HD 4850 in Single, Crossfire and Trifire: comprehensive review

HTC · Jun 26, 2008

You can read about it here (Google translated).

You must scroll through all 4 posts to read the whole review. Unfortunately, Google doesn't translate the whole thing: dunno why

Source: Infortech United (NOT Google translated).

lemonadesoda · Jun 26, 2008

Someone spent a lot of time doing that review. Nice!

Shame there isnt a summary with performance (FPS) for some typical benchmark games. 3Dmark is ok as a synthetic... but nothing like seeing, even just one, real test, at different resolutons, e.g. 1600x1200 and 1920x1200, and with 0xAA, and with 4xAA, etc.

I was actually surprised the stock single 3Dmark scores werent higher. I get SM2.0=4565 and SM3.0=5041 on an AGP 3850. I was expecting at least 30%-50% improvement on the GPu scores. Bit disappointing IMO. But that might just be the synthetic. Do a typical game and the performance increase could well be there.

HTC · Jun 26, 2008

lemonadesoda said:
Someone spent a lot of time doing that review. Nice!

Shame there isnt a summary with performance (FPS) for some typical benchmark games. 3Dmark is ok as a synthetic... but nothing like seeing, even just one, real test, at different resolutons, e.g. 1600x1200 and 1920x1200, and with 0xAA, and with 4xAA, etc.

I was actually surprised the stock single 3Dmark scores werent higher. I get SM2.0=4565 and SM3.0=5041 on an AGP 3850. I was expecting at least 30%-50% improvement on the GPu scores. Bit disappointing IMO. But that might just be the synthetic. Do a typical game and the performance increase could well be there.

I agree, but it's still a nice review.

NOTE: he didn't OC neither the CPU nor the GPU(s): that makes his scores quite impressive.

Look @ the GPU scores in Vantage: both CF and TF have lower overall results then they would have if the CPU score were higher.

panchoman · Jun 26, 2008

wow, the scaling for tri x-fire is freking amazing! his gpu score for vantage nearly tripled on tri fire from the single fire scorE!

HTC · Jun 26, 2008

lemonadesoda said:
Shame there isnt a summary with performance (FPS) for some typical benchmark games. 3Dmark is ok as a synthetic... but nothing like seeing, even just one, real test, at different resolutons, e.g. 1600x1200 and 1920x1200, and with 0xAA, and with 4xAA, etc.

Every pic has an FPS number on it, in yellow, @ the top left, if it helps.

HTC · Jun 27, 2008

panchoman said:
wow, the scaling for tri x-fire is freking amazing! his gpu score for vantage nearly tripled on tri fire from the single fire scorE!

nVidia's cards also have that kind of scaling. Check this out:

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=62611

It's "only" SLI in one card but it shows it's scalability.

MKmods · Jun 27, 2008

Thank you HTC for the link to the review.

HTC · Jun 27, 2008

MKmods said:
Thank you HTC for the link to the review.

Your welcome.

Too bad the Google translate thing only translates part of it

MKmods · Jun 27, 2008

its plenty good enough, I dont always trust sponsored reviews and prefer to see real people try things.

Im glad to see ATI improving the cards when using 2 or 3.

HTC · Jun 27, 2008

MKmods said:
its plenty good enough, I dont always trust sponsored reviews and prefer to see real people try things.

Im glad to see ATI improving the cards when using 2 or 3.

One thing's for certain: the dude took a looooong time to complete this review.

MKmods · Jun 27, 2008

one other thing I noticed was he used a Phenom, its cool that people use Intel chips for testing but I like it when there are reviews using CPUs that I actually use.

HTC · Jun 27, 2008

MKmods said:
one other thing I noticed was he used a Phenom, its cool that people use Intel chips for testing but I like it when there are reviews using CPUs that I actually use.

And he did his testing @ stock: no OCs on both the CPU and GPU(s).

merkk · Jun 28, 2008

Hi all
Here head to head 3 3850 with a 9850 cpu to 3 4850 with a 9850 cpu what was done in the test ,so you can see scaling that crossfire X gives you . My 9850BE was ran at stock clock as well as the video cards (HIS 3850 256 mb) cards. I'am using (cat 8.3) for the test.

9850BE 3 3850 all stock clocks
in 3Dmark-06 single card
9,835, sm2 3867, sm3 4213, cpu 3428

crossfire (2 video cards)
12,626, sm2 4877, sm3 6172, cpu 3398

crossfireX (3 video cards)
13,280, sm2 4897, sm3 6912, cpu 3386

9850BE 3 4850 as pre the review posted in this thread
in 3Dmark-06 single video card
11,962, sm2 4728, sm3 5546, cpu 3445

crossfire (2 video cards)
13,433, sm2 4982, sm3 7024, cpu 3370,

crossfire X (3 video cards)
13,949, sm2 5056, sm3 7437, cpu 3477

Antman56 · Jan 30, 2009

merkk said:
Hi all
Here head to head 3 3850 with a 9850 cpu to 3 4850 with a 9850 cpu what was done in the test ,so you can see scaling that crossfire X gives you . My 9850BE was ran at stock clock as well as the video cards (HIS 3850 256 mb) cards. I'am using (cat 8.3) for the test.

9850BE 3 3850 all stock clocks
in 3Dmark-06 single card
9,835, sm2 3867, sm3 4213, cpu 3428

crossfire (2 video cards)
12,626, sm2 4877, sm3 6172, cpu 3398

crossfireX (3 video cards)
13,280, sm2 4897, sm3 6912, cpu 3386

9850BE 3 4850 as pre the review posted in this thread
in 3Dmark-06 single video card
11,962, sm2 4728, sm3 5546, cpu 3445

crossfire (2 video cards)
13,433, sm2 4982, sm3 7024, cpu 3370,

crossfire X (3 video cards)
13,949, sm2 5056, sm3 7437, cpu 3477

You'll appreciate this... I did a Tri-Fire review on my setup. Its really thorough... so all questions should be answered.

I did a review at Anandtech.com (more people inputting):

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=31&threadid=2270058&enterthread=y

I also did a review at Tomshardware.com (more aesthetically pleasing)

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/259595-33-pearly-940x4-4850x2-4850

HossHuge · Jan 30, 2009

MKmods said:
one other thing I noticed was he used a Phenom, its cool that people use Intel chips for testing but I like it when there are reviews using CPUs that I actually use.

I couldn't agree more. Not everyone has everything jacked up.

Tatty_Two · Jan 30, 2009

Antman56 said:
You'll appreciate this... I did a Tri-Fire review on my setup. Its really thorough... so all questions should be answered.

I did a review at Anandtech.com (more people inputting):

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=31&threadid=2270058&enterthread=y

I also did a review at Tomshardware.com (more aesthetically pleasing)

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/259595-33-pearly-940x4-4850x2-4850

As a matter of interest, what did you score in 2006 with the triFire?

spearman914 · Jan 30, 2009

That's a lot of pics, need some time to study them all!!!

Antman56 · Jan 31, 2009

Tatty_One said:
As a matter of interest, what did you score in 2006 with the triFire?

Take a look at my review... its all there. There is one thing that you need to remember when you look at it though. 3DMarks 2006 only uses two CPU cores in the Four Graphical tests, though it does use 4 CPU cores on the CPU tests. So with only two Phenom 2 3.53 cores trying to push 3 graphics cards on the "In-Game" tests... there is clearly going to be a bottleneck.

If want to compare a modern machine with a score that means anything, use 3DMarks Vantage. It allows all of your processor cores to be used during the 3D Tests... thus making my GPUs hit their full potential. All that matters to me is the GPU Score, since that score comes from the "In-Game" portions of the benchmark. I am currently getting the same GPU Score as a high-end machine running a Geforce 295.

Pretty Sick!

merkk · Jan 31, 2009

This pop up in my e-mail i see you got my old 3dmark-06 number. Here a up-date as of last night .I'am running 4 3850 cards now and have a Phenom II 940 in my rig .My 3dmark-06 is now 22,042 and what i look at is now good my canyon flight score is (test of Crossfire / SLI) and the 3850s are nock down 140 FPS score in canyon flight now that starting to get it done.Her my compair link if you want to check it out http://service.futuremark.com/compare?3dm06=9821048

Antman56 · Jan 31, 2009

merkk said:
This pop up in my e-mail i see you got my old 3dmark-06 number. Here a up-date as of last night .I'am running 4 3850 cards now and have a Phenom II 940 in my rig .My 3dmark-06 is now 22,042 and what i look at is now good my canyon flight score is (test of Crossfire / SLI) and the 3850s are nock down 140 FPS score in canyon flight now that starting to get it done.Her my compair link if you want to check it out http://service.futuremark.com/compare?3dm06=9821048

3DMarks06 is guaranteed be bottlenecked by your processor... unless you are around 5 GHZ (to push that kind of GPU setup anyway). Since 3DMarks06 only uses 2 cpu cores in the 3D tests 1 -4... it is becoming more useless everyday (since your two cores at 3.8 have no chance at pushing 4 3850s). Run 3DMarks Vantage to see what happens when your GPU setup is pushed with all for cores of your processor.

If you want to compare your video cards against another high-end video card setup in 3DMarks06... run it at 1920x1080 at 8xAA and then let me know that score. I have that score posted too (it is in the high 17000s). If hardly see a score difference... it's becuase your 940 X4 acts like a dual core in 3DMarks06.

3DMarks06 is useless for a computer like yours... it's only REALLY valid for single/dual core machines.

HTC · Jan 31, 2009

Antman56 said:
3DMarks06 is guaranteed be bottlenecked by your processor... unless you are around 5 GHZ (to push that kind of GPU setup anyway). Since 3DMarks06 only uses 2 cpu cores in the 3D tests 1 -4... it is becoming more useless everyday (since your two cores at 3.8 have no chance at pushing 4 3850s). Run 3DMarks Vantage to see what happens when your GPU setup is pushed with all for cores of your processor.

If you want to compare your video cards against another high-end video card setup in 3DMarks06... run it at 1920x1080 at 8xAA and then let me know that score. I have that score posted too (it is in the high 17000s). If hardly see a score difference... it's becuase your 940 X4 acts like a dual core in 3DMarks06.

3DMarks06 is useless for a computer like yours... it's only REALLY valid for single/dual core machines.

But the dude used 3 * 3850 which should be weak enough for it to NOT bottleneck, no?

Antman56 · Feb 1, 2009

HTC said:
But the dude used 3 * 3850 which should be weak enough for it to NOT bottleneck, no?

No actually. With three 3850s, he would probably get the same score as me if he had my processor. The 3800 series ATI cards benchmark SOO well in 3Dmark06... way better than they do in real games. Three 3850s should post similiar to my score, because they are so capable in this benchmark. Their score would increase with CPU clock speed just like mine would. Obviously in real life, 2 4850's would wipe the floor with 3 3870s or 3850s. That is why I am suggesting that someone raise the resolution and settings in 3DMarks06. Or if they really wanted to see how their computer runs with a VERY multicore game, run 3DMarks Vantage to get more realistic result from their machine (GPU Score is all that really matters for comparison sake).

ShadowFold · Feb 1, 2009

Very good review! Makes me want my 4850's more and more

merkk · Feb 1, 2009

Well i use a 19'' LCD so my max rez i can run is 1440x900 and at the rez the 3850 are a very good macth to for my LCD . If i set 3dmark-06 to my max rez i drop all of 50 points .I drop down to 3 video cards see what score and i do a vantage run. Vantage is all about memory speed on the video cards i post my score when i get then done .

merkk · Feb 1, 2009

Ok here my vantage run 13065 and link i do the three card run in 06 tomarow it later need some sleep http://service.futuremark.com/compare?3dmv=750802

System Name	HTC's System
Processor	Ryzen 5 2600X
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Memory	G.Skill Kit 16GB DDR4 F4 - 3200 C16D - 16 GTZB
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 480 OC 4 GB
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Audio Device(s)	Onboard
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Mouse	Razer Deathadder Elite
Software	Ubuntu 19.04 LTS

System Name	ICE-QUAD // ICE-CRUNCH
Processor	Q6600 // 2x Xeon 5472
Memory	2GB DDR // 8GB FB-DIMM
Video Card(s)	HD3850-AGP // FireGL 3400
Display(s)	2 x Samsung 204Ts = 3200x1200
Audio Device(s)	Audigy 2
Software	Windows Server 2003 R2 as a Workstation now migrated to W10 with regrets.

System Name	HTC's System
Processor	Ryzen 5 2600X
Motherboard	Asrock Taichi X370
Cooling	NH-C14, with the AM4 mounting kit
Memory	G.Skill Kit 16GB DDR4 F4 - 3200 C16D - 16 GTZB
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 480 OC 4 GB
Storage	1 Samsung NVMe 960 EVO 250 GB + 1 3.5" Seagate IronWolf Pro 6TB 7200RPM 256MB SATA III
Display(s)	LG 27UD58
Case	Fractal Design Define R6 USB-C
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Corsair TX 850M 80+ Gold
Mouse	Razer Deathadder Elite
Software	Ubuntu 19.04 LTS

Processor	Amd Athlon X2 4600+ Windsor(90nm) EE(65W) @2.9-3.0 @1.45
Motherboard	Biostar Tforce [Nvidia] 550
Cooling	Thermaltake Blue Orb-- bunch of other fans here and there....
Memory	2 gigs (2x1gb) of patriot ddr2 800 @ 4-4-4-12-2t
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Storage	Seagate 7200.11 250gb Drive, WD raptors (30/40) in Raid 0
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Case	Apevia X-plorer blue/black
Audio Device(s)	Onboard- Why get an sound card when you can hum??
Power Supply	Antec NeoHe 550-manufactured by seasonic -replacement to the discontinued smart power series
Software	Windows XP pro SP2 -- vista is still crap

System Name	HTC's System
Processor	Ryzen 5 2600X
Motherboard	Asrock Taichi X370
Cooling	NH-C14, with the AM4 mounting kit
Memory	G.Skill Kit 16GB DDR4 F4 - 3200 C16D - 16 GTZB
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 480 OC 4 GB
Storage	1 Samsung NVMe 960 EVO 250 GB + 1 3.5" Seagate IronWolf Pro 6TB 7200RPM 256MB SATA III
Display(s)	LG 27UD58
Case	Fractal Design Define R6 USB-C
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Corsair TX 850M 80+ Gold
Mouse	Razer Deathadder Elite
Software	Ubuntu 19.04 LTS

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Processor	AMD 965 (4.04Ghz)
Motherboard	Asus Crosshair III
Cooling	Air
Memory	4 gigs Mushkin 7-7-7-20@1T
Video Card(s)	single 9800GT
Storage	Raptor 150's in Raid0
Display(s)	LG Flatron 24"
Case	Custom
Audio Device(s)	AuzenTech X-Raider W/OP637
Power Supply	Custom modded Corsair 750HX
Software	Win 7 64/Solaris Utility
Benchmark Scores	3DMark06--21963 so far

System Name	AMD Dragon
Processor	Phenom II 940 (24/7 3.6 ghz.)
Motherboard	Jetway HAO7-Ultra
Cooling	Aquagate Max cooler master
Memory	Patriot PC2-8500EL 1066 5-5-5-15 4 Gigs (2x2gigs)
Video Card(s)	Two XFX 4850 (1G) running in crossfire
Storage	2 WD 80Gigs SATA-2 running in raid-0
Display(s)	19" Hanns-g LCD
Case	Cooler Master HAF 932
Audio Device(s)	On Board Realtek
Power Supply	PC POWER & COOOLING 750w silencer crossfire edition
Software	Vista-32
Benchmark Scores	3DMARK-06 20784

Processor	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Motherboard	MSI B450 Gaming Plus
Memory	GSkill 8GB Dual Channel DDR4-2800
Video Card(s)	MSI GamingX RX580 4GB
Storage	Kingston V300 240GB SSD + WD Green 2TB
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Case	Enermax Ostrog (Red)
Power Supply	EVGA SuperNOVA B2 750W
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Processor	Rocket Lake Core i5 11600K @ 5 Ghz with PL tweaks
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Cooling	Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120SE + 4 Phanteks 140mm case fans
Memory	32GB (4 x 8GB SR) Patriot Viper Steel 4133Mhz DDR4 @ 3600Mhz CL14@1.45v Gear 1
Video Card(s)	Asus Dual RTX 4070 OC
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Case	Phanteks Enthoo Pro M Windowed - Gunmetal
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Keyboard	Element Gaming Carbon Mk2 Tournament Mech
Software	Win 10 Home x64

System Name	Mine \| Dad + Mom
Processor	E8500 E0 Wolfdale @ 4.6GHz 1.5V \| E2180 M0 Allendale @ 3.0GHz 1.3V
Motherboard	Asus Maximus Formula (X48) w/ Rampage BIOS \| Asus P5Q Pro (P45)
Cooling	Xigmatek Rifle HDT-S1283 w/ SFF21F Fan \| Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
Memory	G.Skill Pi Black 2x2GB 1.02GHz CL5 \| OCZ Reaper 2x2GB 1.05GHz CL5
Video Card(s)	Sapphire 4870X2 2GB 820/1020MHz \| Sapphire 4850 1GB 700/1100MHz
Storage	WD VR 150GB 10K RPM + WD 500GB 7.2K RPM \| WD 200GB 7.2K RPM
Display(s)	Acer P243WAID 24" 1920x1200 LCD \| Acer V193W 19" 1440x900 LCD
Case	Cooler Master HAF 932 Full-Tower \| Antec Twelve Hundred Mid-Tower
Audio Device(s)	Fatal1ty Xtreme Gamer w/ Z-5500 5.1 \| On-Board Audio w/ S-220 2.1
Power Supply	PC Power and Cooling 750W Non-Modular \| Corsair HX-520W Modular
Software	Windows Vista Home Premium X64 \| Windows Vista Home Premium X64
Benchmark Scores	Not Wasting Time!

System Name	The ShadowFold Draconis (Ordering soon)
Processor	AMD Phenom II X6 1055T 2.8ghz
Motherboard	ASUS M4A87TD EVO AM3 AMD 870
Cooling	Stock
Memory	Kingston ValueRAM 4GB DDR3-1333
Video Card(s)	XFX ATi Radeon HD 5850 1gb
Storage	Western Digital 640gb
Display(s)	Acer 21.5" 5ms Full HD 1920x1080P
Case	Antec Nine-Hundred
Audio Device(s)	Onboard + Creative "Fatal1ty" Headset
Power Supply	Antec Earthwatts 650w
Software	Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
Benchmark Scores	-❶-❸-❸-❼-

HD 4850 in Single, Crossfire and Trifire: comprehensive review

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