# Radeon HD 5850

> graphics card by ATI Technologies

**Wikidata**: [Q4047939](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4047939)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/radeon-hd-5850

## Summary
The Radeon HD 5850 is a desktop graphics card developed by ATI Technologies, released as part of the Radeon HD 5000 series. It features a 40 nm fabrication process, 1440 shading units, and a base clock frequency of 725 MHz, designed for high-performance gaming and graphics applications.

## Key Facts
- Released as part of the ATI Radeon HD 5000 series desktop graphics card lineup
- Features 1440 shading units and 72 texture mapping units
- Built on a 40 nm lithography process with a die area of 334 square millimeters
- Uses GDDR5 memory and supports PCI Express interface
- Has a thermal design power (TDP) of 170 watts
- Based on the TeraScale 1 microarchitecture with the codename "Cypress"
- Supports OpenGL 4.4, OpenCL 1.2, and DirectX 11.0 instruction sets

## FAQs
### Q: What are the key specifications of the Radeon HD 5850?
A: The Radeon HD 5850 features 1440 shading units, a 725 MHz base clock frequency, 72 texture mapping units, and 334 mm² die area. It uses GDDR5 memory, has a TDP of 170W, and supports PCI Express.

### Q: What architecture does the Radeon HD 5850 use?
A: The Radeon HD 5850 is based on the TeraScale 1 microarchitecture and was manufactured using a 40 nm lithography process.

### Q: What instruction sets does the Radeon HD 5850 support?
A: The Radeon HD 5850 supports OpenGL 4.4, OpenCL 1.2, and DirectX 11.0 instruction sets.

## Why It Matters
The Radeon HD 5850 represented a significant advancement in desktop graphics performance when it was released, offering strong gaming capabilities and professional graphics processing at a competitive price point. As part of ATI's 5000 series, it helped establish the company's position in the high-end graphics market and provided users with a powerful option for 3D rendering, video editing, and gaming applications. The card's support for DirectX 11.0 and modern instruction sets made it future-proof for several years, while its efficient 40 nm manufacturing process balanced performance with power consumption.

## Notable For
- First graphics card in the 5000 series to offer DirectX 11.0 support
- Achieved high performance with relatively efficient 170W TDP
- Featured advanced 40 nm manufacturing process for its time
- Provided excellent price-to-performance ratio in the mid-range enthusiast segment
- Supported cutting-edge graphics technologies including tessellation and compute shaders

## Body
### Technical Specifications
The Radeon HD 5850 is built around the Cypress GPU, which contains 2.154 billion transistors packed into a 334 mm² die. The graphics processor operates at a base clock frequency of 725 MHz and is paired with high-speed GDDR5 memory through a 256-bit memory interface.

### Performance Capabilities
With 1440 stream processors and 72 texture mapping units, the HD 5850 delivers strong performance for both gaming and professional applications. The card's architecture supports hardware tessellation, allowing for more detailed 3D models and smoother curved surfaces in supported games and applications.

### Memory and Interface
The graphics card utilizes GDDR5 memory, which provides high bandwidth for demanding applications. It connects to the system through a PCI Express interface, ensuring compatibility with modern desktop motherboards. The memory configuration and interface width allow the card to handle high-resolution textures and complex 3D scenes effectively.

### Power and Thermal Design
Operating at 170 watts TDP, the Radeon HD 5850 requires adequate cooling and power delivery. The thermal design considers both the GPU and memory components, with the card typically featuring a dual-slot cooling solution to maintain optimal operating temperatures under load.

### Software Support
The graphics card supports multiple graphics APIs including OpenGL 4.4 for professional applications, OpenCL 1.2 for general-purpose computing, and DirectX 11.0 for gaming. This broad software compatibility ensures the card can be used across various applications from gaming to scientific computing.

## References

1. Source