ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4860

The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4860 is an end-of-life mobile GPU from AMD, built on the TeraScale architecture. Fabricated by TSMC on a 40 nm process, the M97 chip packs 826 million transistors into a 137 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 6.0M per square millimeter. It belongs to the M9x generation (Mobility HD 4800 series), succeeding the M8x and preceding the Manhattan. The database records no benchmark scores for this part, yet its aggregate percentile of 50 places it exactly at the median of all tracked GPUs.

Benchmark Performance

The database contains no benchmark entries for the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4860, meaning no direct scores or percentage deltas against rivals are available for analysis. Consequently, the only quantitative performance indicators are the theoretical peak rates derived from its clock and core configuration. The card operates with a memory clock of 1000 MHz, translating to 4 Gbps effective on GDDR5 memory. The shading unit count is 640, with 32 texture mapping units and 16 ROPs. This configuration yields a pixel rate of 10.40 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 20.80 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute throughput is 832.0 GFLOPS. These figures establish the card's raw computational capacity, though they are not measured benchmark results.

The 50th percentile ranking across all GPUs in the database suggests a mid-tier position, but without rival scores, the exact performance gap cannot be quantified. The memory subsystem consists of 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth. This bandwidth is a critical factor for texture-heavy workloads, and the 128-bit bus is a notable constraint. The pixel rate of 10.40 GPixel/s indicates the fill-rate capacity for frame buffer operations, while the texture rate of 20.80 GTexel/s shows the rate at which textures can be sampled. In the absence of measured scores, these theoretical peaks are the only metrics available for assessing performance. The 832.0 GFLOPS FP32 figure is the peak single-precision floating-point rate, relevant for general-purpose compute tasks as well as shader processing.

The lack of benchmark data means that any comparison to other parts must rely on these specifications alone. The 50th percentile ranking is a database-level statistic that aggregates the card's position relative to all other GPUs, but it does not provide specific delta percentages against named rivals. The 640 shading units are arranged in a TeraScale configuration, which is a unified shader architecture. The 32 TMUs and 16 ROPs are standard for this class of mobile part. The memory bandwidth of 64.00 GB/s is derived from the 128-bit bus width and the effective 4 Gbps memory clock. This is a modest bandwidth figure, which will likely bottleneck the shader array in high-resolution or high-texture scenarios. The theoretical pixel rate of 10.40 GPixel/s is the maximum number of pixels that can be rendered per second, assuming no other bottlenecks. The texture rate of 20.80 GTexel/s is the corresponding maximum for texture fetches. The FP32 rate of 832.0 GFLOPS is the peak compute throughput. All of these numbers are directly from the specification sheet, and they represent the only quantitative basis for evaluating this end-of-life part.

How It Compares

The database lists no nearest rivals for the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4860. As a result, this section cannot provide the usual per-rival percentage deltas. The specification sheet does, however, indicate its position in the product hierarchy. It belongs to the M9x generation (Mobility HD 4800 series), which places it above the preceding M8x generation and below the subsequent Manhattan successor. The chip is named M97. Within the generation, it uses the TeraScale architecture.

Without rival data, the comparison must be qualitative. The card is an end-of-life product, meaning it is no longer in production. Its release date is 2009-03-02, which places it in the late 2000s. The 40 nm process node was a significant factor for mobile parts at that time, as it allowed for a relatively compact die of 137 mm². The transistor count of 826 million is substantial for the era. The absence of rival entries in the database means that the card's relative performance cannot be benchmarked against specific competitors. However, the 50th percentile ranking across all GPUs provides a general sense of its standing: it is neither a high-end nor a low-end part, but rather a median performer.

The fact that it is an MXM Module indicates it was designed for laptop upgrades or OEM designs, not desktop use. The bus interface is PCIe 2.0 x16, which was the standard for its time. The display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," meaning the outputs vary by the laptop manufacturer. The power connectors are listed as "None," which is typical for mobile modules that draw power from the MXM slot. The suggested PSU is not specified, which is also typical for mobile parts. In summary, without nearest rivals, the comparison is limited to its generation and form factor.

Power and Cooling

The FACT PACK specifies no TDP (Thermal Design Power) for this part. Consequently, any wattage figure would be speculative. The slot width is listed as "MXM Module," which is a standardized mobile graphics module. The power connectors are listed as "None," indicating that the card does not require any auxiliary PCIe power connectors; it draws its power entirely from the MXM interface. The suggested PSU is also null, which is expected for a mobile component where the laptop's power adapter and internal power delivery handle the load.

The absence of a TDP figure means that the thermal solution is not quantified in the database. However, the 40 nm process node and the 137 mm² die size suggest a certain power envelope, but no numbers are provided. The memory is GDDR5, which typically has specific power requirements, but again, no figures are given. The card is designed for portable devices, as indicated by the display output field. The cooling solution is therefore dependent on the laptop chassis. The data shows that the card is a self-contained module (MXM) that requires no external power connectors. This is a key differentiator from desktop GPUs, which often require 6-pin or 8-pin connectors. The lack of a PSU recommendation is consistent with the mobile form factor. The power delivery is handled by the laptop's motherboard, which supplies power through the MXM slot. The thermal design is also handled by the laptop's cooling system, which may include heat pipes and fans. In the absence of a TDP value, the only power-related facts are the absence of connectors and the MXM form factor.

FAQ

Q: What is the memory configuration of the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4860?

A: It has 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a memory clock of 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective), providing 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: What is the process node and die size?

A: It is fabricated on a 40 nm process by TSMC, with 826 million transistors on a 137 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 6.0M per mm².

Q: Does it support hardware ray tracing?

A: No. The FACT PACK lists no RT cores or tensor cores, and the architecture is TeraScale, which predates hardware ray tracing.

Q: What are the power connector requirements?

A: The card requires no auxiliary power connectors, as the power connectors field is listed as "None." It draws power from the MXM module slot.

Q: What is the release date?

A: The release date is 2009-03-02, and the production status is end-of-life.

Q: What APIs does it support?

A: It supports DirectX 10.1 (10_1) and OpenGL 3.3, with no Vulkan support.

Q: What is the bus interface?

A: The bus interface is PCIe 2.0 x16.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4860 is built on the TeraScale architecture, which does not include dedicated RT cores or tensor cores. The FACT PACK lists both rtCores and tensorCores as null, confirming the absence of hardware-accelerated ray tracing and tensor operations. The feature set is therefore limited to the capabilities of the TeraScale architecture, which focuses on traditional rasterization and shader processing. The API support is DirectX 10.1 (10_1) and OpenGL 3.3. Vulkan is not supported. DirectX 10.1 is an older API that introduced improvements over DirectX 10, such as better shader model support and advanced anti-aliasing options. OpenGL 3.3 is also a legacy version. The lack of Vulkan means that the card cannot take advantage of modern cross-platform graphics APIs.

The shading units are 640, which are unified shaders. The texture mapping units are 32, and the ROPs are 16. These are the core building blocks for rendering. The pixel rate is 10.40 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 20.80 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute rate is 832.0 GFLOPS. The memory subsystem uses GDDR5 with a 128-bit bus. The card supports PCIe 2.0 x16. The display outputs are portable device dependent, meaning the actual ports vary by laptop model. The absence of RT and tensor cores is a clear indicator that this is a pre-ray-tracing part. The feature set is firmly rooted in the late 2000s. The TeraScale architecture is a unified shader architecture, which was a significant advancement over separate pixel and vertex shaders. The DirectX 10.1 support allows for features like improved texture sampling and shader model 4.1. OpenGL 3.3 support provides a certain level of compatibility with older applications. Without Vulkan, modern titles that rely on Vulkan will not run. The 40 nm process node and 826 million transistors are the physical basis for these features. The 137 mm² die size is relatively small, which is typical for mobile parts. The memory bandwidth of 64.00 GB/s is a limiting factor for high-resolution textures. In summary, the feature set is defined by the TeraScale architecture and the absence of modern compute cores.