Powercolor Radeon HD 4850 PCS+

Overclocking

We were surprised at the relatively disappointing "out of the box" overclock of the Powercolor Radeon HD 4850 PCS+, especially as we know that the 4850 is easily capable of much higher speeds, especially with a high quality aftermarket cooler like the Zerotherm GX810 fitted.

In-fact, the GX810 performed brilliantly, and there's a huge difference between it and the stock 4850 cooler. While AMD's single slot cooler has the GPU idling at around 80-85°C, the Zerotherm GX810 is able to keep the core at just 53°C while idle and at 82°C under load. While the Zalman cooler fitted to the Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4850 TOXIC performed even better, idling at 45°C, the Zalman cooler's fan was forced to full speed all the time. On the other hand, the cooler on the Powercolor Radeon HD 4850 PCS+ spins up and down with GPU temperature, allowing for a better compromise between optimal cooling and optimal noise pollution.

From past experience, we already knew that the 4850 had plenty of extra performance in the tank and were keen to see if the Powercolor Radeon HD 4850 PCS+ could match the impressive 725MHz core and 1,200MHz (2,400MHz effective) achieved by the similar Sapphire Radeon 4850 TOXIC. Thanks to the release of Catalyst 8.8, ATI overdrive options for 4850 cards have improved, and we were able to do all our overclocking inside the Catalyst Control Center.


With the card at its stock clock speeds of 665MHz core, 993MHz (1,986MHz effective) producing a control result of 30.81 FPS in Crysis, running at 1,680 x 1,050 with 0xAA 0xAF, we began to incrementally increase both the core and memory clocks in first 10MHz, and then 5MHz jumps, running the same Crysis benchmark again to test for instabilities and graphical artifacts.

While we soon hit a wall of 1100MHz (2,200MHz effective) on the memory clock, the core clock was much more open to persuasion, and we were able to push it to the heady heights of 740MHz, achieving a Crysis benchmark result of 34.14 FPS! That's a full 115MHz faster than a stock 4850, and a 75MHz improvement over the Powercolor Radeon HD 4850 PCS+'s original core clock of 665MHz.

Once again, a decent aftermarket cooler has allowed the unassuming 4850 to overclock like an absolute beast, and the Powercolor Radeon HD 4850 PCS+ was perfectly stable with a core clock over eighteen percent higher than a stock clocked 4850. Whilst every GPU is slightly different, the Zerotherm GX810 certainly seems up to the task of cooling even a well-overclocked 4850, and all whilst running extremely quietly too.

Value and Final Thoughts

It seems that after over two months, the price of stock Radeon 4850s is slowly starting to fall, and you don't have to look to hard to find one available for a shade under £100. This puts the Powercolor Radeon HD 4850 PCS+ in a tough position, as it doesn't offer a great deal of extra performance over the stock 4850 out of the box, and as we've already said, the market for pre-overclocked 4850s is already becoming very busy indeed.

However, £121.17 (inc. VAT) is no doubt a good price for a pre-overclocked 4850 with an aftermarket cooler, especially as similar products have actually increased in price since originally launching due to high demand. The Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 TOXIC, which we originally reviewed at £135, is now priced at a lofty £150, so there's obviously a big market for custom cooled 4850s out there.

And it's clear to see why - the significantly improved cooling and massive overclocking potential unlocked by the excellent Zerotherm GX810 is certainly worth the price premium if you're confident enough to overclock which, thanks to the improved support in Catalyst Control Center, is made almost insultingly easy.

In comparison to the stock 4850, the Powercolor Radeon HD 4850 PCS+ offers an only marginally faster, but massively cooler and quieter option that should certainly be considered by those in the market for a £100 graphics card. The ATI stock cooler should be replaced by anyone with any concern about the operating temperatures inside their PC, and the Zerotherm GX810, which itself sells for £25, is a fantastic upgrade that more than justifies the slight premium, especially as it's included in the two year warranty.

For those looking for the top performing Radeon HD 4850 out of the box, you'll have to look elsewhere, but for those after a 4850 that won't burn your fingers or break your bank balance and which still delivers outstanding overclocking performance, the Powercolor Radeon HD 4850 PCS+ is a excellent option.

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