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ATI Radeon HD 4100 vs ATI Radeon HD 4200 vs ATI Radeon HD 4250

ATI Radeon HD 4100

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The AMD ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4100 or just Radeon 4100 is an integrated graphics card (shared memory) for laptops. Compared to the HD 4200, the HD 4100 probably features a lower clock speed (and perhaps also some features are stripped down). According to differencebetween.net the clock rate is just 350MHz and therefore below the low power HD 4225.

ATI Radeon HD 4200

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The AMD ATI (Mobility) Radeon HD 4200 is an onboard (shared Memory) graphics chip (on the RS880M chipset). It is based on the HD 3400 graphics core and features the UVD 2 video engine  to decode HD videos.

Compared to the old HD 3200, the 4200 now supports DirectX 10.1 and features the UVD2 video decoder. The later announced Radeon HD 4250 is just a higher clocked version of the HD 4200.

Hybrid CrossfireX is a new feature of the chipset, that allowes to use the onboard HD 4200 graphics core in conjunction with a dedicated graphics card (of the Mobilty Radeon HD 3400 series) in Crossfire combination to increase the performance (similar to GeForceBoost / HybridSLI of Nvidia). Every frame is rendered by a different graphics core with this technique.

The UVD 2 video engine is able to decode HD videos (H.264 and VC-1 in all stages, MPEG-2 only IDCT) and allows the fluent playback of HD videos (e.g. Blu-ray) with a relative low CPU utilization (called Avivo HD). The HD 3200 was the first onboard graphics card that allows the fluent playback of Blu-ray videos. The UVD 2 on the HD 4200 supports the decoding of two video stream and therefore got a full Blu-Ray support.

The graphics core of the HD 4200 stems from the Mobility Radeon HD 3400 and is therefore DirectX 10.1 capable. Because of the missing graphics memory, the performance of the card is a bit lower than of the HD 3400. Theroretically, dedicated memory chips can be directly added to the chip, making it a dedicated graphics card. Because of pricing it is unclear if any manufacturer will add memory to the chip.

Still older games like Doom 3 or Quake 4 should be barly playable. Compared to older onboad graphic chips (e.g., GMA X3100), the HD 4200 is much faster. Even the Centrino 2 graphics core (GMA 4500M HD) is noticeable slower than the HD 4200. Compared to the HD 3200 the performance should be similar

Using Windows XP, the HD 3200 seems to have problems with current and older drivers, as there is no 2D accelleration. This leads to very slow interactions with windows and scrolling (especially with Firefox as reported in various discussion boards). More information on the topic can be found at Planet 3D Now (de) or the AMD forum. It is still unclear if the HD 4200 also suffers from this problem.

ATI Radeon HD 4250

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The AMD ATI Radeon HD 4250 (sometimes also ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4250 called) is an onboard (shared Memory) graphics chip in the RS880M chipset. It is based on the HD 3400 graphics core and features the UVD 2 video engine to decode HD videos. Compared to the HD 4200, the 4250 offers a similar performance, but the power consumption could be a bit better.

Compared to the old HD 3200, the 4250 supports DirectX 10.1 and features the UVD2 video decoder.

The UVD 2 video engine is able to decode HD videos (H.264 and VC-1 in all stages, MPEG2 only IDCT) and allows the fluent playback of HD videos (e.g. Blu-ray) with a relative low CPU utilization (called Avivo HD). The UVD 2 in the HD 4250 supports the decoding of two video stream and therefore got a full Blu-Ray support.

The graphics core of the HD 4250 stems from the Mobility Radeon HD 3400 series and is therefore DirectX 10.1 capable. Because of the missing graphics memory, the performance of the card is a bit lower than of the HD 34x0. Theroretically, dedicated memory chips can be directly added to the chip, making it a dedicated graphics card (called sideport). Because of pricing it is unclear if any manufacturer will add memory to the chip.

The 3D performance is heavily depending on the used processor. With a fast Phenom II CPU for example less demanding games like Left 4 Dead or Starcraft 2 were playable in low settings and resolutions. With a slow V-Series CPU however, only old games like Doom 3 or Quake 4 should be playable. Compared to older onboad graphic chips (e.g., GMA 4500MHD), the HD 4250 is much faster. The new Intel HD Graphics in the Core ix Arrandale CPUs, offers a similar performance, but the driver support by AMD should be better.

The mobile Radeon HD 4250 should be identical to the desktop version (the desktop  hd 4250 may be minimal higher clocked), although faster processors used in desktop systems may lead to better benchmarks.

 

ATI Radeon HD 4100ATI Radeon HD 4200ATI Radeon HD 4250
Radeon HD 4000 Series
Radeon HD 4270 40 @ 0.59 GHz
Radeon HD 4250 40 @ 0.5 GHz
Radeon HD 4200 40 @ 0.5 GHz
Radeon HD 4225 40 @ 0.38 GHz
Radeon HD 4100 40 @ 0.35 GHz
Radeon HD 4270 40 @ 0.59 GHz
Radeon HD 4250 40 @ 0.5 GHz
Radeon HD 4200 40 @ 0.5 GHz
Radeon HD 4225 40 @ 0.38 GHz
Radeon HD 4100 40 @ 0.35 GHz
Radeon HD 4270 40 @ 0.59 GHz
Radeon HD 4250 40 @ 0.5 GHz
Radeon HD 4200 40 @ 0.5 GHz
Radeon HD 4225 40 @ 0.38 GHz
Radeon HD 4100 40 @ 0.35 GHz
ArchitectureRV6xxRV6xxRV6xx
Pipelines40 - unified40 - unified40 - unified
Core Speed350 MHz500 MHz500 MHz
Max. Amount of Memory512 MB512 MB512 MB
Shared Memoryyesyesyes
APIDirectX 10.1, Shader 4.0DirectX 10.1, Shader 4.0DirectX 10.1, Shader 4.0
technology55 nm55 nm55 nm
Date of Announcement01.11.2009 10.09.2009 01.05.2010
CodenameRV620RS880M
FeaturesAvivo HD (UVD 2), PCI-E 2.0, Vari-Bright, HDCP support, Display CacheAvivo HD (UVD2), Hybrid Graphics Technology, PCI-E 2.0, Vari-Bright (Bildschirmhelligkeit automtisch anpassen), HDCP support, Display Cache

Benchmarks

3DMark - 3DMark Cloud Gate Score
330 Points (0%)
3DMark Vantage
3DM Vant. Perf. total + ATI Radeon HD 4200
3DMark Vantage - 3DM Vant. Perf. total
min: 204     avg: 236     median: 236 (0%)     max: 268 Points
3DM Vant. Perf. total + ATI Radeon HD 4250
min: 194     avg: 227     median: 227 (0%)     max: 260 Points
3DM Vant. Perf. GPU no PhysX + ATI Radeon HD 4200
3DMark Vantage - 3DM Vant. Perf. GPU no PhysX
min: 155     avg: 179.5     median: 179.5 (0%)     max: 204 Points
3DM Vant. Perf. GPU no PhysX + ATI Radeon HD 4250
min: 147     avg: 172     median: 172 (0%)     max: 197 Points
3DMark 2001SE - 3DMark 2001 - Standard
min: 8743     avg: 9161     median: 9370 (10%)     max: 9370 Points
min: 6344     avg: 7995     median: 8689 (9%)     max: 8953 Points
3DMark 03 - 3DMark 03 - Standard
min: 3662     avg: 3708     median: 3708 (2%)     max: 3754 Points
min: 2652     avg: 3622     median: 3754 (2%)     max: 4343 Points
3DMark 05 - 3DMark 05 - Standard
min: 3051     avg: 3100     median: 3100 (3%)     max: 3149 Points
min: 2811     avg: 3127     median: 3103 (3%)     max: 3585 Points
3DMark 06 3DMark 06 - Score Unknown Settings + ATI Radeon HD 4200
3DMark 06
1800 Points (2%)
3DMark 06 - Score Unknown Settings + ATI Radeon HD 4250
1738 Points (2%)
3DMark 06 - Standard 1280x1024 + ATI Radeon HD 4200
3DMark 06
1465 Points (2%)
3DMark 06 - Standard 1280x1024 + ATI Radeon HD 4250
min: 1016     avg: 1362     median: 1372 (2%)     max: 1652 Points
3DMark 06 - Standard 1280x768 + ATI Radeon HD 4200
3DMark 06
1682 Points (2%)
3DMark 06 - Standard 1024x768 + ATI Radeon HD 4200
3DMark 06
1960 Points (3%)
3DMark 06 - Standard 1024x768 + ATI Radeon HD 4250
2110 Points (3%)
3DMark 06 - Standard 1366x768 + ATI Radeon HD 4250
3DMark 06
1706 Points (2%)
Windows 7 Experience Index - Win7 Gaming graphics
5.1 Points (65%)
5.3 Points (67%)
min: 4.2     avg: 5.1     median: 5.2 (66%)     max: 5.4 Points
Windows 7 Experience Index - Win7 Graphics
4.2 Points (53%)
min: 4.1     avg: 4.2     median: 4.2 (53%)     max: 4.2 Points
min: 3     avg: 3.7     median: 3.7 (47%)     max: 4.5 Points
Cinebench R10 Cinebench R10 Shading (32bit) + ATI Radeon HD 4200
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Shading (32bit)
min: 2205     avg: 2229     median: 2229 (2%)     max: 2253 Points
Cinebench R10 Shading (32bit) + ATI Radeon HD 4250
min: 1350     avg: 1940     median: 2117 (2%)     max: 2342 Points
Cinebench R11.5 Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64 Bit + ATI Radeon HD 4200
Cinebench R11.5 - Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64 Bit
3.6 fps (1%)
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64 Bit + ATI Radeon HD 4250
min: 3.4     avg: 3.5     median: 3.5 (1%)     max: 3.62 fps

Average Benchmarks ATI Radeon HD 4100 → 100% n=2

Average Benchmarks ATI Radeon HD 4200 → 102% n=2

Average Benchmarks ATI Radeon HD 4250 → 95% n=2

- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card
* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance
1 This benchmark is not used for the average calculation

Game Benchmarks

The following benchmarks stem from our benchmarks of review laptops. The performance depends on the used graphics memory, clock rate, processor, system settings, drivers, and operating systems. So the results don't have to be representative for all laptops with this GPU. For detailed information on the benchmark results, click on the fps number.

Fifa 11

Fifa 11

2010
low 800x600
Radeon HD 4200:
59  fps
high 1360x768
Radeon HD 4200:
29.8  fps
low 1024x768
Radeon HD 4250:
14 44 56 ~ 38 fps
med. 1360x768
Radeon HD 4250:
9.6  fps
Risen

Risen

2009
low 800x600
Radeon HD 4250:
13.1  fps
med. 1024x768
Radeon HD 4250:
6.2  fps
Left 4 Dead

Left 4 Dead

2008
low 640x480
Radeon HD 4250:
45  fps
high 1024x768
Radeon HD 4250:
16  fps
Trackmania Nations Forever

Trackmania Nations Forever

2008
low 640x480
Radeon HD 4250:
55  fps
high 1024x768
Radeon HD 4250:
12  fps
World in Conflict - Benchmark

World in Conflict - Benchmark

2007
low 800x600
Radeon HD 4250:
18 42 ~ 30 fps
med. 1024x768
Radeon HD 4250:
4 14 ~ 9 fps
high 1024x768
Radeon HD 4250:
5  fps
Half Life 2 - Lost Coast Benchmark

Half Life 2 - Lost Coast Benchmark

2005
high 1024x768
Radeon HD 4250:
27  fps
World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft

2005
low 800x600
Radeon HD 4250:
31  fps
med. 1024x768
Radeon HD 4250:
17  fps
ATI Radeon HD 4200lowmed.highultraQHD4K
Fifa 115929.8
< 30 fps
< 60 fps
< 120 fps
≥ 120 fps

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ATI Radeon HD 4250lowmed.highultraQHD4K
StarCraft 2389.6
Risen13.146.22
Left 4 Dead4516
Trackmania Nations Forever5512
World in Conflict - Benchmark3095
Half Life 2 - Lost Coast Benchmark27
World of Warcraft3117
< 30 fps
< 60 fps
< 120 fps
≥ 120 fps
1
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For more games that might be playable and a list of all games and graphics cards visit our Gaming List

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Redaktion, 2017-09- 8 (Update: 2023-07- 1)