The graphics accelerator for laptops AMD Radeon R5 marked M430 debuted on the shelves of computer equipment stores in the first half of 2016. This is an entry-level discrete accelerator. In it, the manufacturer tried to combine acceptable performance and the maximum degree of energy efficiency. In the same review, we will try to give an answer to how he managed to combine these two radically different parameters.
Features of the accelerator. His specialization
Sufficiently high requirements are put forward to the AMD Radeon R5 mobile accelerator in the discrete version of the M430 model. On the one hand, this device must be energy efficient. That is, the power consumed by it during operation should be minimal. Due to this, the battery life of the computer is significantly increased. On the other hand, the speed of such an adapter should be higher than that of integrated video cards. If this condition is not met, then the expediency of producing such an accelerator is lost.
The main scope of such a video card is entry-level mobile computers. These PCs can handle today's least demanding gaming applications, for example. In addition to this, it is quite comfortable to develop various programs on such a laptop. In addition, the presence of discrete graphics even allows you to process images and pictures in a small amount. That is, such a PC is both affordable (they have a low cost), productive and moderately autonomous.
GPU main technical parameters
The characteristics of the AMD Radeon R5 in the performance of the M430 indicate that it is based on the SutXT microprocessor. The developers included 320 streaming modules for processing graphic information in its composition. In turn, this solution has only 20 texture units, and 8 raster pipelines. All these elements of the graphics accelerator operate at a clock frequency of 1030 MHz. Separately, it should be noted that the last value was strictly fixed. This solution did not allow dynamically increasing the frequency in the case of a very complex task.
Semiconductor base and its specifications
As noted earlier, this discrete accelerator for mobile computers is based on the Sun XT chip based on the GCN revision 1.0 architecture. Its silicon crystal was manufactured to a tolerance of 28nm. In this case, the transistors have a surface layout. Therefore, for normal cooling of such an adapter, it is necessary to equip it with a cooler without fail. In combination with an aluminum heatsink, such an accelerator will not function stably, for the reason that it overheats during operation. In turn, the presence of an active cooling system for the graphics chip increases the noise level of the laptop. But there is no way to get away from this disadvantage.
Memory subsystem
The graphics accelerator for portable computers AMD Radeon Graphics R5 model M430 was equipped with a separate RAM, which contained only the information it processed. Moreover, only a discrete accelerator can interact with this RAM. The type of memory used is DDR3, which operates at a frequency of 1800 MHz, and the width of the connection bus to it is 64 bits. The total volume of the video buffer is 2 GB. That is, such an accelerator is great for those cases when you need to display images in HD or even FullHD formats. But in the case of switching to the "4K" mode in this situation, there may be problems with the smooth operation of the interface.
Performance evaluation
In the test package of PCMark'11 graphics accelerators, the AMD Radeon R5 M430 scores 1689 points at a fairly modest resolution of 1280 x 800. In this case, the R5 M330 and HDGraphics 630 demonstrate the same performance with them. The 920M and GT 640M are one percent ahead of the hero of this review. The result obtained in this test once again proves that this adapter really belongs to a series of entry-level gaming devices.
In the Diablo III toy, this accelerator in a similar mode and with low picture quality can produce 66fps. That is, in this mode, this application will function quite comfortably. In the medium quality mode, such an accelerator in this game will already give out 42fps.
Setting order. Configuration nuances
The algorithm for setting up such an accelerator is quite simple. There is no need to install this accelerator in a computer, for the reason that it is already inside the computer system. Therefore, the first step in setting up a PC in this case is the installation of system software. Again, some computers are already being sold with such software pre-installed. In this case, this step must be skipped.
The next step is to install the AMD Radeon R5 drivers. As a rule, a disk with such software is included in the list of delivery of a laptop. If such a component is not included in the package by the manufacturer, then the necessary software can be pre-downloaded from the Global Web. Then we start the installation process, after following the instructions of the installation wizard. Upon completion of this operation, it is highly recommended to restart the computer system. This will allow the changes made to the software to take effect.
We are all used to the fact that most of the reviews of modern computer hardware are devoted to the top segment. Although it is distinguished by the high performance of the presented components, it cannot boast of affordable prices. But the user does not always need top-end or even average PC parts in terms of their functionality. For example, for a video card, it is enough to provide a little more performance than the solution integrated on the motherboard. And the AMD Radeon R5 230 is a prime example of this - let's look at this budget video card in more detail.
Video cards based on this chipset from Asus and PowerColor are the most widely represented on the domestic market. Additionally, there are mobile solutions that are used in laptops (index M230), but their consideration is a topic for a separate article.
Main characteristics
Before us is a classic budget video card, made according to the 40 nm process. Supports core operation up to 625 MHz and operates with DDR3 video memory up to 1 GB. Of course, these figures are taken from the official website of AMD and are purely theoretical - in fact, the performance will be slightly lower. The best proof of this thesis is the fact that almost all models of this line are made with a passive cooling system. Of course, the user is a solid plus from this - there is no source of additional noise in the case and there is no need to clean the additional fan during preventive disassembly of the PC. But a person who understands the issue perfectly understands that the presence of a factory passive cooling system for the chipset and memory chips indicates a rather mediocre performance of the hardware.
160 shader processors interact with a 64-bit wide memory bus. The DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4.1 standards are fully supported, the type of interface for interacting with the motherboard is PCI Express version 2.0. It does not need additional power, the minimum power of the PC power supply for stable operation of the video card is only 400 watts. As a special "bun" we should mention an impressive number of external interfaces of the card - VGA, DVI-D and HDMI. Theoretically, this implies the ability to connect three monitors to a PC at once. In practice, such a need rarely arises - two screens are usually enough to solve any problem. The maximum resolution that the device produces is 2560 x 1600, the maximum declared power consumption is 75 watts.
Performance test results
Obviously, it is difficult to expect high performance from a budget solution, but let's see what results this video card will show in games that have become classics for a long time. And both from the point of view of the gameplay, and from the point of view of testing the performance of video cards. The stand is a PC based on the GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 3 motherboard with an installed Intel Core i7-3770K processor and two G.Skill TridentX F3-2400C10D-16GTX 8 GB RAM slots each. Hard drive - HyperX Savage SSD 480 GB, power supply - Seasonic X-1050 Gold, stand operating system type - Microsoft Windows 7 64-bit SP1. For a more correct assessment of the performance of the video card, the latest drivers were also downloaded and installed on the website of the official manufacturer.
Classic 3D Mark version 11 scored 625 points, Aliens vs. Predator at maximum settings, a performance of 5.4 fps was achieved - the first bell. The rest of the high-performance applications were able to provide a similar result: the game Metro 2033 produced 3.2 fps, Lost Planet 2 - 2.9 fps, Sniper Elite V2 - 5 fps. The third Far Cry was chosen as a control test "in the head" - the performance was 1.2 fps! Skyrim produced 6 frames per second - which is the best praise of the optimizers of this project. The values for other games (Crysis 2, Colin MCRae: DiRT 3, Battlefield 3) also did not exceed five frames per second. The conclusion is simple - the gaming capabilities of the AMD Radeon R5 230 are minimal. Of course, in terms of its capabilities, it is head and shoulders above the AMD Radeon HD 6450, which it planned to replace in the budget video card market. But already the Radeon R7 240 considered "iron" loses at least twice.
During the tests, the temperature of the main components of the card was also measured. Under maximum load, it was 73 degrees Celsius, which is quite close to the threshold value for a system with passive cooling. However, such loads did not make up the full testing time, and at the time of downtime, the temperature dropped to quite acceptable 54 degrees.
As for the overclocking potential of the video card, there is a very impressive one. Without games with power and voltage increase, software alone managed to overclock the processor from 625 to 815 and the memory from 667 to 870 MHz, respectively. On the one hand, the result was a 30% increase in the performance of the video card, and on the other hand, the need to use an active cooling system, since the standard radiator could not cope with the increased load.
Is the game worth the candle? The performance increase by a third according to the new tests also increases the fps values in games. Where it was 6, it became 8 - but it cannot be said that this made playing much more comfortable. Comfortable 25 fps will be achieved only for games of the last decade, so this video card cannot be recommended to modern gamers.
Scope of applicability of this video card
But we can safely recommend it to those who need its main advantages. These include small dimensions, passive cooling system, impressive overclocking potential of the video card and low cost. An ideal solution for an office PC that for some reason lacks the performance of an integrated graphics card. And no less ideal - for a home multimedia center of the initial price segment. Playing multimedia content, HD video, comfortable work with the most common office applications and surfing the Web - these are the areas in which this video card reveals itself from the best side. But modern games don't. And one should not expect exorbitant performance from a solution that was considered budget back in 2014 - we have a classic “workhorse” of the initial price range.
As for the delivery package, everything is quite predictable here. In the boxed version, in addition to the video card, you will find a disk with drivers and software, as well as a quick start guide. It is clear that for the most correct, stable and optimal performance of the video card, the drivers should be updated promptly. You can do this both directly on the video card manufacturer's website and on the AMD portal - the most up-to-date driver versions can always be found on these two resources. And if you plan to install this video card in an HTPC case, then buy a plastic interface panel cover in advance, which is not included in the standard kit.
The graphics accelerator for laptops AMD Radeon R5 marked M430 debuted on the shelves of computer equipment stores in the first half of 2016. This is an entry-level discrete accelerator. In it, the manufacturer tried to combine acceptable performance and the maximum degree of energy efficiency. In the same review, we will try to give an answer to how he managed to combine these two radically different parameters.
Features of the accelerator. His specialization
Sufficiently high requirements are put forward to the AMD Radeon R5 mobile accelerator in the discrete version of the M430 model. On the one hand, this device must be energy efficient. That is, the power consumed by it during operation should be minimal. Due to this, the battery life of the computer is significantly increased. On the other hand, the speed of such an adapter should be higher than that of integrated video cards. If this condition is not met, then the expediency of producing such an accelerator is lost.
The main scope of such a video card is entry-level mobile computers. These PCs can handle today's least demanding gaming applications, for example. In addition to this, it is quite comfortable to develop various programs on such a laptop. In addition, the presence of discrete graphics even allows you to process images and pictures in a small amount. That is, such a PC is both affordable (they have a low cost), productive and moderately autonomous.
GPU main technical parameters
The characteristics of the AMD Radeon R5 in the performance of the M430 indicate that it is based on the SutXT microprocessor. The developers included 320 streaming modules for processing graphic information in its composition. In turn, this solution has only 20 texture units, and 8 raster pipelines. All these elements of the graphics accelerator operate at a clock frequency of 1030 MHz. Separately, it should be noted that the last value was strictly fixed. This solution did not allow dynamically increasing the frequency in the case of a very complex task.
Semiconductor base and its specifications
As noted earlier, this discrete accelerator for mobile computers is based on the Sun XT chip based on the GCN revision 1.0 architecture. Its silicon crystal was manufactured to a tolerance of 28nm. In this case, the transistors have a surface layout. Therefore, for normal cooling of such an adapter, it is necessary to equip it with a cooler without fail. In combination with an aluminum heatsink, such an accelerator will not function stably, for the reason that it overheats during operation. In turn, the presence of an active cooling system for the graphics chip increases the noise level of the laptop. But there is no way to get away from this disadvantage.
Memory subsystem
The graphics accelerator for portable computers AMD Radeon Graphics R5 model M430 was equipped with a separate RAM, which contained only the information it processed. Moreover, only a discrete accelerator can interact with this RAM. The type of memory used is DDR3, which operates at a frequency of 1800 MHz, and the width of the connection bus to it is 64 bits. The total volume of the video buffer is 2 GB. That is, such an accelerator is great for those cases when you need to display images in HD or even FullHD formats. But in the case of switching to the "4K" mode in this situation, there may be problems with the smooth operation of the interface.
Performance evaluation
In the test package of PCMark'11 graphics accelerators, the AMD Radeon R5 M430 scores 1689 points at a fairly modest resolution of 1280 x 800. In this case, the R5 M330 and HDGraphics 630 demonstrate the same performance with them. The 920M and GT 640M are one percent ahead of the hero of this review. The result obtained in this test once again proves that this adapter really belongs to a series of entry-level gaming devices.
In the Diablo III toy, this accelerator in a similar mode and with low picture quality can produce 66fps. That is, in this mode, this application will function quite comfortably. In the medium quality mode, such an accelerator in this game will already give out 42fps.
Setting order. Configuration nuances
The algorithm for setting up such an accelerator is quite simple. There is no need to install this accelerator in a computer, for the reason that it is already inside the computer system. Therefore, the first step in setting up a PC in this case is the installation of system software. Again, some computers are already being sold with such software pre-installed. In this case, this step must be skipped.
The next step is to install the AMD Radeon R5 drivers. As a rule, a disk with such software is included in the list of delivery of a laptop. If such a component is not included in the package by the manufacturer, then the necessary software can be pre-downloaded from the Global Web. Then we start the installation process, after following the instructions of the installation wizard. Upon completion of this operation, it is highly recommended to restart the computer system. This will allow the changes made to the software to take effect.
Reviews
The advantages of this model AMD Radeon R5 experts and users include reliability, performance and energy efficiency. In addition, the cost of mobile systems with such an accelerator is quite democratic. There is only one minus in this case - this is the need to equip this adapter with a separate cooler, which creates unnecessary noise during the operation of the PC. But, as previously noted, this defect cannot be eliminated in any way.
Conclusion
The considered modification of the AMD Radeon R5 is still an actual computer component. This accelerator was introduced relatively recently; new portable computers can still be found on its basis. At the same time, the speed of such computers is at a sufficient level and still allows you to run software of any level of complexity. The latter also include resource-intensive toys and even graphics packages. That is, the AMD engineers turned out to be a fairly good entry-level solution that harmoniously combines high performance and long battery life.
AMD Radeon R5 video card: review, specifications, expert reviews on the site.
There is no clear division between budget graphics cards for PCs and laptops. The same line of chipsets can be used for full-fledged graphics cards with low performance, as well as for mid-range laptops. A striking example is the AMD Radeon R5 330, which is represented on the Russian market for the most part by its mobile version of the M330. This does not mean that you will not find a boxed version of this video card - however, it will most likely be purchased from a foreign buyer. And most of the material below is relevant specifically for the mobile version of the device, which can be found in medium-segment laptops.
Main characteristics
From the point of view of manufacturing technology, the video card in question is made using the 28 nm process. This approach makes it possible to provide a processor frequency of up to 1033 MHz and a memory of up to 2000 GHz. The volume of the latter, depending on the manufacturer of the video card, can reach 2 GB, the standard is DDR3. 320 stream processors provide the necessary level of device performance, interaction with the motherboard of a PC or laptop is carried out via the PCI Express 3.0 bus. From the point of view of the implementation of the API at the hardware level, the video card supports DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.4 for operating systems of the Windows family, as well as Vulkan and Mantle for Mac and Linux-like operating systems. The focus on mobile performance is reflected in the modest form factor of the video card and the number of external connection slots - it is one. Accordingly, monitors that are too old or too modern will require the use of an appropriate adapter. Well, the cooling system of the video card in any version is active.
Performance test results
In general, the Tonga GPU, which is used in this video card, provides peak performance in the region of 547 Gflops. It is clear that such a result is achievable only theoretically and in purely synthetic tests. In practice, the numbers are much, much more modest - let's look at them using the example of the most popular toys. There are no new products among them, but this is not necessary - after all, laptops and PCs of the middle price range are equipped with video cards of this family. So, the game Arkham Knight, depending on the configuration, produces from 2 to 17 fps. The popular online action movie Battlefield 4 boasts values from 5.8 to 34.3 fps - excellent indicators of optimization of the game code for machines with low performance. The beautiful tropical Crysis 3 cannot boast of such a thing - its results are 8.4 to 19.1 fps. Fallout 4 gives practically the same results - 4.1 and 19.4 fps in the nuclear wastelands of America. But the tactical action movie Rainbow Six and the latest Tomb Raider frankly pleased. At the highest settings, the gameplay turns into a beautiful slideshow - 7.1 and 9 fps, respectively. But with the minimum configuration, the values increased to 41.3 and 49.1 fps - and these values are quite enough for a comfortable game. The closest analogue and competitor in this sense is the GeForce GT 705, which has quite similar characteristics.
As for the purely synthetic tests of this video card, the 3D Mark 11 showed 1623 points - quite an expected value. Well, we should not forget about the overclocking potential. Without increasing the power levels of the core and memory (that is, using purely software overclocking tools), you can increase the performance of this video card by 25-30%. Good? On the one hand, yes - if we are talking about a video card model that is used in a regular PC. In this case, there are no problems with organizing additional cooling - the original video card system can even handle it. But in the case of the mobile version, not everything is so rosy. Compactness and low power consumption for devices of this type are the most important parameters, while any extreme mode was simply not taken into account. And you can’t plug an additional cooler into a laptop; moreover, it’s not always possible to even replace the original cooling system with a more productive one. In total - in the best case, you will get overheating, if not of the video card itself, then of the rest of the laptop components. Which is fraught not only with expensive repairs, but also with the loss of important information. The conclusion is simple and it is quite standard - do not overclock devices as part of a laptop. Safe and optimal overclocking is only possible on gaming laptops priced from 50k apiece and above - which is frankly not a case in point.
And since we are talking about performance, we should not forget about another important component - the current version of the video card drivers. You can download such software both from the official website of the hardware manufacturer, and from the portal of AMD itself - both sources are verified and reliable. The latest drivers provide the best performance for your graphics card, so don't neglect installing them. In addition, in an additional application, they come with quite a lot of useful functionality - for example, online control of the temperature of the chipset and memory.
Scope of applicability of this video card
If we are talking about a solution for a PC, then we have a frankly budget option for a low cost, but with acceptable performance. The next step behind the graphics card integrated on the motherboard is the most accurate definition of the AMD Radeon R5 330. In addition to the video card, the quite traditional delivery set includes a driver disk and a quick start guide. If the type of cable used from the monitor matches the type on the video card, congratulations. If not, buy an adapter, the benefit is inexpensive. The main area of application, according to the manufacturer's description, is streaming video decoding, so viewing multimedia content on the Web with such a video card will be quite comfortable. Working with documents and surfing the Internet are also not satisfactory. And you can play the games of the last decade with ease - for those times, this video card is positioned as a confident top. Games are a little more modern, but an acceptable fps value is achieved only with a minimal configuration. Overclocking can help, but not much.
If we consider the video card as part of a laptop, then we have a device in the middle price range. And it is no longer possible to call it frankly budget - in combination with the rest of the components of the device, this video card has a very solid performance. Not top, but for the money - a stable middle. Among the shortcomings, as mentioned above, is a weak overclocking potential. But low power consumption (only 50 W) and the presence of an active cooling system provide the necessary temperature conditions in any mobile device.
This video card was announced about two years ago, so it cannot be called a novelty. There are now models on the market with much more outstanding performance. However, in the field of mobile graphics cards, progress is much slower, and it is quite possible to find a laptop with an AMD Radeon R5 330.
An important factor when choosing a laptop is the mobile graphics card installed in it. In the vast majority of cases, video cards designed for these purposes are inferior to their counterparts from desktop computers in everything. However, it is still possible to choose an acceptable option.
Today we will talk about the AMD Radeon R5 M230 mobile graphics card.
AMD Radeon R5 M230: general information
One of the most important parameters of any mobile video card is the level of heat dissipation. Indeed, if we take into account that the equipment in this type of equipment is located very close, then an increase in temperature above a certain level can seriously harm the system. If you prefer to work with a laptop, holding it on your lap, then it is quite possible to get minor burns from a working radiator. The AMD Radeon R5 M230 graphics card is based on the 28 nm process technology.
This means that the video card has a certain chip size. It is smaller than analogs of the same series from computer graphics cards. This parameter is quite standard for video cards installed on a laptop. If we talk about the possibility of connecting multiple monitors at the same time, then in this regard, the R5 series does not provide the user with any special options. The maximum that a user can count on is two screens. For most office tasks, this is enough. For many users, one monitor is generally enough.
AMD Radeon R5 M230 Specifications
Let's start considering the technical capabilities of the AMD Radeon R5 M230 video card. Sellers often try to write the amount of video card memory on the price tags. But this is far from the most important parameter. The clock frequency of the video chip in the AMD Radeon R5 M230 video card is 855 MHz. This ensures a high data transfer rate from the board to the CPU. Considering that the similar AMD Radeon R5 M230 model for a personal computer has this parameter of 625 MHz, this is quite good.
At the same time, 4 GB of DDR3 memory can be installed on the video card, depending on the manufacturer. From this, respectively, and will depend on the maximum value of the clock frequency. For this legacy memory format, the value is 1000 MHz. The combination of these parameters as a whole provides a fairly high memory bandwidth of the video card. Its value is 16 Gb / s. In this regard, the AMD Radeon R5 M230 video card, the characteristics of which we are considering in this article, seriously let us down. All other features of this video card will be completely useless if they are not able to organize a workable system.
AMD Radeon R5 M230 Computing
So it came to computing blocks. There are five of them in the AMD Radeon R5 M230 video card. If we take into account that each of them consists of 64 stream processors, then in total we get 320 computational elements. This is unacceptably small for a gaming video card. However, if in the future you plan to use the laptop for multimedia purposes, this will be enough. In general, this value at the hardware level allows you to support shaders version 5.0 DirectX 12.0 and the OpenGL standard. If we take into account the physical capabilities of the video card in question, we can conclude that such characteristics are basically useless. Despite the fact that the video card is capable of working with these software products, it simply does not have enough power to implement them all 100%.
AMD Radeon R5 M230: Software
Let's talk a little more about the latest technologies that the AMD Radeon R5 M230 graphics card can interact with.
- Mantle: this technology allows applications that are developed using it to access the video card directly, bypassing the intermediary - the processor.
— OpenCL 1.2. This Vulkan technology reduces the load on the CPU, and also provides support for 3D applications better than Open GL does.
— AMD Enduro. This technology allows you to reduce the power consumption of your notebook under certain conditions. The graphics card must be installed on a PC running Windows 7 or later, the laptop must use an AMD Radeon discrete graphics card, and an Intel or AMD A-series processor is also required.
— AMD APP Acceleration. This technology allows you to improve the quality of video playback and increase performance in applications.
AMD Radeon R5 M230: testing
We finish with the theoretical part of our review and move on to the practical one. What do users say about the AMD Radeon R5 M230 graphics card in their reviews? Almost all laptops that use this video card have poor gaming performance. This is disturbing. Let's start with Skyrim, which was released in 2011. A distinctive feature of this game is the third-person view and stunning landscapes. The developers, together with the latest technologies, turned out to be a resource-intensive application. In this case, disappointment awaited us - the video card at medium settings gave out 25 FPS, and at high settings - 16 FPS.
There is no need to talk about ultra-quality. In Bioshok Infinite, the result was no better than 23-19 FPS. To clarify, it is worth saying that the work of most games without glitches and freezes is carried out at 50-60 FPS. You can play at 40 FPS, but with some lags. The values provided by the AMD Radeon R5 M230 graphics card are too low, especially for games of the genre discussed above. After testing, we can say with full confidence that the AMD Radeon R5 M230 graphics card is completely unsuitable for gaming purposes. Modern games will be able to run on this video card only at low settings. Of course, one cannot count on high performance.
