Introduction

The ASUS HD 5870 Matrix Platinum ROG is the latest beast in their array of VGA products. It is highly optimized for overclocking and tweaking on both a PCB design and software level. One interesting feature is the use of 2 GB of GDDR5 memory which is twice as much as on the "normal" HD 5870. Whether this can help make a difference will be something we are going to look at. Compared to the reference design, ASUS has bumped the clock speeds only slightly.

There is also a non-Platinum version of the card which runs considerably cheaper and offers all the same features and specs. The only differences are that the Platinum is running at 850 MHz core clock and the Platinum cards are binned for higher clock speeds than the non-Platinum.

Packaging

While it may not look like it, the ASUS package is big - you definitely get some loot to carry home proudly. The back shows more info about the highlights of the product.

Contents

You will receive:

• Graphics card
• Driver CD + Quick Install Guide
• CrossFire bridge
• DVI to VGA adapter
• HDMI to DVI adapter
• (Fake) Leather CD/DVD pouch
• 2x PCI-Express power cables
• ASUS ROG Sticker

The Card

The ASUS HD 5870 Matrix has the same length as the HD 5870 reference design. A little bulge has been added near the top edge to accomodate the lighted Matrix logo. On the back ASUS has installed a metal backplate which helps with cooling of the graphics card.


Just like the reference design cards, you need two slots in your system for installation.


Along the top edge of the card ASUS has placed a lit Matrix logo which changes color when the GPU load / power draw changes, a very nice touch.


The card has one DVI port, one HDMI port and one DisplayPort. An adapter for HDMI to DVI is included in the package, as well as an analog VGA adapter.
The HDMI interface is HDMI 1.3a compatible which includes Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD, AC-3, DTS and up to 7.1 channel audio with 192 kHz / 24-bit.


One feature of ASUS' included software is the ability to save profiles into the VGA BIOS. In case you save an overconfident profile and end up with a non-booting card, you can press this safe mode button to allow booting.


You may combine this card with any Cypress based graphics card for dual, triple or quad CrossFire.


Near the top edge of the back side of the PCB ASUS has included little measuring points for five voltage. This is definitely a nice feature for the more extreme overclockers since they have easy access to all voltages now. It would have been nice to see some kind of breakout cable like MSI included with their Lightning Series.


Here are the front and the back of the card, high-res versions are also available (front, back). If you choose to use these images for voltmods etc, please include a link back to this site or let us post your article.