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- Date:
- Sunday , March 14, 2010
- Author:
- Matthew Krysiak
- Editor:
- Brent Justice
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PowerColor PCS+ HD5870 & HD5850 Video Card Review
We are going to take an in-depth look at the PowerColor PCS+ HD5870 and HD5850 today. Both video cards offer a custom configuration, with higher clock speeds, but you might just be surprised at what these video cards don’t offer you. This is also the first time we’ll be using ALL DX11/DX10 video games for testing.
Introduction
PowerColor is a well-known manufacturer of AMD ATI Radeon based video cards. Founded in 1997, they produce PC cases, motherboards, TV Tuners, and power supplies. PowerColor exclusively features AMD ATI Radeon GPUs and AMD based motherboards.
On January 7th, 2010 PowerColor expanded its lineup of Radeon HD 5800 series video cards by introducing its new lineup of "PCS+" HD5800 series video cards, featuring factory overclocked specifications and a unique cooling solution. The deal was further sweetened with the bundling of DiRT 2, a DX11 video game that exploits the latest features of the Radeon HD 5800 series.
"HD5800 series is a highly recommended product series after its announcement" said Ted Chen, CEO of TUL Corporation. "Now we add custom-made cooling technology and distinctive design to make the products more attractive. Want to experience the ultimate gaming speed and ultra cooling performance? Then PCS+ HD5800 series is the right choice for you!"
We will be evaluating both of the new PCS+ HD5800 series video cards, the PowerColor PCS+ HD5870 and the PowerColor PCS+ HD5850.
ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series
AMD has not disappointed of late with a myriad of video card launches all based on the Radeon HD 5000 series, their next generation GPU technology. AMD’s most recent launch was the ATI Radeon HD 5830, which filled in a much needed space between the Radeon HD 5770 and the Radeon HD 5850. They have also released performance monsters like the dual-GPU ATI Radeon HD 5970.
The first two video cards AMD released, based on the Radeon HD 5000 series were the ATI Radeon HD 5870 and the ATI Radeon HD 5850. These video cards remain the two most powerful single-GPU video cards in AMDs line up. We will be focusing on these two powerhouse GPUs today.
Like all Radeon HD 5000 series video cards, the ATI Radeon HD 5870 and the ATI Radeon HD 5850 use the 40nm manufacturing process. They also have full DX11 support based on the TeraScale 2 architecture, full Eyefinity support, and have impressive power management features. The Radeon HD 5870 and Radeon HD 5850 share the same 32 ROPs and 1GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus. The Radeon HD 5870 however, takes the performance crown by having 1600 Stream Processors, 80 Texture Units, a GPU frequency of 850MHz, and a memory frequency of 4.8GHz. The Radeon HD 5850 by comparison has 1440 Stream Processors, 72 Texture Units, a GPU frequency of 725MHz, and a memory frequency of 4GHz.
The PowerColor PCS+ HD5800 Series
The claim to fame for the PowerColor PCS+ Editions is their heat management systems. In fact, PCS stands for "Professional Cooling System" and they promise that it can "decrease operating environment temperature effectively, and enhance headroom for overclocking capabilities." The PCS+ Editions are also known for boosting the GPU frequency and memory frequency for added performance out-of-the-box.
The PCS+ HD5800 series also features an ultra cooling performance. With 92mm cooling fan and 4 pure core heat pipes, this new cooling solution can easily dissipate heat from cooper base, which fully covers the GPU, and efficiently cools down the temperature up to 10c compared with reference board design. Moreover, it enables additional headroom for overclocking capabilities that gamers will be able to tune their rig to maximum performance.
Both of these cards share the same cooling solution and offer frequency improvements out-of-the-box compared to the reference AMD specification.
The PowerColor PCS+ HD5870 has a GPU frequency of 875MHz and a memory frequency of 4.9GHz. This compares to the AMD stock frequency of 850MHz GPU and 4.8GHz memory. The PowerColor PCS+ HD5870 definitely comes at a premium, at around $420, or just slightly under with rebates.
The PowerColor PCS+ HD5850 has a GPU frequency of 760MHz and a memory frequency of 4.2GHz. This compares to the AMD stock frequency of 725MHz GPU and 4GHz memory. The PowerColor PCS+ HD5850 is about $100 less, at $320 online.
PowerColor PCS+ HD5870
The PowerColor PCS+ HD5870 box is relative small in size at only 12.5"x8"x2.75". On the front it has a Lamborghini with what looks like a vertical lift fan embedded in the middle of it. The front of the box also has three notable stickers. In the top right corner the first shows that the video card has 1GB of GDDR5 and the output connector: Dual DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort. The bottom right corner has a DiRT 2 sticker which comes with the video card. To the left of that is the all important PCS+ sticker. On the right side of the box is the label. The back of the box lists the features and the sales pitch for the PCS is also there on the bottom right corner. On left side of the box are the power and system requirements.
The PowerColor PCS+ HD5870 is 10.5" long which puts it a half inch shorter then a reference Radeon HD 5870. This indicates that PowerColor has taken the time to customize a unique Printed Circuit Board design for the PCS+ HD5870, instead of using the reference design.
In the first picture above we can see the black plastic shroud that covers the aluminum heatsink, and it appears to be vented atop. There is also a PCS+ sticker and a Radeon HD 5870 sticker on the shroud itself. The PCS+ HD5870 employs a four heatpipe solution, with heatpipes extending from the center core of the GPU out to the outer fins of the heatsink.
The I/O interfaces are laid out in the standard configuration for the Radeon HD 5800 series, with dual-DVI, one HDMI and one DisplayPort connection properly labeled. The outside vent is more for show, as very little air actually gets exhausted out of it while in use because the shroud itself is very open, and most of the air escapes into your case. CrossFireX is fully supported with both CrossFireX bridge connections on board.
On the tail end of the video card are the two 6-pin auxiliary power connectors which protrude straight back instead of to the side. Anyone thinking this is an option for you to finally fit that Radeon HD 5870 into your small computer case think again. With those auxiliary power connectors hooked up the video card grows to about 11" long.
PowerColor PCS+ HD5850
The PowerColor PCS+ HD5850 is similar to the PowerColor PCS+ HD5870, so similar in fact that they share the exact same length, width and height. This is rather dumfounding, as the reference Radeon HD 5850 measures in with a length of 9.75" long. However, the PowerColor PCS+ HD5850 measures in at 10.5" length, matching the PowerColor PCS+ HD5870. The only reason this could be is that PowerColor has again customized the PCS+ HD5850 PCB design, and is using the same format and design for both PCS+ video cards.
Now, this can be either good or bad, depending on your situation. If you have a smaller case, this means that where a stock reference Radeon HD 5850 may fit in your case, the PowerColor PCS+ HD5850 may not, because it is much longer. On the other hand, this may be a good thing since this means there is a possibility for greater overclocking and heat dissipation having a larger surface area with the heatsink. Our testing will reveal whether this is a good thing for hardware enthusiasts or not.
The PCS+ heatsink is exactly the same on this video card as it is on the PCS+ HD5870. It uses the same four heatpipe system, with vented shroud. There are the same connections available, dual-DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort. CrossFireX is fully supported. The PCS+ HD5850 is powered via two 6-pin external power connectors, which also add to the card length when plugged in since they are situated at the end of the video card.
Both video cards come with the same accessory package. Each includes a Quick Install Guide, DiRT 2 coupon for Steam, a Driver CD, a DVI to D-Sub adapter, and a CrossFireX bridge. The Driver CD includes drivers for Windows XP, Vistas, and Windows 7 along with manuals for the HD Radeon 3000 and 4000 series but none for the 5000 series.