The focus of the article is the low- end Radeon 7850 graphics card from AMD. The novelty is interesting in that the manufacturer positions it as the most powerful device in the low-cost segment, but the potential of the video adapter allows it to compete with weak video accelerators of the High-End niche. Such a transitional model, trying to enter simultaneously into two categories. The reader will have to learn the technical characteristics of the video card, see the testing and comparison with similar devices, and also, thanks to reviews in the media, to understand whether it is worth paying attention to this video card when buying.
Market positioning
During the announcement of the device, the manufacturer unambiguously hinted that the Radeon HD 7850 graphics card is intended for fans to play games of interest to them. There is no question of any high performance at maximum settings - this is the buyer must know before purchasing a device. Only medium and minimum settings with a full guarantee of the performance of your favorite toy.
The considered video adapter, according to the idea of manufacturers, should become a full-fledged competitor in the market for a similar device GeForce GTX 560 Ti and get as close as possible to the performance of the legendary Nvidia chip - GTX 570. Here the buyer can have no doubt that AMD managed not only to achieve its goals, but also surpass them.
About performance
But the technical specifications of the AMD Radeon HD 7850 graphics card are quite attractive, as for the budget class. Here the manufacturer has something to surprise even Nvidia fans:
- the number of stream processors is 1024 pieces (for comparison: the GTX 570 has only 480 of them);
- the number of transistors in the core - 2.8 billion;
- memory chips together account for 2 GB;
- the bus width is 256 bits (the competitor GTX 570 has a 320-bit bus);
- the nominal core frequency is 860 MHz (against a competitor's 732 MHz), there is still overclocking potential, but we are talking about basic settings;
- memory runs at 1200 MHz (GTX 570 - 1425 MHz);
- power consumption - only 130 watts, which is much less than the competitor (GTX 570 consumes 219 watts).
AMD owners will also be pleased with the price - it’s almost 100 conventional units less than the competitor’s price from Nvidia.
Who is in charge here?
Definitely, potential buyers are interested in comparing two state employees from AMD Nvidia, because a lot of disputes are always solved by testing and the final result. In synthetic tests at standard resolution (FullHD), the undisputed leadership belongs to the GTX 570 chipset, however, the Radeon HD 7850 is quite close to the leader, leaving far behind the second competitor GTX 560 Ti. But in games, a new product from AMD has a chance to outshine its rival with its performance.
So, a loss of several frames per second was recorded in the tests of Metro 2033, Aliens vs. Predator, Crysis 2 and GTA IV. But fans of DiRT 3 and World Of Warcraft games, who are used to playing at high resolutions, will be delighted, because a cheaper chip was able to finally surpass its competitor. Let it be at 1 frame per second, but this is a worthy result. It is also worth noting that testing video adapters is not always accurate, because devices from different brands are used for comparison. Some people prefer to disperse their products, while others use only the standard characteristics.
First meeting
The video card Radeon 7850 in the factory version has a presentable appearance. The printed circuit board is completely covered by a protective casing, which has a standard "combat" paint manufacturer (red with black). The turbocharged red cooler located at the rear of the video card adds sophistication to the device. Judging by the reviews of the owners, in this version the video adapter only gets to the European and American markets, and consumers in Russia, unfortunately, have to contemplate a less representative instance.
A protective cover conceals a professional cooling system. After all, there is not just a radiator from several sections, but a full-fledged aluminum plate, which has heat-removing lining in places of contact with the chips. The base of contact with the graphic core is made of copper. In general, this approach of the manufacturer will appeal to many buyers.
A serious player in the market
If we are not talking about expensive video cards in the Russian market, then the Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 video adapter comes into view. It is worth noting that the manufacturer always pleased its fans with rich bundles, and this copy was no exception. In the box, the user will find, in addition to the video card, driver disks, complete instructions and many various cables for mounting and connecting video display devices.
The standard cooling system from Sapphire has two huge coolers that are mounted on aluminum radiators. The owner will be pleased with the additional heat removal system, which consists of several copper tubes encircling radiators and converging on a copper core that is in contact with the graphic core.
The manufacturer performed factory overclocking, increasing the speed of the chipset to 920 MHz, and memory - up to 1250 MHz. In the tests, the user will not see a special performance increase, which looks rather strange, given the overclocking. However, using proprietary utility and own-hand frequency settings of the Radeon 7850 graphics card, the owner has every chance to speed up the product. The core lends itself well to overclocking to 1068 MHz, and the memory will work stably at 1320 MHz.
Best buy
Compared with the Sapphire Radeon HD 7850, ASUS can boast a decent factory overclock. In general, a rather strange situation at first glance. A video adapter with an overclocked graphics core up to 1000 MHz and a 1250 MHz memory bus shows excellent results during the testing process. And if you compare them with the previous brand, the increase is obvious. There was no problem sorting out the situation - ASUS technologists completely modified the power supply system of the printed circuit board, introducing their own developments (Super Alloy Power, Digi +) into the circuit. Such a little intervention has improved the performance of the video card.
With the cooling system, the manufacturer did not dare - the branded two-section radiator with two fans and three copper tubes that converge on the core contact area perfectly cope with cooling. As a result of testing, as noted in the reviews, many owners managed to achieve decent overclocking: 1170 MHz in the core and 1450 MHz in memory. Excellent performance for a representative of the budget class.
Favorite of the public
The world famous manufacturer HIS also pleased its fans by presenting their own vision of a video card based on the Radeon HD 7850. Everyone will like the characteristics of the device. Factory overclocking touched both the graphics core (1000 MHz) and the memory bus (1250 MHz). It is worth noting that the manufacturer installed ultra-fast Hynix memory chips for which overclocking above 1250 MHz is undesirable, which is reported to the future owner in the operating instructions.
The user’s attention will be attracted by the IceQ X cooling system, which, in addition to its beautiful appearance, copes with the initial task - cooling. To say that the cooler works quietly, the language will not turn around, since the system is really silent, even in peak loads. The entire printed circuit board is in full contact with the radiators of the cooling system. Four copper tubes, painted in metallic color, are discharged from aluminum plates to the area of contact with the graphic core. The fan airflow cools the copper pad.
Beauty requires sacrifice
Interestingly, the manufacturer of XFX approached the video adapter Radeon HD 7850 2Gb. In addition to high performance, the device received a proprietary cooling system, which has a presentable appearance compared to competitors. A protective casing made of aluminum completely hides the printed circuit board underneath. Two huge coolers are installed on top, the color of which is similar to a video adapter. Many owners in their reviews note that this cooling system is installed on the older gaming class model Radeon HD 7870. This approach by the manufacturer clearly hints to overclocking fans that the new product will easily cope with overheating.
In the basic version, the video adapter has a factory overclock for the 1080 MHz core and 1250 MHz for the memory. There is potential for overclocking, but you should not rush into it. The video card Radeon 7850 and without user intervention is excellent in both testing and resource-intensive dynamic games. There is a negative from the owners of this device. The manufacturer sealed all the screws on the cooling system, so in order to maintain the guarantee, it is better to clean the radiator with a vacuum cleaner.
Silence First
For many future owners of the Radeon 7850 video card, noiseless performance comes first. Manufacturer PowerColor offers customers its solution with a passive cooling system. As expected, the printed circuit board is in full contact with the solid block of aluminum radiator, which has a copper base at the point of contact with the graphic core. For better heat transfer in the cooling system there are copper tubes that literally pierce aluminum gratings and come down to the contact area.
However, for the noiselessness you have to pay a weak overclocking potential. The manufacturer increased the nominal frequency of the graphics accelerator to 950 MHz, leaving the memory bus speed untouched (1200 MHz). As a result, the owner gets a truly silent device that will adequately cope with many toys at nominal settings.
Alternative for fans
No need to think that PowerColor has forgotten about overclocking fans. The manufacturer presented a full version of the device based on the Radeon 7850 2Gb with the V2 marking. The manufacturer clearly hints to users that there are two devices on the market: the first and second versions. They are able to do the cooling system at the factory. The same aluminum radiator, pierced by copper tubes, strongly resembles the previous device. That's just on top of the cooling system, the user will find a plastic case with one massive cooler. In general, it is very difficult to call the mechanism a cooler - this is a huge fan whose blades completely cover the width of the printed circuit board.
With overclocking, the device copes wonderfully. The core accelerates perfectly to 1080 MHz, and the memory bus runs stably at 1250 MHz. The temperature of the Radeon 7850 chip at peak loads does not exceed 80 degrees Celsius. But to the huge fan, judging by the reviews, many owners have a lot of questions. 65 decibels is definitely overkill. Even through the closed headphones, a terrible hum of the cooler breaks through. A rather weird alternative to the PowerColor silent device.
Kid with character
A rather interesting approach for the VTX3D brand. The product Radeon HD 7850 is presented in a war paint identical to the factory video adapter from the AMD factory. The same black casing with red accents, the beauty of which is added by a bright red cooler. Unlike the basic version, the cooling system was significantly shortened by the VTX3D manufacturer. This solution allows you to install video accelerators in any enclosure: you can not be afraid that the edge of the video card will block the basket with hard drives.
As for performance, the manufacturer did not overclock anything, providing this opportunity to the user. The video adapter has the potential. The cooling system easily copes with the removal of heat from the graphics core operating at a frequency of 1050 MHz. But the memory can not be adequately overclocked - after exceeding the frequency of 1250 MHz, the stability of the work is violated. It's all about Hynix memory chips, which are recommended for use at standard frequencies of 1200 MHz.
Consumer market
The reader will note that in the review there are no devices from the famous companies MSI and Gigabyte, because the Radeon HD 7850 2Gb chipset definitely had to attract their attention. There are products on the video card market from these manufacturers, only fans of testing have lost interest in them at their first acquaintance. Yes, the devices have a proprietary cooling system, the price of new products is quite competitive in the market, but the list of advantages ends here. Computer market leaders have not done anything to somehow improve the performance of the graphics adapter.
Users have questions about the overclocking potential of video cards. With a slight increase in the clock frequency of the graphics core, the chip temperature rises sharply. Gigabyte and MSI's proprietary cooling systems handle poorly heat dissipation. As a result, in user reviews you can find a lot of negativity regarding the devices of these manufacturers.
Finally
If you focus on the price when buying a video adapter, it is better not to find the Sapphire Radeon 7850 device. Low cost, excellent performance and good overclocking potential are the main criteria of the most famous brand in the world. However, if performance is a priority, it is best to take a look at ASUS, XFX, and HIS products. A silent device is best purchased under the PowerColor logo. Passive cooling system will appeal to all fans of games at night.