The video card in the computer is responsible for processing and displaying the image on the screen. The more productive this component, the greater the chance that a new toy will work on your PC without problems. The modern gaming industry requires computers of serious power. And top-end video cards cost a lot of money. Therefore, it makes sense to look at patterns from the past. They are still relevant (for some games) and are much cheaper. One such example is AMD's ATI Radeon HD 5970 graphics card. This graphics adapter is powerful enough to be relevant in 2018. Although he himself was released in 2009. Consider this interesting adapter in more detail. But first, a few words about the manufacturer.
A little about the manufacturer
AMD was founded in 2009. Then she released the base processors of 32-bit architecture. Things were going well with the company. In the early nineties, a confrontation began with Intel, which does not end to this day. It’s just that the manufacturers have “grown”, and they have become crowded. Almost all the time AMD is trying to surpass the blue ones in sales and product quality. But so far this is not very successful. AMD’s finest hour can be considered the year when a serious vulnerability was discovered in Intel processors that allowed hackers to gain access to a computer. The Blues apologized for a long time and licked their wounds. At this time, there was a rise in sales of processors and graphics solutions from AMD. But loyal fans of the company purchased its products before. For example, in 2009. Just when the ATI HD 5970 came out.
AMD began to conquer the world of video adapters and graphic accelerators in 2001. It was then that the company bought and absorbed the manufacturer of graphic solutions under the ATI brand. It was a good buy. The mighty tandem began to produce very good video cards. However, a new competitor drew - NVidia. For a long time AMD products could not compete with the green brand. However, they cost half as much cheaper. And for many, this was a decisive factor. In 2009, the struggle reached its climax. AMD products came very close to the NVidia adapters. And to consolidate the success, the top-end ATI Radeon HD 5970 graphics card was released by the Reds. Now we will analyze this adapter in more detail.
Graphics card specifications
So, let's turn to the numbers. What can this video card offer the user? The core frequency is 725 megahertz. The operating frequency of the memory bus is 1000 megahertz. But the effective frequency of the same bus is 4000 megahertz. And this is already not bad. The amount of memory is 2 gigabytes. There are also versions with 4 gigabytes. But they cost accordingly. However, do not forget that the power and "coolness" of a video card is calculated not by memory, but by frequencies. And with this, the Radeon HD 5970 is all right. The color depth provided by this graphics accelerator is 256 bits. This is quite enough even for the needs of gamers. The card supports DirectX 11 and has an impressive number of pixel shaders. Such characteristics are very good for a device manufactured in 2009. That is why this graphics accelerator may well be relevant until now.
Adapter Features
One of the hallmarks of the Radeon HD 5970 2GB is that this adapter has a dual-chip structure. It is based on two full Cypress chips. And each chip runs to the limit. Prior to the release of this video card, AMD did not have an adapter based on two chips. While at "Nvidia" he was. Therefore, AMD decided to release something similar. However, this required considerable costs. The video card turned out to be quite voluminous. Therefore, it is only suitable for installation in large enclosures. Owners of mini-towers will not be able to install these adapters. Nevertheless, the video card is certified as standard, ATX format. But many users are unlikely to agree with this statement.
Cooling system
Since the HD 5970 has a dual-chip design and decent power, the heat sink problem has become acute. AMD solved it in a very practical way. The video card has a massive radiator, which is deprived of copper pipes. It covers the entire area of the card and is in direct contact with two chips and other necessary components. According to the manufacturer, such a system allows you to remove 400 watts of heat without problems. Heat is also removed by a cooler made in the form of a turbine. In general, the cooling system of this graphics accelerator is at the highest level.
Work with CrossFire
Like other video cards from AMD of the previous generation, the HD 5970 has CrossFire support and is equipped with an SLI connector. This allows you to combine several adapters of the same model into one. Using these manipulations, you can achieve a productivity increase of 60-80%. This is a great result. The guys from AMD clearly finalized this technology. Previously, such an increase was not noticeable.
Eyefinity Option
This is a branded option from AMD, which is implemented in almost all top-end graphics cards. Not an exception and HD 5970. Its characteristics are such that the card without problems supports the simultaneous connection of multiple monitors. But for the first time, the normal operation of this option in CrossFire mode is implemented. Now, as many as six monitors can be easily connected to several video cards. And they will work as expected. There will be no artifacts and glitches. For 2009, this was the greatest achievement of AMD engineers.
Connectors and Interfaces
So, which connectors can please the HD 5970? It should be noted right away that there is no terribly useful and universal HDMI here. Instead, for some reason, they stuck a mini-display port. Here it is just for nothing. There are also two DVI connectors for connecting monitors. That's all. Due to the rather voluminous cooling system, it was necessary to reduce the number of ports. However, HDMI can be connected using a special adapter. Well, at least that. The lack of connectors is one of the disadvantages of this video card. And there are not so many of them.
Overclocking capabilities
It is worth talking about some key features of the Radeon HD 5970. The characteristics of this video card are specially underestimated by the manufacturer. This is done so that the graphics accelerator meets the requirements of ATX certification. Now such a low core frequency with such iron is explained. However, AMD provided for the possibility of software overclocking of the card. For this, the appropriate changes were made to the driver. In addition, special overclocking software is supplied with the video card. With it, you can increase the core frequency to 1000 megahertz. Exactly the same situation with the memory bus. Interestingly, for such an acceleration, you do not even need to modify the cooling system. But this is far from the limit. By increasing the core voltage, you can raise the core frequency even higher. But here you can not do without water cooling. As we can see, this video card has very wide overclocking capabilities. If everything is done correctly, then even the games of 2016 of release at maximum graphics settings will be quite capable of it. And if you have a tandem of overclocked cards of this type, then to this day you can not think about replacing the adapter.
Positive feedback from owners
So what do users say about this video card? Monitoring comments is simply necessary in order to understand how the device behaves in real conditions. You can also find out how far the specifications announced by the manufacturer are far from real. The owners of this graphics adapter note excellent performance. All specifications declared by the manufacturer turned out to be real. Even more. Ample overclocking options provide even more power. And this is for frankly small money. Also, users note the exceptional reliability of this graphics card. He is able to work for many years without any problems. Separately, note the model Sapphire HD 5970. Not only is this instance several times more powerful than the original, it also has wide overclocking capabilities. Very positive owners speak about the cooling system. This is a unique case for AMD. Typically, their devices can fry eggs, if they are under full load. But here it’s the opposite. This card can be called the coldest of all AMD products and the Radeon brand. The staffing software for overclocking the device was also commended. Everything in these programs is so clear that even a beginner can handle the acceleration process.
Negative owner reviews
It is very difficult to isolate healthy grain. Most haters simply “whine” that AMD products could be more powerful. But none of them recalls the price for which the adapter was purchased. most sane users will agree that for the money, specifications and a set of options are unique. None of the other manufacturers are willing to give such an advanced device for a penny. However, constructive comments sometimes come across in the sea of whining. But there are very few of them. So, many owners note a meager set of connectors. Instead of a single DVI and a completely unnecessary Mini Display Port, one universal HDMI could be installed. And everyone would be happy. Also, users pay attention to the gigantic dimensions of the HD 5970. This is really the largest card of all the existing ones (of the same year of release). Only a modified version of "Sapphire" somehow saves the situation, since it does not have such dimensions. Many users are also annoyed by the need to always monitor temperature readings when the video card is overclocked. The fact is that the standard cooling system does not work automatically when the core frequencies rise. It only responds to the bar set by the manufacturer. As a result, it is necessary to increase the cooler speed manually. This flaw, however, was corrected in the following reincarnations of the video card. Also, some are not satisfied with the software that comes with the device. The initial version of the overclocking utility does not allow changing the core voltage. However, in the newer version, everything is in order. In general, negative reviews reveal minor manufacturer flaws. You can quite close your eyes to them. Especially if you think about the price. For such money, small errors are excusable. Anyway, there are much more positive aspects than negative ones.
Conclusion
So, we reviewed the top-end graphics card from the past ATI Radeon HD 5970 from AMD. The characteristics of this graphics adapter are such that it may well be relevant in 2018. Especially if you overclock it. The adapter has a dual-chip design, a powerful cooling system and boasts good performance even without overclocking. In addition, the acquisition of this card will not hit the family budget much.