AMD‘s ATI graphics unit has introdued a new HD 4600 series of graphics cards, aiming to offer decent gaming performance and high-definition video experiences at prices that won’t scare off even the most hesitant buyers: both the ATI HD 4670 and HD 4650 cards come in well under $100.
"Today, AMD is providing mainstream users—one of the largest segments of the market—with superior graphics products and performance at previously unheard of prices," said AMD’s graphics group senior VP and general manager Rick Bergman, in a statement. "The success of the ATI Radeon HD 4000 series validates that AMD’s shift away from the traditional means of producing large, hot, monolithic graphics chip continues to be a successful strategy AMD continues to execute against its timelines and deliver leading graphics performance at every price point."
The AMD HD 4670 and 450 are based on AMD’s TeraScale graphics engine and sport 320 stream processors and are built using AMD’s 55nm manufacturing process. The cards also feature DirectX 10.1 support, AMD’s Unified Video Decoder 2.0 for HD video processing, support for video resolutions higher than 1080p, and support for 7.1 surround audio. The cards support scaling via ATI’s CrossFireX technology, and both offer low power consumption, with the 4670 pulling 60 Watts under load, and the 4650 pulling 50 watts under load (so neither requires an additional power cable).
The ATI HD 4670 with 512 MB of video memory is available now for a suggested price of $79, while a 512 MB version of the HD 4650 should be available later this month for $69. A version of the 4670 with 1 GB of video memory should be available later this month as well.
