14 DAY TRIAL // It seems that the many heads it managed to turn with its launch of the DirectX 11-ready G73JH-X1 notebook weren't enough for ASUS. The company was even more recently revealed to be working on a “killer product” that would supposedly come out in June. This rumor already has the web debating on whether or not the Eee Pad is the killer, but these users will find that they have something more within reach to worry about. Zol.com managed to get a hold of pictures of yet another future ASUS device, a 2GB Republic of Gamers Matrix series Radeon HD 5870 high-tier graphics card.
Like all graphics adapters from the HD 5xxx series, this adapter has support for DirectX 11. It is built with 1,600 stream processors, a Cypress graphics processing unit clocked at 900 MHz, DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort connectors and CrossFireX support. As already mentioned, the video card boasts no less than 2GB of GDDR5 memory. This VRAM operates at a frequency of 4900 MHz and the memory interface is of 256 bits. Compared to these specifications, the reference models have a GPU clock of 850 MHz and a memory clock of 4800 MHz.
In order to supply itself with the needed power to operate, the ASUS ROG Matrix Radeon HD 5870 is designed with two 8-pin PCI Express power connectors, as opposed to the original, which has two 6-pin plugs. In addition, in order to avoid card failure through overheating, the product is designed with not only a custom, dual-slot cooler, but also a large backplate, for a maximum heat dissipation. The cooling mechanism likely makes use of a PWM fan, although this is not explicitly mentioned.
Among the extra features of the graphics adapter are v-check points and overclocking capabilities. Fortunately, if enthusiasts ever push the clocks too high, the device boasts a special button that returns it to 'safe' clocks. Unfortunately, the card's pricing and availability are still unknown, although it might be possible for the card to make an appearance at CeBIT 2010.