Testbed

Motherboard: MSI P45D3 Platinum ( Provided by: MSI );
Processor: Intel Core 2 QX9770 Extreme edition at 3.6GHz ( Provided by: Intel );
Memory: Corsair Dominator 12800 7-7-7-24 ( Provided by: Corsair);
HDD: WD VelociRaptor 300G 10,000RPM ( Provided by: SmoothCreation );

Nvidia 180.48_geforce_winvista_32bit_english_whql
ATI CCC 8.12

Vantage Test

MSI R4830 runs at almost identical speeds as the reference HD 4830 so it’s natural that there’s no performance difference. Only after we overclocked the card to 700MHz (19% increase) and memory to 1000MHz (2000MHz effectively) did we manage to pull off a 17% better result.



Games

World In Conflict

Radeon HD 4830 fights a tough battle versus the Geforce 9800 GT. It seems like Nvidia’s latest drivers improved 9800 GT performance, but it wasn’t enough to beat HD 4830 in this game. All we can say for MSI’s overclocked R4830 is that it’s better, as this dual-slot card runs up to 18% better than reference HD 4830.














Far Cry 2

At 1280x1024 and ultra-high settings, Far Cry 2 results in a frame rate good enough for glitch-free gaming. MSI shines after overclocking leaving the 9800 GT behind by up to 21%. With antialiasing on, 9800 GT closes the gap to only 5%; non-overclocked card loses by 13% and the reference HD 4830 by almost 9%.






Left 4 Dead

Unlike the previous generation, HD 4800 series is not plagued by a bad antialiasing solution. It’s evident from the following results where HD 4830 fares well versus the 9800 GT.







Conclusion

MSI R4830 is based on Radeon HD 4830 graphics processor, which is a crippled version of RV770 chip used on HD 4850, HD 4870 and HD 4870 X2. HD 4830’s core is named RV770 LE, but with its 640 stream processor and a 585MHz clock, it’ll be enough to play all the popular games. Just like the rest of RV770 cards, HD 4830 also supports the new Avivo converter (ATI stream computing).

MSI R4830 is special for its overclocking capabilities, which will help it in separating it from the pack. We had no trouble overclocking it by 115MHz, and temperatures were still some 30 degrees Celsius lower than on reference HD 4830 cards. Lower temperatures are a direct result of MSI’s dual-slot cooling, as well as 4+1 phase power that ensures power stability and less strain on the power components.

MSI R4830 OC Edition is one of the best HD 4830 cards around and we sincerely recommend it if you want your card to have a long life. Great cooling and power stability are prerequisites for long life, and MSI’s R4830 offers exactly that. It will set you back some €10 more than reference, but it’s €10 well spent.