Manufacturer: HIS Price: $ 200 US Author: Steve Date: 09/29/2009

[ Conclusion ]

The HIS Radeon HD 4890 iCooler x4 is not simply just another Radeon HD 4890 graphics card. Furthermore it is not just another Radeon HD 4890 with an improved cooler. Rather the Radeon HD 4890 iCooler x4 is a re-engineered version of the Radeon HD 4890 featuring an improved power plant, and this is what helped to make our overclocking ventures so successful. The key change users will notice about the improved power delivery system is that the HIS Radeon HD 4890 iCooler x4 requires a 6-pin PCIe power connector and an 8-pin power connector, where as cards based on the reference design use dual 6-pin connectors. Given that most modern power supplies feature both 6-pin and 8-pin power connectors we do not see this as being an issue, though keep in mind that an 8-pin PCIe power connector will be required to power this graphics card. While the power design may be new, and too the cooler, the performance was not and without any manual fine tuning the HIS Radeon HD 4890 iCooler x4 performs much like any other Radeon HD 4890. That said, we would prefer HIS keep the card at the standard specified operating frequencies rather than charge a price premium for pathetic factory overclocking, which has become almost common practice in this industry. Whereas run of the mill Radeon HD 4890 graphics cards are retailing for $200 US with the loud reference cooler, the improved HIS Radeon HD 4890 iCooler x4 is currently selling for just $210 US, which to us seems like a very good deal. With little effort we were able to boost the performance of this graphics card by more than 15% and we are confident that even better results can be achieved. In terms of value the Radeon HD 4890 iCooler x4 is not only good when compared to other Radeon HD 4890 graphics cards, it also fairs rather well when compared to pretty much everything else. Priced slightly lower than that of the GeForce GTX 275, the Radeon HD 4890 iCooler x4 was able to deliver a similar level of performance and depending on the game the results can go either way. - - Overall those looking to spend around $200 US on a graphics card should certainly consider the HIS Radeon HD 4890 iCooler x4, as it provides gamers with a well rounded solution. While it is possible to save with the Radeon HD 4870, these graphics cards do not offer the same overclocking performance and they are a little bit slower to start with anyway. HIS has certainly impressed us with their Radeon HD 4890 iCooler x4 and we like their attention to detail with this product. Reviewed By Steven Walton

<- Previous Page Table of Contents Introduction The Card Test System Specs & 3Dmark Vantage Test: Crysis, Fallout 3 Test: Far Cry 2, Resident Evil 5 Test: S.T.A.L.K.E.R, World in Conflict Overclocking Performance Power Consumption & Temperatures >>> Conclusion <<<