PowerColor Radeon HD 5870 Review - PAGE 1

If there is one constant in life, it is that there will always be change. Sometimes these changes are for the better; sometimes for the worse. However, when it comes to the world of computer hardware, far more often than not, things just keep on getting better and better; and always, faster and faster. Sometimes there is a step back -- but they only come with about every ten steps forward. In these closing months of 2009, you'll be hard-pressed to find any better examples of the break-neck pace of the hardware industry progress than with latest generations of video cards. 

Today we'll be taking a look at the PowerColor Radeon HD 5870. Just when you might have thought a HD 4890, or a HD 4870 X2 was fast, ATI was put something together that is going to change your whole perspective on what fast is all about.

The HD 4000 series surprised many gamers, hardware enthusiasts, and stock-market speculators. Delivering great performance right of the bat, the HD 4870 certainly shook things up, forcing Nvidia to react quickly, initially cutting the price of the GTX 280, and adding more horsepower to the GTX 260. This time around, it is ATI who is getting things underway first. In fact, it still seems like Nvidia's next gen is a few months away. By all accounts, it is certainly looking like we are in for another interesting round in the Great GPU Wars.

Before we take a look at our HD 5870, let's go over some changes brought with this new generation first, on the next page.