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Prior to this review I was convinced that the HD5850 was the best graphic card deal on the planet but I may well have been wrong. While reviewing the HD 5770 IceQ 5 Turbo I have been extremely impressed. I admit I was one of those people who always wanted the biggest, baddest, and fastest video card I could afford, often overlooking the much more modest priced cards on the market.
As a PC gamer there is nothing more frustrating then wanting to play that cool looking new game at home only to realize that old clunker of a graphics card does not have the power to play it properly. The original Unreal Tournament release caused me to draw the line. I had to have that game and be able to play it with all the bells and whistles offered at the time. From that day forward I have been locked into thinking I always needed more. I'm not even sure I knew what more really was, but I knew when it related to graphics I wanted it.
After several days with the HIS IceQ 5 5770 Turbo; playing many games, new and old, reality for me has been slightly altered. I usually game on a 6 core 3.5 GHz system with the HD 5850 as my graphics card of choice. For this review I was totally focused on gaming with a budget priced system. I decided to match the HIS 5770 Turbo with an inexpensive dual core AMD Athlon II processor. When I factored in that certain HD 5770 1 GB cards here in Canada were priced as low as $159 with free shipping it certainly opened my eyes. It made me realize that for roughly $600 we can build a good AMD gaming machine without a monitor OR for roughly the same amount we could go buy a pair of 5850's on sale, an overclocked 5870 2 GB, or even a GTX 480 and dinner for 4 at McDonald's.
Here is a breakdown on what it would cost to assemble an adequate machine today. (ED: we often get complaints about lack of stateside info, so here you go!)
- AMD Athlon II 255 CPU $69
- Entry level AM3 MB $65
- WD 640 GB HD 32 MB cache $55
- HD 5770 1GB $160
- NZXT Vulcan $70
- 4 GB DDR III $100
- DVDRW $30
- OCZ StealthXStream 500 watt PSU $45
Total cost $594
The HIS IceQ 5 5770 Turbo has changed my perspective of PC gaming with a strict budget. The HIS IceQ 5 5770 Turbo may cost you $25 more then the least expensive 5770's , but you also get a coupon for Dirt 2, a factory overclocked card and improved cooling capabilities that wont cause tinnitus even at full speed.
KitGuru says: We feel that this card easily qualifies for our Must Have product award.
the pages were broken there, but I see its fixed now. Good review steve thanks. seems a decent board and its nice to see a custom cooler which doesnt dump all the heat out into the chassis.
Interesting to see HIS with such a strong range of custom solutions. seems they along with powercolor are getting into a very competitive market with sapphire.
HIS are a good maker but I notice their cards always seem a little louder than some other makes. same with the HD5870 which I read about on several sites before.
I can’t believe how cheap those systems cost for the american users. 600 bucks for a system like that in total, would be like twice that here.
5 series has such good power consumption ratings, very impressive, still even now.
INExpensive cards, but still good performers. ive been using a standard hd5770 to play starcraft 2 at 1920×1200 and its perfectly fine. Its good value, best on the market.
HIS seem a decent make going on the reviews here. so much competition now in the ATI sector that its hard to know which card to go for !
The all important question I need answered and im hoping Kitguru can find out, what is their support and replacement policy like in the UK and USA? this is quit often the selling point with so many people making these boards.
Hey Steve Ruxton, what is HIS warranty like? if it fails, how long have I got? I am in Canada like you. Have they a decent replacement/repair/replace policy? They are far east make, im always dubious.
Mixed reports on google, some say its fine, others say it sucks. I think this is why Sapphire do so well, they have a dedicated team handling RMAs.
Any info from kitguru would help however as I agree, before I buy anything, I want to know their support policies.
I will contact HIS regarding their warranty/replacement policy
Steve, thank you very much my man hope its positive feedback 🙂
Funnily enough I was just going to ask the same question – have HIS got any good support at all for customers or is it just rubbish outside far east?
isnt it a year in the USA? thought it was last time I looked.
Well finally a 5770 with a proper air forced cooler. most of them lately have had coolers which push all the hot air into the chassis inside, which is not a good system.
Sadly I just read about the new single slot HD5770s which puts these to pasture…….
Nice to see some USA based reviews on KitGuru, Ive nothing against the UK, but its good to see a selection from other people !
Well this was a good review Steve, thanks. Is the noise ok, even when gaming? im trying to build a system inside a silverstone SG07 and I was wondering if it was ok for media use too. at basically idle.
Very good review, like the noise testing here, always very useful. this one seems a bit louder than a few of the more silent HD5770s – wonder if these are worth a CF configuration down the line or would they be too loud in a pair.
thanks, read this earlier during my lunch break, shame powercolor and XFX announced single slot designs lol. this was a good first choice.
The HD5770 is surprisingly good, was refreshing to read a reviewer not demanding a HD5870 in CFX for good gaming.
for those that asked, I was able to take the fan speed up to 65% before it became what i consider borderline annoying in any way, even at those speeds it is quieter then the reference models.