14 DAY TRIAL // ASUS has definitely been active lately, having launched or previewed not just a significant collection of new motherboards but also a range of graphics cards meant for the enthusiast market. The 4GB Ares dual-GPU HD 5970 and the 2GB ROG HD 5870 Matrix are not exactly unknown, considering that they were actually showcased at CeBIT or revealed through other means, but their specs haven't exactly been completely disclosed either. Now that the unspecified release date seems to be approaching, however, the company has decided to at least send out some photos of the 2GB creature.
Hardware Canucks reports that they managed to get their hands on some close-up photos of the ASUS HD 5870 Matrix. It seems that the card will be the newest and most powerful version of the custom-made Radeon HD 5870. As such, the graphics processing unit will operate at 890-900Mhz and the 2GB GDDR5 will have a frequency of 4.8Gbps (4800MHz). The amount of memory, which is double compared to the reference card, is enabled by 16 GDDR5 modules, 8 on the front and 8 on the back of the PCB.
In order for the card to operate properly, ASUS gave it two 8-pin power connectors, even though the actual power consumption won't be much higher than that of the stock model. However, ASUS intends for the product to offer a high overcloking headroom and, as such, gave it the means to draw out as much power as it needs when pushing clocks over the top. Not only that but the device even comes with its own Safe Boot button, which can circumvent overclocking profiles saved into the BIOS. This button is used when the chosen profile causes critical errors.
It is clear that the ASUS HD 5870 Matrix will be a strong candidate on the enthusiasts market, but Hardware Canucks reports that it is not the only thing that the hardware maker has in store. Apparently, the company has also been developing a customized version of the original graphics adapter. It seems that the company aims to stop selling reference models of the HD 5870 and, instead, offer its own, custom-designed version at the same price.
Unfortunately, there is still no clear word on where and when these two devices are brought to the market, or how much the Matrix will cost.
