XFX Radeon HD 5830 1GB GDDR5 Review

Product Number: HD-583X-ZNFV
Manufacturer’s Product Page: Click Here
Price:Approx $260 USD / $270 CAD
Warranty: Double Lifetime



It almost feels odd to not have a week where ATI is launching a new card into the market but lo and behold, it seems we have fallen into a spot of relative calm. Let’s call it the calm before the storm since by the end of next week the whole graphics card market could be shaken up by the release of NVIDIA’s supposed juggernaut: the GF100. Until that time however, ATI’s products still reign supreme in nearly every price category.

Back when it was first released, the HD 5830 1GB wasn’t exactly the most well-loved product we have ever reviewed here on Hardware Canucks. To be honest with you, it was universally lambasted for being far too expensive for the performance it delivered. There were other teething problems with the HD 5830 such as high power consumption and a gargantuan size that was more akin to the HD 5870 than it was to other mid-range cards. We held out hope at the time that prices would eventually level out as the excitement surrounding the launch died down and to a certain extent this has actually happened. Over the last week or so we have seen some sales brining down the HD5830’s price to around the $230 USD mark which actually represents a decent value for your money.

Before the HD 5830 vaulted into the public’s perception, there was a vast chasm in price and performance between the $160 HD 5770 and the $320 HD5850. ATI needed to offer something to potential customers who were saw the HD 5770 as unsuitable for their gaming needs but couldn’t justify spending more than $300 on a higher end card. Simply put, the HD 5830 is supposed to give people a safe middle ground for their gaming needs.

In this review we will be looking at the XFX version of the HD 5830 1GB GDDR5. Basically, no two HD 5830 cards from different manufacturers are alike and XFX has decided to go with a unique cooling solution even though their card sticks to stock clock speeds. In addition having to one of the more interestingly-designed cards currently on the market, XFX also boasts what can arguably be called the best warranty coverage among ATI’s board partners. They offer what is called a Double Lifetime Warranty that protects not only the original purchaser of the card but also anyone who buys it second hand. Naturally, this adds a quite a bit of value to XFX’s video cards and is something you can’t get when purchasing for any other company.