HIS HD 4850 IceQ4 1 GB

Conclusion

With 1GB graphics cards quickly becoming a standard, it will become harder and harder to justify purchasing an older 512MB unless you are going for a Crossfire system. Newer games are slowly coming around to taking advantage of added RAM. Judging by past experience, in the next year you will see a larger increase in frame rates from what you are seeing now. This will be even more prevalent in higher resolutions.

The performance of Crossfire is undeniable compared to a single HD 4870. If you are in the market for a graphics upgrade, but can't justify the price of two HD 4870's, then two HD 4850's would be a better buy over a single HD 4870. If you fall into that position, it may be better to grab a couple 512MB cards due to their cheaper price. You may loose an advantage later on down the road, but their sheer power will keep them in a high standing compared to other 1GB cards.

Even after all of this time since the HD 4850 was introduced, it still proves to be a powerful card, capable of playing all of the latest games. Combine that with the added benefit of 1GB of RAM, and HIS's incredible cooler, and you have a incredible combination of power that will live long into the future. The HIS HD 4850 1GB adds many advances to the HD 4850, allowing it to function far into the future as a viable graphics solution.

Pros:

+  Good performance
+  Cool operation
+  1GB of RAM
+  Game included

Cons:

-  Big price difference between 1GB and 512MB models

With a final score of 9 out of 10 the HIS HD 4850 IceQ4 receives the Bjorn3D Golden Bear Award.