ASUS Matrix 5870 Review - PAGE 1

Introduction:

I imagine that right now you're feeling a bit like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole. I see it in your eyes, you look as though you accept what you see, because you're expecting to wake up. Do you believe in fate? Let me tell you why you're here, you're here because you know something. You're not entirely sure what you know, but you know something's not right with your videocard. It's on the tip of your mind, but you can't quite figure it out. It's the Matrix, and the matrix is everywhere, it's all around you, but one cannot be told what the Matrix is. You have to see for yourself. I hold in my hand two 5870's. Take the average one and you go back to your ordinary life, take the ASUS one and we'll see just how deep this rabbit hole goes.

That may have sounded similar to the Wachowski brother's movie The Matrix, and it should have because I just watched it and tried to make the blurb sound as close as I could. The reason why I bother is because ASUS has released a new version of the popular HD 5870, dubbed the Matrix 5870. The HD 5870 is one of the best performing cards currently on the market, but will the ASUS Matrix 5870, like the movie, be amazing? Hopefully it will, because it certainly has the features to stand out.

ASUS thought of the overclocker when manufacturing this card. Proof of this can be seen by the cards "Probelt." The Probelt will allow the user to check GPU, Memory, and PCI-E voltage at anytime with a multimeter. The card is also equipped with ASUS's "Super Hybrid Engine." The SHE should give us 54% better OC stability, as well as scoring 19% better then the average 5870. Not only that but ASUS included an "Extreme Cooler", which should give us a 13% cooler card. ASUS even included a "Real-time Hardware Loading Monitor" built right into the card.

The ASUS Matrix 5870 obviously has the features to be great, but does it offer the performance? Let's find out!

Specifications:

Courtesy of http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=bmW6aGbAY2QEyC5U