Gigabyte HD 5870 SOC, PowerColor PCS+ HD5870 Graphics Cards
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Customized graphics cards are a dream of any reviewer, tester and editor. It's a pity we haven't seen see many of those during the recent years. But today we have a couple of such solutions based on the Radeon HD 5870 GPU. Both have proprietary coolers, and Gigabyte's card also has an original PCB. Besides, both graphics cards are factory-overclocked.
Design
| Gigabyte GV-R587SO-1GD |
- GPU: Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress)
- Interface: PCIe x16
- GPU (ROPs/Shaders) clock rate: 950/950 MHz (standard is 850/850 MHz)
- Memory clock rate, physical (effective): 1250 (5000) MHz (standard is 1200 (4800) MHz)
- Bus width: 256-bit
- Vertex processors: -
- Pixel processors: -
- Unified processors: 1600
- Texture processors: 80 (BLF/TLF)
- ROPs: 32
- Size: 275x100x33 mm
- PCB color: blue
- RAMDACs/TDMS: integrated into GPU
- Outputs: 2 x DVI (Dual-Link/HDMI), Display Port, HDMI
- VIVO: -
- TV-out: -
- Multi-GPU: Hardware CrossFire
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| PowerColor PCS+ HD5870 1GB GDDR5 (AX5870 1GBD5-PPDHG2) |
- GPU: Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress)
- Interface: PCIe x16
- GPU (ROPs/Shaders) clock rate: 875/875 MHz (standard is 850/850 MHz)
- Memory clock rate, physical (effective): 1225 (4900) MHz (standard is 1200 (4800) MHz)
- Bus width: 256-bit
- Vertex processors: -
- Pixel processors: -
- Unified processors: 1600
- Texture processors: 80 (BLF/TLF)
- ROPs: 32
- Size: 270x100x33 mm
- PCB color: red
- RAMDACs/TDMS: integrated into GPU
- Outputs: 2 x DVI (Dual-Link/HDMI), Display Port, HDMI
- VIVO: -
- TV-out: -
- Multi-GPU: Hardware CrossFire
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| Gigabyte GV-R587SO-1GD |
1024MB GDDR5 SDRAM in 8 Samsung memory chips on the front side of the PCB. Peak clock rate 1250 (5000) MHz. |
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| PowerColor PCS+ HD5870 1GB GDDR5 (AX5870 1GBD5-PPDHG2) |
1024MB GDDR5 SDRAM in 8 Samsung memory chips on the front side of the PCB. Peak clock rate 1250 (5000) MHz. |
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| Comparison with the reference design, front view |
| Gigabyte GV-R587SO-1GD |
Reference ATI Radeon HD 5870 |
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| PowerColor PCS+ HD5870 1GB GDDR5 (AX5870 1GBD5-PPDHG2) |
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| Comparison with the reference design, rear view |
| Gigabyte GV-R587SO-1GD |
Reference ATI Radeon HD 5870 |
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| PowerColor PCS+ HD5870 1GB GDDR5 (AX5870 1GBD5-PPDHG2) |
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You can clearly see that both graphics cards are custom-designed, though the design is still based on the reference.
Gigabyte's product features a seriously customized power supply unit. But the key peculiarity of the PCB is the use of special modules from NEC/TOKEN that reduce noise in semiconductors. Basically, these modules allow to achieve needed voltages in the shortest time possible. Very similar to memory chips, these modules improve core stability at overclocked frequencies.
PowerColor's graphics card is more similar to the reference design. It's key feature is a proprietary cooler.
These graphics cards feature audio codecs, so nothing else it required to transmit audio to HDMI.
Note that each of these cards has a 6-pin connector for external power supply.
Maximum resolutions and frequencies:
- 240 Hz maximum refresh rate
- 2048 x 1536 x 32bit @ 85Hz Max -- analog interface
- 2560 x 1600 @ 60Hz Max -- digital interface (Dual-Link DVI/HDMI)
As for the HDTV support, a review is available here.
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