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Sapphire HD4890 Vapor-X 2GB Conclusion: Expanding the amount of memory in a video card has always boiled down to "need". Until applications exist that can take advantage of the new memory, gains typically go unrealized. This is essentially what I found with the new Vapor-X 2GB edition; in straight head-to-head testing, the extra memory really did not help much until the 2560x1600 resolution was tested. This relegates the usefulness of 2GB of RAM to essentially two classes of upgraders: those would Crossfire the 4890 to achieve playability at extreme resolutions, and those who would look to future-proof themselves for newer games that may or may not take advantage of the extra memory. The good news is that the extra memory does not inhibit overclocking; while the core clock isn't as high as we have seen on several other cards, it compares fairly well to the overclocks we got on the reference Sapphire card. The memory clock is right up there with some of the highest we have dealt with. This makes upgrading to a 2GB card a more attractive solution for those considering the future-proof route. On the other hand, the extra memory does hurt the value of the card, considering it is looking to be a $40 price premium at the moment. Otherwise, the Vapor-X 2GB fits pretty much the same descriptions as most of the other 4890s we have looked at: good price per performance, good overclocking, and good cooling. Pros:
Cons:
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