14 DAY TRIAL // Even though it no longer has the fastest single-GPU card on the market, AMD still has an advantage over NVIDIA, in that it has DirectX 11-capable cards on sale for every market segment. The ATI Radeon HD 5550 is one of the products catering to the needs of entry-level consumers that aren't exactly interested in heavy gaming but that still want the benefits of DirectX 11 graphics. Meaning to build upon this consumer interest, Hightech information Systems (HIS for short) has brought out a new version of the card.
The new model that the hardware maker has listed is a low-profile device running the 40nm Redwood graphics processing unit. This GPU is clocked at 550Mhz and is paired with 1GB DDR2 VRAM, with an interface of 128 bits and a clock frequency of 800MHz. The adapter also boasts 400 stream processors and D-Sub, DVI and HDMI outputs.
The most striking difference between the new adapter and the reference model is the cooler. HIS used a passive solution, which means that no fan noise will ever have the chance to ruin the mood when watching a film or other sort of video. As such, similar to most low-profile cards, this product is especially suited for HTPCs, where compactness and quietness are key factors in the enjoyment of Full-HD 1,080p videos. Users will also be able to take advantage of the ATI Stream Technology when editing photos and videos.
The device is dubbed HIS 5550 Silence and will be made available in the coming weeks, bundled with the BumpTop intuitive 3D desktop environment. Unfortunately, the price is not exactly known, but it shouldn't stray too far from the stock version's roughly $70-$80. Until the part actually starts selling, end-users may find it detailed on its official product page.