. The OpenGL standard is limited to 3.1, which greatly confuses potential buyers, because at the time of the presentation of the device, OpenGL 4.0 was already announced. The most interesting thing is that the device received support for the new shaders version 4.1. It is this technology that still allows the video card to remain in demand in the gaming market. The video adapter works with the outdated interface PCEex16 version 2.0. The maximum degree of anisotropic filtering is 16x.
Equally important for the graphics accelerator is the support for popular DisplayPort and HDMI video outputs. The audio controller integrated on the video adapter supports the transmission of 7-channel sound. Surprisingly, this technology was implemented on discrete platforms for both personal computers and mobile devices. It should be noted that the analog video output is limited to a resolution of 2048x1536 dpi, while the digital interface has no better option - 2560x1600 dpi.
Double punch
After conducting the first tests of the game video adapter in the laboratory, technologists came to the conclusion that the Radeon HD 4870 graphics card, the characteristics of which can be further developed, could become ATI's flagship. The changes affected primarily the power supply system and phase distribution. The manufacturer also installed two RV770 graphic cores on the video adapter. As a result, the market saw a new champion in performance in tests and games - the HD 4870 X2 graphics card.
All the characteristics of the rated device actually doubled. Even in laboratory research, the video adapter showed identical results to the base device operating in CrossFire X2 mode. The only difference that should be attributed to the advantages is the reduction in power consumption of the device. The manufacturer managed to reduce the consumption of two cores to 280 watts. It looks pretty weird. Indeed, logically, the manufacturer simply had to rebrand single-core chips with high power consumption.
Strike while the iron is hot
Notebook manufacturers are also interested in the gaming graphics core, so ATI introduced the mobile solution on the new graphics core to the market. Since the temperature and power consumption are critical indicators for the Radeon HD 4870 chip, the manufacturer was forced to reduce the frequency of the GPU to 550 MHz. But these indicators are enough for gaming laptops to provide a comfortable game for many users.
All parameters, including the technologies used, migrated to the mobile platform. Naturally, the 256-bit 1 GB GDDR5 bus did not go unnoticed by many potential buyers. As expected, many laptop manufacturers did not pay enough attention to the cooling system, which is why they attracted a lot of negative from the owners of mobile devices. Due to massive user dissatisfaction, manufacturers soon abandoned the Radeon HD 4870.
Direct competitor
AMD started a vigorous activity to create a gaming solution after the product of the competitor Geforce 9800 GT appeared on the market. Radeon HD 4870 was supposed to move the market leader in the gaming segment. But, as often happens, the company's technologists overdid it and surpassed the Nvidia graphics accelerator in performance. Many experts in their reviews assure others that this chip is the link between the two generations of gaming graphics cards.
And if we return to the competition, we can safely say that the Radeon HD 4870 graphics card accelerated the emergence of new productive devices in the gaming market. After all, the Nvidia GTX 260 graphics accelerator became the first representative of a new generation of video adapters, which was supposed to surpass all competitors in performance.
Appearance and quality
The plastic protective case and the turbofan on the Radeon HD 4870 graphics accelerator (photo of the device can be seen in this article) indicate that the representative of the gaming segment is in front of the buyer. The printed circuit board of the video card is created using red PCB, and the radiator casing and the high-frequency cooler have a bright scarlet color to match AMD's product.
With a detailed study of the placement of microcircuits on a graphics accelerator, it will become clear to any user that the manufacturer will not sell their products at retail, but will provide this opportunity to the leaders of the computer market. Naturally, the brand that will be able to provide a device with powerful heat generation with a decent cooling system will win the performance race.
Chasing the stars
It’s better to start a review on the Radeon HD 4870 graphics accelerator with the most productive products from HIS and Sapphire, which used a dual-core 4870 X2 chip to create gaming solutions. Many owners in their reviews note that at the time of the announcement these video cards simply did not have competitors in the market of gaming components for computers. In addition to high performance, video adapters have many other advantages:
- unique equipment, including a set of necessary adapters and interface cables;
- completely modified power supply system on the printed circuit board with the addition of several phases;
- replacement of electrolytic capacitors with solid-state capacitors;
- An in-house cooling system was installed with efficient heat removal from both the graphics core and memory chips.
Returning to the configuration of the HIS product, it is worth noting that the manufacturer equipped his video card with a proprietary device that combines a screwdriver, level and a flashlight. Also in the box, the buyer will find a coupon for free download of any licensed game from the Half-Life series.
Affordable Product
The best-selling video card based on the Radeon HD 4870 chip, which all enthusiasts in the world have chosen to compare, is the ASUS product. The manufacturer managed to achieve a middle ground in the price-performance criteria, forcing many representatives of the initial gaming segment to reduce the cost of their products in order to somehow stay on the market.
The main feature of the video card is the developer to increase the number of phases for powering the circuitry of the printed circuit board. Also, technologists have developed an effective open-type cooling system. The cooler core and radiator are made of pure copper and are mounted in the device only on the graphics core. The memory chips (the volume of which was halved and amounted to only 512 MB) are superficially blown by the fan and do not have their own radiators to remove heat.
Gaming Performance and Overclocking Potential
Many owners in their reviews note that the video card Radeon HD 4870 1 Gb performance characteristics are directly dependent on the graphics core. Accordingly, for overclocking, you need to worry about the presence of a powerful cooling system. There are some problems with the memory modules for all products with the HD 4870 chip. No brand could overcome the 1000 MHz (4000 MHz effective frequency) barrier. One conclusion suggests itself - the printed circuit board has problems when working with fast memory. There is only one advantage - memory chips do not heat up.
The buyer can safely rely on the performance of the game adapter with games such as Crysis 4, World of Tanks and their analogues, which use the total power of the computer, and do not focus on the potential of the graphics accelerator. As practice shows, it is better to install a Radeon HD 4870 graphics card with a low-frequency dual-core or 4-core processor.
Problems with drivers and their solution
After entering the world market of the updated Windows 10 system, many game lovers had problems installing drivers. The manufacturer’s official website does not have software support for all devices based on the 4000 series of video cards. Once again, AMD, after updating the operating system, refuses to support its products (competitor Nvidia has much higher loyalty to owners of old devices).
To correctly make a software-level connection on the Radeon HD 4870 graphics card, you need to use Windows Update. You do not need to expect that the full package of utilities will be downloaded; you just need to download it from the official website of the manufacturer. Microsoft will provide only one driver that will ensure the graphics accelerator is compatible with the motherboard when connected. This approach of the manufacturer AMD to customers causes a lot of negativity from the owners of all devices based on Radeon.
User reviews
Losing sight of problems with the drivers, the buyer may find that the video adapter has a problem and more importantly. Regarding the graphics accelerator based on the Radeon HD 4870 chip, the owner’s reviews contain a lot of negative about the device’s power consumption (still 160 watts). Considering the game processor, memory modules and several hard drives, you should have a 600-750 W power supply at hand. And these are just one-time expenses, and after all, many people forget about the monthly electricity consumption.
Nvidia’s rival energy-efficient problem disappeared in 2011 when the manufacturer switched to 11nm technology, ushering in a new era of low-power devices. There is something to think about not only for potential buyers, but also for owners of gaming devices who, in search of a middle ground, are not very versed in financial calculations.
Finally
Regarding the video adapter Radeon HD 4870, there is a double opinion. On the one hand, it is a high-performance device that has not lost its relevance over several years of sales due to the great productivity potential laid down at the factory. On the other hand, you can’t turn a blind eye to the negative reaction of users who the game video adapter forced to purchase a powerful power supply and monthly electricity consumption. And after the release of Windows 10, in general, many potential buyers simply turned away from AMD products, because it is logical to assume that with the release of version 11 of the operating system, support for the 5000th line of gaming video cards can also end.