AMD has formally unveiled the ATI Radeon HD 4800 family of graphics processors, which include the performance Radeon HD 4850 and ultra high-end Radeon HD 4870 cards. According to AMD, the ATI Radeon 4800 series represents a 2X performance jump over the corresponding Radeon HD 3800 cards, and is the largest generational leap since the Radeon 9700 in 2002. AMD is also quick to promote the latest Radeon 4800 GPUs in areas like performance-per-watt and performance-per-dollar, as well as lower power, heat and fan noise specifications than the competition.

The ATI Radeon HD 4850 features 800 Stream processors, a core clock speed of 625 MHz, 512 MB of GDDR3 memory rated at just under 2.0 GHz. and a maximum board power of 110 watts. The ATI Radeon HD 4870 sports a similar GPU with 800 Stream processors, but sports a maximum board power of 160 watts, and is clocked higher at 750 MHz with 512MB of GDDR5 memory set at a wicked 3.6 GHz. The cards also differ in physical design, with the Radeon HD 4850 being a single-slot format, while the Radeon HD 4870 extends this to dual-slot, with both being native PCI Express 2.0. "In performance, the ATI Radeon HD 4850 and ATI Radeon HD 4870 just blew past competing cards at their respective price levels. Each draws less power and produces less fan noise for this level of performance as well," stated Kelt Reeves, president of Falcon Northwest. The ATI Radeon HD 4850 and Radeon HD 4870 cards are available immediately, with a suggested retail price of $199 and $299 USD, respectively.