14 DAY TRIAL // ASUS' Republic of Gamers Matrix HD 5870 graphics adapter has been under the watchful eye of leak-conscious web entities for quite a while but it seems that the device has seen enough skulking around. Set to become “the freshly appointed king” on the block, the adapter is superior to the reference card in every way, boasting superior clock speeds and a cooling mechanism that is both stronger and quieter at the same time. Essentially, ASUS poured all resources into turning the adapter into a device capable of “delivering both raw horsepower for fast, precision gaming, and refined controls that lead the way in overclocking and tuning.”
The graphics card uses the Cypress GPU, running at 894MHz, and no less than 2GB GDDR5 memory, which operates at a frequency of 4.8GHz. The card also has a memory interface of 256 bits, as well as full support for DirectX 11 and the various ATI technologies present in all HD 5000 series (ATI Stream, CrossFireX, etc.). These specs alone are enough to distinguish the gadget from the fold, but they are not even close to representing its full array of benefits.
The main thing that stands out when looking at the adapter is its cooling module. According to the company, the silent fan-heatsink combo can deliver an air pressure 22% stronger than the reference solution. This enables a 13% lower average temperature, which increases stability and the overclocking headroom. This can be fully taken advantage of through use of the iTracker2 engine, a tool described as a “hardware-software bridge that opens up numerous avenues for accurate tuning.” Furthermore, through the latest rendition of ProbeIt, overclockers can use a multimeter to instantly measure the GPU voltage.
In order to ensure that its new product's rule is unquestioned, ASUS has implemented a number of special technologies and features that enhance all of its abilities. For example, the Matrix comes with the Super Hybrid Engine (SHE), which automatically switches between normal and intense action operations, practically performing automatic overclocking when required. This leads to a 54% better performance during 2D graphics and a 19% increase in graphically-intensive titles.
Unfortunately, there is no information on the price of this card, although there is hardly any hope for financial mercy.