The AMD HD4890

INTRODUCTION

Springtime usually means a new GPU from both NVIDIA and AMD and even though we live in troubled times it is that time again in 2009. A week ago in the last days of March I sat down at an AMD presentation where we were shown among other products the card that we will talk about today, the new HD4890 which is using the “new” RV790 GPU. The planned release were on the 9th of April, even though reports were already coming in that cards using it were out in the Far East, but due to the “Green’s” decision to try to spoil the party with a “limited” launch of the new GTX275 AMD decided to move the release forward a week to today.

In this article we will give you an overview of the GPU as well as give you benchmark scores of it compared to the HD4870 1 GB and the GTX260 216 Core. At the same time we also have a review of the new Asus HD4890 Voltage Tweak Edition as well as an article about NVIDIA’s new GPU, the GTX275 making this a interesting day for everyone looking for a new graphics card.

The RV790/HD4890 is not a competitor to the NVIDIA GTX285 or GTX295. Instead it is a chip that is aimed straight to the enthusiast market with cards selling around $250. It slots in neatly above the HD4870 1 GB while leaving the high-end to the HD4870X2. AMD actually showed us an interesting chart which shows the demand they are seeing at the various price points.

While the demand naturally is for the cheaper cards there still is a nice peak around sub-$300 which is the market they hope to aim the HD4890 for.