ASUS HD 6870 DirectCU 1GB Video Card Review

Final Thoughts
We always know ASUS for making quality products and the HD 6870 Direct CU is no different.  What we really did not get to see in the review was what’s under the hood.  ASUS uses allow-based components that allow for higher voltages, that will help you achieve a higher overclock and will also extend the lifespan of the components.  The large metal plate on the back adds some stability to the card, and helps cool the memory on the back.  This extra stability is ideal for the large cooler.

ASUS’s DirectCU cooler is made up of 3 heatpipes that make direct contact with the GPU.  The heatsink stack and cooling fan will help dissipate the heat out of your case.  This cooling solution not only proved to be better than the reference coolers on our HD 6850 and HD 6950 models it also was much quieter.  Even at 100% GPU load the fan was not that loud at all, compared to the reference models that sounded like they were about to take off!  This is the real value I see in this card.  No one wants an incredibly loud video card and no one wants the possibility of overheating.  This is what really sets this card apart from other cards out there.

As far as performance goes you are not going to see a huge difference between this card and the reference model, the 15 MHz overclock really is not going to do that much.  This card sells online at my favorite online retailer for $219, which makes it $10 more than most reference models, but the slight overclock and the DirectCU cooler are definitely worth the extra $10.  This price does put it very close to the HD 6950, which goes for around $240.

Overall ThinkComputers gives the ASUS HD 6870 DirectCU 1GB Video Card a 9 out of 10 score and our Recommended Award.

rating9 10 small TC award recommended small

Pros:
– DirectCU Cooler
– Very quiet
– Good performance
– Included

Cons:
– Price is very close to the HD 6950

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