Asus Radeon HD 6870 DirectCu

Conclusion

Testing complete, what do we think?

As a product, it is without doubt a very robust item. Built from the ground up with quality in mind, you can be sure that your Asus HD 6870 DirectCu will serve you well. However there are problems.

On the whole the Asus HD 6870 performs noticeably better than the GeForce GTX 460. This in itself isn’t a bad thing as the GTX 460 is a very capable graphics card, but does the performance advantage seem reasonable enough for a £30-50 higher outlay?

In plenty of ways it is; particularly in extreme cases where games such as Crysis are fully maxed out at 1920×1200 resolution. However there are also a number of applications where the performance between the two graphics cards are just a little too close for our liking. This is made worse by the launch of the GeForce GTX 560 Ti which has almost 15% more shaders than the GTX 460 and is also priced in at ~£200.

Another fundamental issue is that the Radeon HD 6870 is only priced ~£40 less than the 2GB and 1408 shader HD 6950, while the DirectCu is as little as £20 cheaper. All of a sudden it seems as though the 6870 is being priced out of its own segment by both internal and external competition.

So here’s the verdict. If you’re looking for a graphics card that performs similar to the high end of the previous generation (i.e.- HD 5870) then this product comes mighty close. The EAH6870 DirectCu boasts GTX 460 beating performance as well as a host of 6 series features such as 6 screen Eyefinity and 3D support. Looking for the finest Radeon HD 6870? This could well be it. Are we looking at the performance champion at £200? We don’t think so. While a venerable option, the 6800 series is starting to appear a little smothered.

Excellent work Asus.

The Good
– Capable Cooling Solution
– Overclocks Well
– Robust Overclocking Software Included
– Quality Build (caps/chokes)

The Mediocre
– Pricing Very Close to HD 6950

The Bad
– None

  

Thanks to Asus for the sample on test today, you can discuss your thoughts in our forums.