February 10, 2009

Instant Performer
By Billy Joe I. Allardo
Published in the December 2008-January 2009 print edition of PC World Philippines

MSI 4850 2D512 OC
P9,990
www.msi.com.tw

The MSI 4850 2D512 OC that visited our lab literally looks like the MSI N9600GT Hybrid Freezer we had a couple of months back. It employs the same cooling mechanism that features an intricate set of aluminum fins, woven with thick copper pipes for extra heat dissipation, and topped by a hard clear plastic and a sizeable fan.

Built around ATI’s mid-level graphics solution – the 55nm fabricated RV770 PRO – the card comes already overclocked. Its engine clock is up to 640MHz from the normal 625MHz, though the memory clock remains at 1.986GHz. This tweak allows a bit more rendering for in-game objects, which bodes well for users who do not want to meddle with hardware settings.

In this setting, the card was able to get a score of 8590 in 3DMark 2006 and rates of 56.8 and 171 frames per second, in Company of Heroes and FEAR, respectively. Compared to the scores garnered by the previous graphics cards we tried out, the ones got by the MSI 4850 2D512 OC are quite competitive. On screen, the lighting and shadows were sufficient, the same goes for the details on in-game items like trees and cobblestone streets.

Still, you can further adjust the clocks. Given the attached cooling mechanism and the capabilities of the chip, it is safe to say that the card has enough grit to withstand the increase in power flow, though it is better if you have a robust overall cooling setup inside the CPU. To provide more power handling, the card comes equipped with solid-state capacitors and chokes, lined specifically to even out-current loads.

We were able to up the engine clock by 9.38 percent and the memory clock by 11.98 percent. Unfortunately, the scores went a tad down (see the table below), though the graphics quality remained pretty much the same making the MSI 4850 2D512 OC as good as it comes out of the box. In addition, the card supports multi-GPU deployment with the dual CrossFire slots it has above it.

To exploit its potential further, MSI bundled the card with a number of utility software. There is the Live suite that enables users to receive BIOS, driver, and utility updates, while Vivid enables fine-tuning of graphic quality. WMIinfo list provides a detailed list of system information while LockBox gives a user a frontline password protection. Despite being a mid-tier offering, the MSI 4850 2D512 OC provides enough oomph to get through graphics-laden games and applications without even yanking its settings.