The AMD HD5750 is a solid performer at a reasonable price and the Asus version delivered a really good DX11 experience in Dirt 2. Unfortunately we were left unimpressed with the custom cooler which only reduced temperatures by a few degrees … I was also unsure if the lack of paste on the card was due to a previous ‘reviewer' issue or a batch of cards not getting enough on the core. If you have one of these cards and are experiencing heat issues then it would be wise to remove the cooler and have a look yourself, its pretty easily rectified.
Even though the Asus card is reference clocked when we measured power draw at the wall we noticed that it was consuming more (11w under load), we would assume this is due to a design change on a custom PCB. Slightly increased voltages might also be raising the temperatures a little and negating benefits of a more advanced cooling system.
Even though the fan on the Asus HD5750 is 10mm larger (80mm compared to reference 70mm) we noticed no real reduction in overall noise levels either which was again, a little disappointing.
We admire the HD5750 series of cards however the Asus Formula version left us a little cold. While temperatures were slightly reduced, it wasn't really noticeable and the noise levels are pretty much on a par with the reference design. We like the look of the retro cooler but we also want to see proprietary solutions like this offering tangible benefits to the customer. If you see it for the same price as the reference HD5750 it is certainly worth consideration.
KitGuru Says: Asus always impress us, but the HD5750 Formula unfortunately didn't meet our expectations.
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I am in work so I haven’t had time to read the whole review. I did read the conclusion however and it looks disappointing. I read the HARDOCP review also a while ago and it seems you had more success than they did. They actually reported the card running hotter ! perhaps the lack of paste is a factor issue? The cooler is very odd looking, not sure I like it at all.
Just goes to show that even Asus, one of the finest companies on the market can occassionally drop the ball.
Shit ! I have his card ! mine runs quite hot too, im going to take it apart later to see if it is the paste ! thanks !