Muffin Man
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ASUS HD 5870 Matrix & ASUS HD 5870 "V2" Sneak Peek
ASUS RoG Matrix 5870 2GB
As you can see from the pictures below, the HD 5870 Matrix 2GB looks a lot like the “original†high end RoG card: the GTX 285 Matrix. It uses the same stunning corrugated black heatsink design that is marked with the Republic of Gamers symbol as well as the LED-lit Matrix logo on the card's side. This LED will light up in various stages based on the load placed on the card.
One of the most distinct additions is the inclusion two 8-pin power connectors. While the Matrix won't consume substantially more power than a reference HD 5870 when running its out-of-box overclock, ASUS expects these cards to feature massive overclocking headroom which will dramatically increase power consumption.
ASUS has spared no expense when it comes to the component choices for their flagship HD 5870. Not only is it decked out in 2GB of GDDR5 memory (8 modules on the front and 8 on the back of the PCB) but it also featured and extremely robust 8+2 phase PWM design that is managed by a digital controller and ensures sufficient power is delivered to the core and memory. The card's design also features voltage read points for those of you who don't want to use or simply don't trust software monitoring.
According to ASUS, their Super Hybrid Engine chip is used for real-time control for voltages, clock speeds and fan output. It can adjust all variables in order to offer the most efficient power profiles while not sacrificing performance.
The cooler on this card is particularly interesting since it features five large direct touch heatpipes which are linked to a massive aluminum fin array. Interestingly, it seems like this heatsink could also be adapted to a GPU with a much larger die area.
ASUS HD 5870 1GB "V2"
While the Matrix may be something only attainable by people with deep pockets, ASUS has something up their sleeves for the rest of us too. What they will do is essentially phase out ATI's reference design and replaces it with one of their own…at the same price point. So within the next few months, ASUS will have a standard HD 5870 card that distinguishes itself from those offered by the competition while not asking for a price premium. The pictures are below and it looks pretty good to us.
Even though we don't have all of the details just yet, we can tell you this “new†card will feature a custom PCB and cooling design but its clock speeds and memory allotment will remain the same as standard HD 5870 cards. The backplate is also changed to offer additional airflow. For your information, here is what the SKU change will look like:
Old: EAH5870/2DIS/1GD5
New: EAH5870/2DIS/1GD5/V2
PCB is all dark around the gpu, darker then the rest of it.
