Conclusions
Conclusions
If anything, this review showed us that the HD 4890 has every reason to still be live and kicking in today’s market. It offers a potent mix of price and performance for those of you who are looking for an upgrade from their older cards but are unwilling to take a chance on the unproven DX11 performance of current ATI cards. Both Gigabyte and MSI brought some interesting cards to the table so let’s see how they stack up in the grand scheme of things.
MSI HD 4890 1GB Cyclone OC
I almost feel sorry for MSI. Their HD 4890 1GB Cyclone OC is a great all-round card with a killer heatsink but it is completely neutered by a sloppy retention bracket design. This can lead to ultra high temperatures like we saw on our card followed by fan speeds so high they will drive you absolutely insane.
While I can talk all day about the fact that all five cards our team had exhibited these same issues to varying degrees, the fact of the matter remains that not all Cyclone cards seem to have this mounting problem. We have seen some cards sporting metal spacers between the backplate and the PCB which will increase mounting pressure and would have alleviated our problems. So, it seems MSI caught on at some point in time. Are our worries about this card negated by the fact that only some cards may have these issues? Absolutely not. High temperatures due to improper mounting on what should be a world-class cooler points towards a lacklustre QA process on MSI’s part.
If we take a step back and don’t look at the disproportionate temperatures, this card is actually quite appealing. Sure, the 30Mhz overclock is nothing more than window dressing and will never impact the playability of any game but there is so much more to like about it. It is shorter than the reference card’s which leads to broader compatibility with smaller ATX cases and the fan is actually quiet when it isn’t trying to make up for an improperly mounted heatsink.
Positives aside, we just can’t recommend this card due to the fact that whether or not you get a properly mounted cooler seems to be like playing a game of Russian Roulette. If it wasn’t for this, we wouldn’t hesitate in recommending it.
Pros:
- Compact design
- Good price / performance ratio
- Canadian RMA
Cons:
- Good chance of receiving a FUBAR’d heatsink mount
- Pointless overclock
- VRMs are left naked
- Heat is dumped into your case
- VERY loud fan when heat rises above 75°C
Gigabyte HD 4890 1GB Ultra Durable OC
Even though we didn’t want to compare these two cards to one another too much, it is extremely hard not to draw parallels between the two. Both retail for about the same price (on average, the Gigabyte unit is slightly less expensive), sport custom heatsinks and are mildly overclocked. When push comes to shove, they are basically competing for the exact same market segment so no matter how much we try, it is impossible not to make some comparisons.
We really must say that even if the Cyclone OC’s heatsink was properly mounted, the Gigabyte HD 4890 1GB OC would still be our first choice. To begin with, its Zalman heatsink shows it is simply light years ahead of the competition by posting some of the best temperatures we have ever seen on an overclocked HD 4890. It does this while also having an extremely quiet fan. Speaking of overclocks, its core gets a 50Mhz bump and while that isn’t enough to have any noticeable in-game differences, it does look good on paper. We also can’t forget to mention the excellent connector selection which includes everything you could possibly need.
Perhaps the crowning achievement of the Gigabyte HD 4890 1GB Ultra Durable OC is its price. For literally a few bucks more (and in some cases less) than a reference-based card, you get a laundry list of features topped off by a pre-overclocked core and an amazing heatsink. As such, we believe this card is a true price / performance leader in the $200 price bracket where the HD 4890 cards currently reside.
Pros:
- Excellent price / performance ratio
- Zalman cooler works wonders
- Good selection of connectors
- Relatively quiet
Cons:
- Heatsink is stuck on with the devil’s own thermal compound
- Heat is dumped into your case
