Gadgets and Gizmos

Asus ATI Radeon HD 3850

Asus ATI Radeon HD 3850 Pro is a 3850 Pro-powered beauty of a graphics card from Asus. The AMD ATI Radeon HD 3850 uses the same chip as the HD 3870 with the core and memory clock speeds reduced from 775MHz and 2250MHz to 668MHz and 1650MHz.

But the really big difference is the 600MHz gap in the memory speed because AMD has chosen to run the 3850 on 256MB of GDDR 3 while the 3870 gets 512MB of the Full Monty GDDR 4 The SAPPHIRE HD 3850 ULTIMATE Edition has 256MB of GDDR3 memory, running at 828MHz (1.66GHz effective) and has a core clock speed of 668MHz, delivering the same exciting levels of graphics performance as the standard model – but featuring a totally fan less and silent heat pipe cooler.

It incorporates the latest ATI Avivo HD Technology for enhanced Video display and features a built in UVD (Unified Video decoder) for the hardware accelerated decoding of Blue-ray and HD DVD content for both VC-1 and H.264 codec’s, reducing CPU loading to a minimum.

The HDMI adaptor delivers true audio and video output on a single cable for direct connection of an HDMI ready display, making the SAPPHIRE HD 3850 ULTIMATE the ideal solution for gamers and video enthusiasts.

SAPPHIRE HD 3000 series graphics cards are Microsoft Windows Vista Premium certified and supported by the ATI Catalyst suite of software; ensuring customers have ongoing access to software updates for performance, stability and added features. Support for DirectX10.1 provides developers with access to enhanced programming techniques and new lighting effects.