XFX Radeon HD 5850 1GB GDDR5 Review

Conclusion

Back when we first reviewed the HD 5870, it was apparent that ATI was on to something big in the graphics card market and the performance of the HD 5850 does nothing but cement that original viewpoint. Here we have a card that was originally designed to compete directly with NVIDIA’s GTX 285 but it surpasses even that goal by leaps and bounds. Even though it never comes close to HD 5870 performance, there isn’t a single NVIDIA card on the market other than the GTX 295 that can best it on a regular basis. Perhaps even more impressively, the XFX HD 5850 1GB does all of this while being one of the quietest, most efficient performance-oriented cards on the market today.

When push comes to shove, extreme performance takes a back seat to affordability for customers that seem to have less and less money to spend these days. In this aspect, ATI has shown themselves to be savvy strategists with their first two HD 5800-series cards being priced under the $400 mark and the HD 5850 in particular taking top marks for the performance it offers relative to price. Typically, it is within the $200 to $300 price bracket where the most sales come from and the HD 5850 is now perfectly positioned to rule over this segment. We just have to remember that the high end category is odd with some serious price premiums being paid for additional performance. This is why the approximate 15 to 20 precent performance difference between the HD 5870 and HD 5850 translates into a 30 percent price difference.

When it comes to NVIDIA’s market positioning, the release of the HD 5870 wasn’t too much of a blow but the price and associated performance of the HD 5850 is like a swift kick to the nuts. In the majority of the tests, the GTX 285 and its woefully high $360 price tag was lagging far behind ATI’s little monster and the $250 GTX 275 wasn’t even a speck on the horizon. Yes, we know there were exceptions –there always are- but for the most part, the HD 5850’s domination in its targeted market is absolute. NVIDIA just can’t compete on a price / performance basis right now. With some careful pruning to the MSRP of the GTX 285 and GTX 275, there is still a chance for their current cards to stay relevant until DX11 titles ship en masse but without that happening, it could be a painful quarter for them.

There really isn’t anything to dislike about the HD 5850 but throughout testing, there were a few questions that kept on rearing their heads (no, we’re not talking about the lackluster Call of Duty: World at War results). We know that DX11 is around the corner and it looks like one hell of an API with a focus on rendering efficiency but will that efficiency truly bring higher performance or more detailed environments at the cost of performance? We don’t know yet which is why I have to question the purchase of a DX11 card solely for “future proofing” at this point. Sure, the performance of the HD 5850 is very good in DX9 and even DX10 games but that may or may not translate into a smooth DX11 experience.

While we are talking about DX11, let’s focus on the additional features ATI has talked so much about. For all intents and purposes, Eyefinity has a certain allure about it but as with all such technologies, it will live or die by its drivers. As such, let’s hope its popularity surges or there will be very little point in ATI continuing its development. The HTPC uses for the 5000-series are without a doubt boundless but it will be the lower-end 5700-series that will carry this segment with the 5800 cards being used primarily for gaming. Finally, there is the question of OpenCL and DirectCompute which seem to promise a lot but no one yet knows how quickly programmers will be able to take advantage of these new APIs. When push comes to shove, ATI (and NVIDIA) is placing a lot of confidence in the willingness of developers to take advantage of upcoming features in Windows 7 and Vista. Will the developers bite? Only time will tell.

Questions aside, if you are in the market for a new graphics card the HD 5850 represents an extremely good value for your hard earned money. XFX just adds to that by including two things that are unique among ATI’s board partners: a Double Lifetime warranty and excellent customer support. Value, performance, DX11 capabilities and a lifetime warranty; we really couldn’t ask anything more of a graphics card. As such, the XFX Radeon HD 5850 1GB receives our Dam Good Value Award.


Pros:

- Efficient
- Great performance for a ~$300 card
- Quiet
- Double Lifetime Warranty
- Price versus the competition


Cons:

- Inconsistent performance in a few games / settings
- Limited availability for the time being