AMD's HD6870 has been a big seller since it was launched and as prices have dropped recently, sales figures have been maintained, even against stiff competition. As the demand continues, partners have been releasing solutions with custom PCB and cooler designs. With this in mind today we are looking at one of the more exciting products about to hit retail – the HIS HD6870 ICEQX.
Regular KitGuru readers will already be aware that HIS have been stepping up their game in the last year with an impressive range of video card releases. The HIS HD6870 ICEQX is not only supplied with a dramatically styled cooler, but possibly some of the highest HD6870 clocks on the market.
With clocks enhanced to 975mhz on the core, and 1150mhz (4600mhz effective) via the GDDR5 memory, is this the fastest HD6870 on the market? More importantly, is it worth your money?
HIS HD6870 ICEQX | AMD HD6870 | AMD HD5870 | |
Die Size (mm2) | 255 | 255 | 334 |
Transistor Count | 1.7 billion | 1.7 billion | 2.15 billion |
Memory Bandwidth | 4.6Gbps | 4.2GBps | 4.8GBps |
Stream Processors | 1120 | 1120 | 1600 |
Texture Units | 56 | 56 | 80 |
ROPs | 32 | 32 | 32 |
Core Clock | 975 mhz | 900 mhz | 850 mhz |
Memory Clock | 1,150mhz | 1,050mhz | 1,200mhz |
Memory | 1GB GDDR5 | 1GB GDDR5 | 1GB GDDR5 |
WOw that cooler melts my eye balls.
Thank god you dont have to look at it all the time once its installed !
Hey, anyway we can petition them to make the cooler a different colour? that really is dire looking.
but hey it works I ‘pose ! nice one.
Why have they a y shaped plate over the memory? whats that about?
Bit of a contradiction that card. one of the best AMD 6870s and easily the ugliest.
Those temperatures are great, especially for the new version of Furmark, which melts some cards. I am not sure I value furmark anymoer for temps, but I like the fact you include gaming results.
@ Dave. the metal plate is obviously for cooling, there are probably thermal pads under it. and then the fan above keeps it cooler and it takes the heat from teh chips.
Nice card design and great performance. as the review says though the 560 is a tough card to beat at this price point.
Weird choice of colours for the cooler design. its very bright. looks like cheap plastic.
I still have concerns about HIS warranty in UK, ive read horror stories.
Wow, 975mhz core, thats insane for an out of the box setting. They must have a good batch for this release.
Very good card from HIS. Its a make I never look at when buying a card, but this one looks like one of the best.
the color isn’t for everyone, apparently. It’s a good match though for Gigabyte Mobo’s. Not that anyone should be buying a VC because of the color. Excluding case modders, possibly.
Where can I buy this exact card? I recently read a review in PC Gamer magazine noting it at £149, but can’t find this model online anywhere!