Amd Radeon HD 6800 Series: specifications, description and tests

AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series - a series of video cards from the company AMD. This manufacturer of components for computers the whole history of existence competes with the manufacturer of video cards Nvidia. In this review, we consider the pros and cons of the AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series. Characteristics, description and test results - all this you can find below.

The emergence of a series of video cards

Regularly, AMD updates the line of graphics processors and video cards. 2010 was not an exception: the 6800 series was presented to the public. This line was created to replace the flagship video card 5870.

On October 22, the AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series was presented . The feedback on the progress of the presentation of the line was only positive. In 2010, AMD only gained popularity with their video cards, so everyone expected a technical breakthrough from them or at least a very good flagship series.

It was on this line that the re-branding of the manufacturer completely ended: from now on, to this day, the video cards were named AMD, not ATI. This was done because of the termination of the contract after the merger. Perhaps this decision was made to popularize not only graphics chips, but also processors from AMD. The conclusion about this arises from the constant advertising and presentation of configurations, assembled only on the AMD platform (processor + video card).

We'll figure out what new introduced the AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series line of cards to the market of video cards for stationary computers, the characteristics of which will be presented below. The whole series is represented by the following video cards: HD 6850 and 6870. According to the creators themselves, the 8 in the index no longer means belonging to the top line of graphics chips, as the 6900 series appeared.

AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series: specifications

First, it is worth to tell about the change in the platform. The new line uses the Barts processor. From the first presentation, it became clear that AMD chose a different path of development than Nvidia. If the latter are constantly in pursuit of power and maximum performance, then the Radeon video cards are created to be a balanced ratio, no matter how trite it sounds, prices and quality (performance).

Specialists from the former ATI company were often called true innovators. They set the trend for the entire graphics chip market. After the transition under the wing of AMD, the company took a step back. The new generation of Barts processors is even weaker than the previous one on paper and in characteristics. The creators went by simplifying the architecture to achieve an excellent balance between speed, reliability and performance. Barts became simpler in structure and smaller in size. This processor is the basis for the middle class and budget video cards, which include the AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series. The characteristics are presented below.

Both representatives of the series (HD 6850 and 6870) support DirectX11 and 5 version of the shaders. The cost of video cards is 180 and 240 dollars, respectively. In comparison with the productive and overclocked competitors from Nvidia, AMD cards are really budgetary, but the difference in performance is not so great. The amount of video memory on both cards is 1 GB. The series is a direct competitor to the GeForce GTX460 with 1 GB of RAM and GeForce GTX470.

AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series video card: specifications and test results

To test the line of video cards, the following configuration of the computer was used as a test bench: a Core i7 processor with a frequency of 3.3 GHz, 6 GB of RAM and a 64-bit Windows operating system. All used games are configured for graphics quality and detail in order to check the maximum The performance of the tested video cards.

The first game of the test was Aliens vs. Predator. Immediately it becomes clear that the HD6800 series will be difficult to compete with the GeForce 460 1GB: only at a resolution of 1600x900 and lower the AMD card can produce playable 30 frames per second.

In the game Battlefield Bad Company 2 the situation is leveled, and it does not seem like such a bad decision to purchase AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series. Technical specifications at the maximum settings of graphics and resolution (6850 and 6870) allow to overtake the GeForce by as much as 8 frames per second (30 to 22). Recall that the cost of the video card Nvidia is from 230 dollars. Using the new line from AMD is becoming more and more attractive. But, without making hasty conclusions, let's look at the following tests.

In a very demanding game Crysis Warhead, both graphics cards are held only at low screen resolutions. STALKER Call of Pripyat allows to get ahead of the video card from Nvidia at 10 frames per second. But do not forget about the significant difference in price.

Conclusion after the tests

In general, in all games, the AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series is worthy of itself. After updating, the drivers began supporting all new games, so the budget variant of the graphics chip from AMD gives tolerable 25-30 frames per second in modern game projects at high graphics settings.

AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series: the pros and cons

Of the advantages of this video card, the following points can be singled out. First, good performance in most modern games. Secondly, low power consumption. You can also note the low cost for which the buyer will get good performance and all the "chips" of top-end video cards, such as output of the image to 6 monitors, compatibility mode with similar graphics cards.

Disadvantages lie in the increased noise of the video card and frankly weak cooling system. At sufficiently high loads in video games, the chip begins to quickly overheat.

The result

For those who do not pursue breakthrough capacities and high numbers in the tests, the AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series lineup will be perfect. The characteristics of video cards allow you to play calmly with a high FPS on the average or close to them the settings of the graphic component of the game. On the side of video cards from AMD, and also low cost, in comparison with Nvidia GeForce 460 and 470. But performance is not enough, so the choice of a video card of an average budget class is obvious.