AMD Radeon HD 4770 - Review
AMD returns to the graphics card segment entry with the launch of the Radeon HD 4770. Behind a name for the least harmless, hides a surprising new DirectX 10.1 graphics chip burned for the first time in 40 nm!
AMD continues to innovate in effect on the manufacturing process since the graph of the subsidiary firm of Sunnyvale adopted before NVIDIA, the process of manufacturing 40 nm. The big question is of course, whether the user will benefit in any way for this new manufacturing process. And looking more closely at the specifications announced Radeon HD 4770, it is tempting to answer yes!
The new graphics chip from AMD is missing in fact it claims to offer a total of 640 stream processors while it has GDDR5 video memory, a first in this price segment! the Radeon HD 4770 is it the shadow of the GeForce 9600 GT and others? The answer in this test!
AMD Radeon HD 4770: the characteristics
Technically, the architecture used in the Radeon HD 4770 chip, code-named RV740 is not new. We find in fact that of Radeon HD 4000 launched last summer with native support for DirectX 10.1 and an arrangement is well known groups of 128 units each consisting of 5 processors flow. Thus, the Radeon HD 4770 a total of 640 stream processors. This figure must be compared with the number of units of the Radeon HD 4670 aka RV730, the Radeon HD 4770 is supposed to replace. Were found in the Radeon HD 4670 320 stream processors: the Radeon HD 4770 is therefore twice as many processing units. Moreover, the chip is at the same level as the Radeon HD 4830, a slightly simplified version of the Radeon HD 4850 and has 640 stream processors. For their part, the Radeon HD 4850, 4870 and 4890 include 800 stream processors.
In addition to its number of units, the RV740 chip behind the Radeon HD 4770 is of course its fine print. While the Radeon HD 4850 (and others) is recorded in 55 nm, the Radeon HD 4770 is first recorded in 40 nm TSMC. Less expensive to produce, the Radeon HD 4770 is supposed to consume less so that it can behave in the same area a larger number of units while heats less. Physically, the heart of the RV740 chip is incredibly small!
AMD also offers news from the side of memory, Radeon HD 4770 is the first graphics processor to the price level using the GDDR5. However, no miracle on the side of the interface, because unlike the Radeon HD 4830/4850 and 4890, the memory used in the Radeon HD 4770 is interfaced to 128 bits. The available bandwidth is therefore reduced, although the high frequency of GDDR5 is supposed to compensate for everything.
AMD Radeon HD 4770: features
We must admit, the similarities between the RV740 and RV770 are very numerous. So much so that one would be tempted to write that the RV740 is ultimately a die-shrink of the RV770 ... That is to say the same chip, engraved with a different manufacturing process. However, AMD has, as mentioned above, adjusted characteristics of the chip to match the target market. Memory bus reduced number of calculation units decreased while the side of operating frequencies, the RV740 chip is cadence at 750 MHz against 800 MHz for memory. This brings us to the following observation: even though the fineness of engraving could have higher frequencies of aggressive operation, the Radeon HD 4770 operates at the same frequency as the Radeon HD 4670. Of course, the number of transistors largest chip may not be alien to the stagnation of the frequency chips are actually 826 million transistors, almost as much as the RV770 animating its big sisters.
Moreover, with regard to memory, the operating frequency are added in any moderate narrow memory bus are the theoretical bandwidth is 51 GB / s. This is quite low compared to the Radeon HD 4850 which offers a bandwidth of 64 GB / s while the recent Radeon HD 4890 offers a memory bandwidth more impressive 124.8 GB / s! But it is almost two times more than what his time in the Radeon HD 4670.
Recall in passing that the RV740, like other chips on the Radeon 4000 family includes the ATI UVD engine that supports in hardware decoding of high definition video stream from including Blu-ray. Other AMD specificity, the presence of a 7.1 audio controller built into the graphics chip. This allows, when playing Blu-ray, broadcast on the HDMI audio from the film without going through additional connections and risky at the motherboard.
AMD Radeon HD 4770: map
Quite different from the Radeon HD 4670 it replaces, the Radeon HD 4770 is characterized by its dual slot design. It's quite unusual to emphasize since the graphics cards to less than Rs 9000 , are generally single slot. Another feature of the Radeon HD 4770, the presence of an electrical connector to the six pins PCI-Express. For the rest, we have a map rather classical interfaced in PCI-Express 16x, relatively long, with a red PCB of 21 centimeters.
The cooling system consists of a metal radiator fins based on the graphics chip and built into a shell of translucent red plastic at the end of which blows a fan squirrel cage type. Warm air is expelled out of the system. With 512 MB of Qimonda GDDR5 memory, the card has a specific radiator covers its memory chips. Overall, the noise generated by the card are limited unless it takes a sudden blow warm. In these cases, noise is just unbearable and recall the glorious days of the GeForce FX 5800. The side of operating frequencies, the card we tested is a reference design developed by AMD, it was no surprise that they are in accordance with the manufacturer to 750 MHz for the graphics chip and 800 MHz for memory.
Note the presence of a double tongue CrossFire to use the Radeon HD 4770 in CrossFire configuration, while the outputs offered by the card are more mundane. There are indeed two DVI connectors and an analog video connector to mini-DIN. Remember that manufacturers of graphics cards with the Radeon a DVI / HDMI to convert the DVI connectors HDMI connection.
AMD Radeon HD 4770 : Performance
To test the performance of the Radeon HD 4770, we used a recent platform, details of which are shown below:
AMD returns to the graphics card segment entry with the launch of the Radeon HD 4770. Behind a name for the least harmless, hides a surprising new DirectX 10.1 graphics chip burned for the first time in 40 nm!
AMD continues to innovate in effect on the manufacturing process since the graph of the subsidiary firm of Sunnyvale adopted before NVIDIA, the process of manufacturing 40 nm. The big question is of course, whether the user will benefit in any way for this new manufacturing process. And looking more closely at the specifications announced Radeon HD 4770, it is tempting to answer yes!
The new graphics chip from AMD is missing in fact it claims to offer a total of 640 stream processors while it has GDDR5 video memory, a first in this price segment! the Radeon HD 4770 is it the shadow of the GeForce 9600 GT and others? The answer in this test!
AMD Radeon HD 4770: the characteristics
Technically, the architecture used in the Radeon HD 4770 chip, code-named RV740 is not new. We find in fact that of Radeon HD 4000 launched last summer with native support for DirectX 10.1 and an arrangement is well known groups of 128 units each consisting of 5 processors flow. Thus, the Radeon HD 4770 a total of 640 stream processors. This figure must be compared with the number of units of the Radeon HD 4670 aka RV730, the Radeon HD 4770 is supposed to replace. Were found in the Radeon HD 4670 320 stream processors: the Radeon HD 4770 is therefore twice as many processing units. Moreover, the chip is at the same level as the Radeon HD 4830, a slightly simplified version of the Radeon HD 4850 and has 640 stream processors. For their part, the Radeon HD 4850, 4870 and 4890 include 800 stream processors.
In addition to its number of units, the RV740 chip behind the Radeon HD 4770 is of course its fine print. While the Radeon HD 4850 (and others) is recorded in 55 nm, the Radeon HD 4770 is first recorded in 40 nm TSMC. Less expensive to produce, the Radeon HD 4770 is supposed to consume less so that it can behave in the same area a larger number of units while heats less. Physically, the heart of the RV740 chip is incredibly small!
AMD also offers news from the side of memory, Radeon HD 4770 is the first graphics processor to the price level using the GDDR5. However, no miracle on the side of the interface, because unlike the Radeon HD 4830/4850 and 4890, the memory used in the Radeon HD 4770 is interfaced to 128 bits. The available bandwidth is therefore reduced, although the high frequency of GDDR5 is supposed to compensate for everything.
AMD Radeon HD 4770: featuresWe must admit, the similarities between the RV740 and RV770 are very numerous. So much so that one would be tempted to write that the RV740 is ultimately a die-shrink of the RV770 ... That is to say the same chip, engraved with a different manufacturing process. However, AMD has, as mentioned above, adjusted characteristics of the chip to match the target market. Memory bus reduced number of calculation units decreased while the side of operating frequencies, the RV740 chip is cadence at 750 MHz against 800 MHz for memory. This brings us to the following observation: even though the fineness of engraving could have higher frequencies of aggressive operation, the Radeon HD 4770 operates at the same frequency as the Radeon HD 4670. Of course, the number of transistors largest chip may not be alien to the stagnation of the frequency chips are actually 826 million transistors, almost as much as the RV770 animating its big sisters.
Moreover, with regard to memory, the operating frequency are added in any moderate narrow memory bus are the theoretical bandwidth is 51 GB / s. This is quite low compared to the Radeon HD 4850 which offers a bandwidth of 64 GB / s while the recent Radeon HD 4890 offers a memory bandwidth more impressive 124.8 GB / s! But it is almost two times more than what his time in the Radeon HD 4670.
Recall in passing that the RV740, like other chips on the Radeon 4000 family includes the ATI UVD engine that supports in hardware decoding of high definition video stream from including Blu-ray. Other AMD specificity, the presence of a 7.1 audio controller built into the graphics chip. This allows, when playing Blu-ray, broadcast on the HDMI audio from the film without going through additional connections and risky at the motherboard.
AMD Radeon HD 4770: map Quite different from the Radeon HD 4670 it replaces, the Radeon HD 4770 is characterized by its dual slot design. It's quite unusual to emphasize since the graphics cards to less than Rs 9000 , are generally single slot. Another feature of the Radeon HD 4770, the presence of an electrical connector to the six pins PCI-Express. For the rest, we have a map rather classical interfaced in PCI-Express 16x, relatively long, with a red PCB of 21 centimeters.
The cooling system consists of a metal radiator fins based on the graphics chip and built into a shell of translucent red plastic at the end of which blows a fan squirrel cage type. Warm air is expelled out of the system. With 512 MB of Qimonda GDDR5 memory, the card has a specific radiator covers its memory chips. Overall, the noise generated by the card are limited unless it takes a sudden blow warm. In these cases, noise is just unbearable and recall the glorious days of the GeForce FX 5800. The side of operating frequencies, the card we tested is a reference design developed by AMD, it was no surprise that they are in accordance with the manufacturer to 750 MHz for the graphics chip and 800 MHz for memory.
Note the presence of a double tongue CrossFire to use the Radeon HD 4770 in CrossFire configuration, while the outputs offered by the card are more mundane. There are indeed two DVI connectors and an analog video connector to mini-DIN. Remember that manufacturers of graphics cards with the Radeon a DVI / HDMI to convert the DVI connectors HDMI connection.
AMD Radeon HD 4770 : Performance
To test the performance of the Radeon HD 4770, we used a recent platform, details of which are shown below:
- Motherboard Asus Rampage II Extreme (BIOS 1204),
- Intel Core i7 920 2.66 GHz,
- 6 GB DDR3-1066 - OCZ,
- RAID 0 - Hard Drive 2x Western Digital Raptor 300 GB
Our system operates on Windows Vista Ultimate Edition with Service Pack 1. It was the 64-bit operating system. On this machine we will test logically the Radeon HD 4770 but it replaces the card, the Radeon HD 4670, not to mention the Radeon HD 4830 and Radeon HD 4850 512 MB NVIDIA side, we adopt the GeForce 9600 GT and that the GeForce 9800 GT, that being proposed at the same price as the new card while AMD offers features similar to GeForce 8800 GT
Drivers side, we have used drivers NVIDIA GeForce 185.68 beta and CATALYST 9.4 beta. Note that the test protocol was revised to go to the essentials while we retain resolutions lower than those usually used to cope sometimes reduced performance card entry.
3DMark Vantage
We begin our overview of the performance by the unmistakable 3DMark Vantage. Here the Radeon HD 4850 leads the way, followed in second position of the Radeon HD 4770. The new AMD chip directly wins the second step of the podium with 16% higher performance in face Radeon HD 4830 at least 1920x1200. Compared to the Radeon HD 4670, its predecessor, the Radeon HD 4770 is, at least, twice as fast, literally. Finally the comparison with the supply of NVIDIA does not benefit from the latter, the GeForce is significantly behind. Call Of Duty 4 - v1.7
Call Of Duty 4 Modern Warfare, the duo Ranking consists of the Radeon HD 4850 and the second position of the Radeon HD 4770. In 1680x1050, the latest AMD is 29% more efficient than the GeForce 9600 GT and 4% faster than GeForce 9800 GT. Faced with the Radeon HD 4670, the performance gain was 58%! It should be noted in passing performance 9% above the Radeon HD 4770 Radeon HD face in 4830. Crysis Warhead - v1.1 - 64 bit
For Crysis, maps AMD undoubtedly lead the dance. The first three steps of the podium is occupied by the Radeon and Radeon HD 4770 is once again in second place. Faced with the Radeon HD 4670, the performance of the Radeon HD 4770 are 57% higher. Note the absence of results of GeForce when the resolution exceeds 1280x1024. Left 4 Dead
The recent release of Survival Pack Left 4 Dead has caused us many problems in less than 48 hours Valve has updated twice the graphics engine of the game forcing us to record our demo twice. Apart from this inconvenience, there are good benefits that are ahead of Radeon GeForce easily from 1680x1050. No change in the hierarchy, and the Radeon HD 4850 is 2% faster than the Radeon HD 4770 in 1680x1050. Faced with the GeForce 9800 GT, the Radeon HD 4770 wins with an advantage of 13%. Far Cry 2 - v1.02
Surprise, in Far Cry 2, there is a change in the hierarchy, the Radeon HD 4770 matching the Radeon HD 4850. The two AMD cards occupy the top two places while facing the GeForce 9800 GT, its direct competitor, the Radeon HD 4770 is 16% faster in 1680x1050. Comparing face to Radeon HD 4670 allows to measure the magnitude of the difference between the two maps: 51% at the bottom word 1680x1050. World In Conflict - v1.010
To finish this page with the strategy game World In Conflict. The Radeon HD 4850 takes a few colors, while the Radeon HD 4770 is at par with the Radeon HD 4830. In all cases, the offer exceeds the AMD and NVIDIA solutions Radeon HD 4770 is in 1280x1024, 9% faster than GeForce 9800 GT and 26% more efficient than the GeForce 9600 GT.Call Of Duty 4 - v1.7 - FSAA 4x - AF 16x
Enabling filtering functions change somewhat the picture of our winners. The Radeon 4850 seems DH suddenly lose its superb when it displays the same performance as the Radeon HD 4770 in 1920x1200. That was enough for the GeForce 9800 GT rose to third position. In the same resolution, the Radeon HD 4770 offers identical performance to the GeForce 9800 GT when it is 24% faster than GeForce 9600 GT. Far Cry 2 - v1.02 - 4x FSAA
Table inverse in Far Cry 2 where activation of the filter function takes the Radeon HD 4850 in mind. The Radeon HD 4770 keeps its second place performance with 19% higher than the GeForce 9800 GT in 1680x1050. In this resolution, the Radeon HD 4770 delivers a number of frames per second higher than the 10 Radeon HD 4830. Left 4 Dead - 4x FSAA - 16x AF
Back in Left 4 Dead by activating the game since the filtering. The Radeon HD 4000 series are the leader with a Radeon HD 4770 which truste second place and is 10% faster than the GeForce 9800 GT and 35% more efficient than the GeForce 9600 GT in 1680x1050. World In Conflict - v1.010 - 4x FSAA - 16x AF
We close the second page of the first tests with an overview of performance in World In Conflict. The results speak for themselves, the Radeon HD 4770 is very well located, always second, well before the Georce 9800 and 9600 GT. And while the gap between these three cards remain moderate in low resolutions, it is growing significantly 1920x1200. In this resolution, the Radeon HD 4850 is 9% faster than Radeon HD 4770. Consumption
Burning in the 40nm Radeon HD 4770 requires a glance at the power consumption of various graphics cards needed. We conduct two ways, using a watt meter, of total electricity consumption of our system. Initially at rest, then load with a session in 3DMark Vantage 2560x1600.
At rest, the Radeon HD 4770 consumes more than its predecessor, the Radeon HD 4670, while consuming as much as the Radeon HD 4830. Its consumption is still at rest, more or less identical to that measured with the NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT and 9800. Over, the Radeon HD 4770 consumes only 10 watts more than the Radeon HD 4670 and GeForce 9600 GT as it offers performance twice. Conclusion
At the end of this article, it is inevitable to conclude on the excellence of the Radeon HD 4770. Because at least a INR 9000 performances are really there with more power consumption which remains quite reasonable. AMD drives the nail of his supremacy by offering its first graphics chip etched 40 nm, when NVIDIA is just beginning to decline, largely, his bid in 55 nm. And to stay in the industrial aspect of things, the choice of GDDR5 graphics card for an entry-level is perhaps not the most appropriate, for matters of cost and production volume. Ultimately the team this GDDR5 Radeon HD 4770 is only offset the limited features of the memory interface such as the danger is to meet supply problems.
In terms of product strategy, the arrival of the Radeon HD 4770 leaves us perplexed. For INR 9000, the card offers superior performance to a Radeon HD 4830 when it had just teasing the Radeon HD 4850 sold approximately Rs 10000 , in its 512 MB and just 4% faster. Indeed, AMD seems to make the graphics card market down, something that the consumer is not necessarily a bad thing, especially given the price / performance ratio of the Radeon HD 4770, but for the financial health of AMD ... that's another story!
Finally, the big problem of the Radeon HD 4770 is its very limited availability at launch, several partners AMD we have indicated that they have little or no stock. Too bad, because the Radeon HD 4770 has serious advantages as it has no real rival in the competition. At the same rate, the GeForce 9800 GT is simply not the weight. Remains a detail ... sound card that can quickly be unbearable at full load: AMD hope quickly revised his copy on this point.
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