Print
Email
Discuss this article ( Comments)
zoom
If you're in the market for a game-ready, DirectX 10 graphics card there are numerous GPUs to choose from. So, if you're confused about which is worthy of your money, read on as Windows puts the latest gaming cards to the test...
AMD Radeon HD 4770
Economical price, impressive firepower
PRICE: $110
CONTACT: +9714 883 5929
WEB: www.amd.com
The Radeon HD 4770 is one of AMD's newest creations and targets gamers in need of a budget DirectX 10 solution. And, when we put it through our test gauntlet, we found this GPU offered unparalleled value-for-money.
The GPU supports DirectX 10.1 and Shader Model 4.1 and is the world's first GPU that's built on a 40nm manufacturing process. This makes the actual GPU core a lot smaller than anything else on the market and also allows AMD to cut more chips from a single wafer, which helps cut down manufacturing costs. The 4770 is also frugal in the power consumption and heat generation departments thanks to this new manufacturing process.
Being a reference card, this 4770 GPU and 512Mbytes of GDDR5 memory run at 750MHz and 800MHz (3200MHz effectively). Running at these clocks, the card returned seriously impressive performance given its bargain price tag. Running Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X at 1920 x 1200 pixels, the card returned a framerate of 32fps, which meant the game was just about playable. Dialing down the resolution to the popular widescreen resolution of 1680 x 1050 pixels, the card produced smooth, playable framerates in all three game benchmarks. Great.
The card also supports AMD's CrossFire X multi-GPU technology, so if you want to give your rig serious firepower on a budget, this is definitely the way to go.
Performance: 4/5
Features: 5/5
Value for Money: 5/5
Verdict: The Radeon HD 4770 offers unbelievable value-for-money. It offers playable DirectX10 game numbers for just north of US $100.
