Differences between a HD 4890, 4890 XXX AND 4890 Black

[infinity06]

I am just writing to find out what makes a HD 4890 card different then a HD 4890 Black Edition outside of the clock speed.

Why cant i just buy the base model card and overclock it to that of a black edition?

Do they use different chips, GPU's ?

If someone wants to reference an article that explains this i have no problem with reading. I have searched and havent found much.

 

[Amtrak]

IIRC, the XXX and Black edition are XFX cards. They are simply factory overclocked cards that are guaranteed by the manufacturer to run at those speeds. As the overclock on pre-overclocked cards are typically fairly conservative, there is no reason that you can't simply overclock a base card yourself. However, as GPU overclockability varies widely, you cannot be guaranteed any specific stable overclock when doing it yourself.

 

[Stvwndr219e]

There is no difference outside of clock speed. XFX markets it as the "black edition" because it comes with a higher factory overclock. Usually, it's no big problem to just overclock it yourself - just mind those VRM temps.

 

[MIAHALLEN]

There is a difference...THE BIOS! The higher end cards use different BIOS settings which often add extra voltage, and more OCing headroom.

Yes you can flash lower end cards with higher end BIOSes...but it is slightly risky.