Labs

Having been massively impressed by Sapphire's Radeon HD 4850, we couldn't wait to see what its faster sibling, the HD 4870, could achieve. It certainly looks a more powerful card, as it has a large heatsink which takes up two slots.

This was one of the few cards here to run our 1,440x900 Crysis test at a playable frame rate with 4x anti-aliasing. Its score of 34fps made it the second-fastest card here in Crysis after Leadtek's GTX 260. It was the fastest card in Call of Duty 4, producing 60.1fps even with the resolution raised to 1,920x1,080. It also managed an impressive 4,617 in 3DMark Vantage, so should handle upcoming titles.

For most gamers, the HD 4850 provides enough power for far less money. The HD 4870 may be the quickest card in Call of Duty 4, but we think you're better off stretching to Leadtek's GTX 260. It's faster in Crysis and 3DMark Vantage, so it should run tomorrow's games more smoothly.