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Overclocking: One of the big advances of the RV790 is supposed to be overclockability. So much so, in fact, that AMD is claiming that 1GHz is within reach. How realistic is that goal? There is only one way to find out. Initially, I tried to go for all the gold by seeing if 1GHz was really reachable. This was a definite no-go. Next step was to try Auto-Tune in the Catalyst Control Panel; this claimed to get me to 985MHz on the core and 1110 on the memory, but a quick run of Furmark showed this to be unstable. This goes to show that the Auto-Tune program still has room for improvement. This meant that I would have to manually find the maximum clocks...which came out to be 950MHz on the core and 1155 on the memory. Not quite the advertised 1GHz, but impressive nonetheless. Furmark proved the stability, with the maximum load temp at this speed settling at just under 80C.
So how does that stack up with the stock clocks? Check out my 3DMark numbers: Vantage Performance:
Vantage High:
Vantage Extreme:
3DMark06:
So, with the overclocks, we boost the performance of the 4890 by about 10%. Pretty hard to argue with those results. So with all that being said, how does the 4890 stack up? First off, it is a worthy update to the 4870. In all categories that matter, it is either better or the same as the 4870. Obviously, it is better in terms of performance, power consumption and overclockability, but let's talk about how it is the same. Noise output is the same, since it uses the same fan, and does not run noticeably warmer. It is the same size as the 4870, and has the same layout as well. Put the two cards together, and no one would be able to tell the difference. I almost see this card as the twin brother to the 4870 that has been hitting the gym real hard. So the next question is, is the 4890 worth the price premium? Yes and No. Are you surprised? Let me explain. The reason I say "No" is because the 4870 is really darn cheap. $170-$190 for a card of that quality is a hard deal to pass up, and I think there will be many consumers that think the $60 price premium for an extra 10% performance factor may not be worth it. On the other hand, "Yes", because for about the same price as a 4870X2, two 4890s are very tempting. Of course, there will be the hardware junkies that will look at the overclockability of this card alone, and happily pounce on the 4890. Overall, I feel the card is yet another winner from AMD and Sapphire.
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