Matrix series of graphics cards from ASUS belongs to ROG (Republic of Gamers) product lineup that is also consisted of numerous motherboards. Although these graphics cards have elevated frequencies compared to reference models, this is not the only advantage of Matrix series of graphics cards. Besides great design they are equipped with marvelous cooling system and numerous optimizations that resulted in maximum efficiency and minimal heating up. Last time we had a chance to test one of the Matrix graphics cards - NVIDIA GeForce 9800GT , and this time we have an Matrix graphics card based on ATI GPU: ASUS Radeon HD 4870 Matrix.

In slightly larger box that ASUS HD 4870 Matrix came in wasn’t too space for a software bundle that is worth mentioning, but ASUS managed to provide all cables and converters that you will ever need, including one CrossFire cable. Of course there is manual, disks with drivers and basic software. Card itself is nicely designed with recognizable cooler on it. Since this cooling system is used on a very “hot” GPU, ASUS decided to use additional fan compared to solution seen on 9800GT. Cooling system now consists of one 80mm fan and one 70mm fan which is solution that resembles to cooling system used on Palit Radeon HD 4870 Sonic Edition .

We were surprised with efficiency of cooling solution used on ASUS HD 4870 Matrix because it’s not massive but does its job nicely. Even during long testing periods temperatures didn’t reach high values. Cooling system, besides two blower fans, consists of two heatpipes, with body made out of aluminum. If you take a look at pictures it is obvious that this is two slot cooling system which is not unusual for graphics cards from higher middle class. During test noise generated by fans wasn’t too annoying but unfortunately, only way of controlling RPM of fans is by ASUS application. Outputs are standard: two DVI and one S-Video. There are no optical S/PDIF and HDMI connectors which is a shame since we saw these on earlier Matrix models. ASUS HD 4870 Matrix has numerous optimization technologies, mostly ASUS exclusives like: Hybrid Engine, iTracker, Advanced Dynamic GPU Loading Detections and many others. We won’t bother you with all PR material on that subject, but instead we’ll explain what are those technologies used for. Basically all those technologies allow changes in voltage, fan RPM and similar settings to be changed dynamically and without user intervention to achieve lowest noise levels and temperatures without impact on performance levels. When it comes to specifications they are similar to most other HD 4870 graphics cards.

ASUS HD 4870 Matrix is based on RV770 with 512MB GDDR5 memory. GPU has 800 Stream processors, 40 texturing and 16 ROP units. Frequencies are higher compared to reference models for: 20MHz for GPU and 80MHz (20MHz) for memory (from 3600MHz to 3680MHz). These changes don’t have significant impact on performances although even these small improvements are enough for some users. Overclock potential, surprisingly, stayed in boundaries of all other HD 4870 cards: 780 MHz for GPU and 1090MHz (4360MHz) for memory.