Konklusion
Så er vi ved vejs ende, og skal give Club3D og AMD/ATi's udspil på mainstreammarkedet en dom.
Til at starte med, vil jeg gerne sige, at det har været en sand fornøjelse, at have kortet i min maskine. Radeon HD3850 virker som et virkelig fuldendt produkt, hvor der ingen hjørner er, der skal slibes væk. Alt fra kortets strømforbrug og støjniveau til ydelsen, har været bedre end forventet - og der er en helhed ved kortet, som vi eksempelvis ikke så ved HD2900GT til samme pris. Lad os tage en opsummering i de respektive kategorier...
Innovation/Teknologi: 5
Det er yderst sjældent, at vi på Hardware-TEST giver et 5-tal i denne kategori. Men ikke desto mindre, synes jeg faktisk, at dette grafikkort har fortjent karakteren fuldt ud. Som jeg lagde ud med at sige i introduktionen, er der ikke så meget revolutionerende over RV670, som er GPU'en kortet benytter sig af. Men selvom AMD/ATi ikke har revolutioneret, har de tilgengæld evolutioneret i dén grad. Det grøn-røde hold har formået at skære over halvdelen af strømforbruget væk ift HD2900XT, men har samtidig bibeholdt en rigtig god ydelse, hvilket ydelse/watt-grafen skildrer. Derudover har kortet 256bit bus, det nye DirectX 10,1, Unified Video Decoder, PowerPlay, samt understøttelse for CrossFire med 4 GPU'er. Sådan skal det bare gøres!
Design: 5
Bliver det meget bedre end det her? Jeg har svært ved at tro det! Køleren og blæserstyringen er i sandhed fantastisk, og kortet høres i store træk ikke, selv i low-noise systemer. At AMD/ATi har brugt ren kobber til køleren trækker også op, da dette er med at øge kølerens effektivitet; og så ser det også langt bedre ud end aluminium. Eneste ankepunkt er, at selve kortet er en anelse langt. Men dette vil jeg ikke lade trække ned, da det ærlig talt ikke generer mig overhovedet.
5 point gives for et stille ræverødt kort, med kobberglans over sig.
Bundle/Tilbehør: 3
Bundlen i sig selv er slet ikke fantastisk, men alligevel tilstrækkelig. Der medfølger en driverCD, HDMI- og VGA omformere, en Crossfire bro og en TV-out dongle. Altså det man skal bruge, uden alt muligt junk. Alligevel så jeg gerne, at Club3D smed en 6-pin><Molex omformer med i kassen også, til de der har nogle halvgamle PSU'er i deres maskiner.
Software: 4
Det controlcenter der er tilknyttet hele HD2000-serien er virkelig behageligt og overskueligt at arbejde i. Tidligere illustrationer var også svære at tyde, og så var programmet utroligt tungt. Jeg synes faktisk at ATi har fået rettet op på de fleste af skavankerne. Det er godt nok ikke så flot opbygget. Men hellere det end at det er langsomt. At AMD/ATi yderligere har implementeret en overclock-funktion i driveren, er bare superfedt. På den måde slipper man for 3. parts software.
Ydelse: 5
Her er jo ikke tale, om et decideret highend grafikkort. Men prisen og de tilhørende modstandere taget i betragtning, yder kortet virkelig godt. Og hvor et kort som HD2900GT havde nogle svage punkter, er ydelsen god hele vejen rundt med HD3850. 30000 3dmarks i 3dmark2003, samt knap 10000 3dmarks i 2006-versionen taler sit tydelige sprog - ydelsen er lige i skabet. Cirka i samme stil som 8800GTS.
Pris: 4
Med sine 1200 kroner, er Club3D's HD3850 mere end bare et kig værd. Der er tale om seriøs kick-ass til prisen, og vore kollegaer hos THG har da også udnævnt HD3850 til at være det grafikkort, der yder bedst til prisen. Eneste grund til, at kortet fra Club3D næsten ikke ryger op igennem loftet i vores ratingsystem er, at der findes lidt billigere HD3850 kort derude.
Alt i alt, et wollah sygt gangsta grafikkort, direkte fra 3D Club'en. Vi kvitterer med en ornli' syg guldaward - blingbling, tjtjing!
UK Summary
We’ve finally reached the end of the road, and it’s time to pass verdict to Club3D and AMD/ATI’s new foray into the mainstream video card market. It’s been a pleasure having the video card installed in my own rig. The Radeon HD3850 is an excellent and uncompromising piece of hardware. Everything including power consumption, noise level and performance has exceeded my expectations. The product just seems better thought out than for example the HD2900GT which was similarly priced. Without further ado, lets proceed with the scores.
Innovation / Technology – 5 points
A maximum score in this category is seldom achieved at Hardware-TEST. Today’s reviewed product has really earned the best score we can possibly award it. The RV670 graphics core is an evolutionary step forward from its predecessor. The power consumption compared to the HD2900XT has been halved, while maintaining excellent performance. This comes across very clearly in the performance-per-watt graphic. The memory is accessed through a 256bit wide bus, it utilizes the new DirectX 10.1, has the Unified Video Decoder technology, PowerPlay as well as CrossFire support for 4 GPU’s. It’s just a great piece of hardware.
Design – 5 points
I doubt that the video card design could be improved upon much with current technology. The cooling solution and fan control work fantastic. The presence of the video card can hardly be heard, even in a low-noise system. AMD/ATI has opted to use a solid copper solution for the heat sink, improving its efficiency compared to traditional solutions. It also just looks way cooler than an aluminum heat sink. Some might find the card too long, but as this doesn’t bother me at all, I won’t let that affect its score. 5 points is duly awarded to the fox red copper carrying video card.
Bundle / Accessories – 3 points
The included bundle is satisfactory, but nothing too impressive. Included with the purchase are; a driver CD, HDMI and VGA converters, a CrossFire bridge and a TV-out dongle. Everything immediately needed is present, without any excess junk. Club3D could have included a 6pin to molex converter, for those customers with aging power supplies.
Software – 4 points
The control center used with the HD2000 is very comfortable and easy to use. Earlier editions of the control center were more difficult to use and used more system resources. ATI have rectified most problems with the software. It is not terribly pretty, but I prefer performance to looks. AMD/ATI has included overclocking functionality in the driver, which is very easy to appreciate, as this removes the need for 3rd party software.
Performance – 5 points
While not an obviously high end graphics device, but considering pricing and the current competition the performance is amazing. While the HD2900GT had a few sore spots, the HD3850 is an excellent all-round performer. Benchmark scores of 30,000 points in 3Dmark 2003 and almost 10,000 points in 3Dmark 2006 speaks clearly of its performance potential. The performance is roughly the same as that of the NVIDIA 8800GTS.
Price – 4 points
With a price of only 1,200 DKK, the Club3D HD3850 is definitely worth a look. This is some serious performance considering its cost. The HD3850 was declared by THG as the number one video card in a performance to cost review. The only reason that the price score isn’t maxed out, is that other HD3850 video cards are available at lower cost than the one reviewed today.
In summary, the Club3D is a fantastic graphics card, and is awarded our golden award, which is only offered to the best of the best.
Test: Club3D Radeon HD3850
Innovation / Teknologi | 5 |
Bundle - Tilbehør | 3 |
Design - Layout | 5 |
Software - BIOS | 4 |
Ydelse | 5 |
Pris | 4 |
| |
Samlet | 86% |
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