DIAMOND 4890PE51GXOC Radeon HD 4890 1GB Video Card Review

World in Conflict

DirectX 10 based titles are where you would think a Crossfire rig would excel. This version of the DX10 gaming API debuted with Windows Vista, and is said to produce much more realistic graphics and lots of crazy enhancements. These enhancements of couse need more video horsepower. I was expecting performance jumps in the 40s from this game and this setup, but the Crossfire configuration produced a 20% and 25% jump in our two resolutions in World in Conflict. The DIAMOND card on it’s own was 5% faster in this test.

Crysis

Finally we turn to Crysis, the one game I’d think would come close to that magical 50% jump we saw all the way back in 3DMark Vantage. Unfortunately that’s not the case, with the Crossfire rig actually being slower at the lower resolution (if only for a statistically-insignificant amount), and only 12% faster at the higher resolution. At least the frame rates are playable, something that doesn’t happen all the often in Crysis.

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

As I’ve mentioned the DIAMOND 4890PE51GXOC Radeon HD 4890 could easily be mistaken for a bone stock ATI reference card, especially if you didn’t know about i’s factory overclock. The question is did that overclock become a factor in this being the better card to buy? Also how does it stand up in a big complex Crossfire rig?

It’s fairly clear from the get-go that this card benefits a small amount from the aforementioned overclock, which is covered under warranty. This card will be an excellent upgrade for those who want dual video cards, as the initial releases of the 5800 series are going to disappear quick. This should also become an inexpensive upgrade, as prices should continue to drop with the release of the new chip, making it a fantastic value upgrade for someone already brandishing an HD 4890 card in their system.

In the end, this card from DIAMOND can easily stand on it’s own in a system. It can also easily augment your existing system with extra video power. It’s a solid card with extra performance tweaks so you feel special.

Pros