The market for graphics cards got huge boost last year when ATI released the first of the DirectX 11 graphics cards, numbered, unsurprisingly, the 5 series. Demand for the latest and greatest easily outstripped supply and even now, some months later, it's still very difficult to have a wide selection of cards to purchase if you're loyal to a certain manufacturer.

Naturally the first out the door of the ATI labs was the, at the time, top of the range 5870. This was quickly followed by the 5850 and rumours persisted about the possibility of a 5870X2, which eventually reached us named the 5970. At least the adjustment of the naming conventions should make it easier for the average consumer to know where in the range their card fits.

As with all high-end graphics cards though, not long after the more value orientated models started to drip into the marketplace. Anyone who remembers the amazing value for money that the 4770 produced in Crossfire will be delighted to know that a 5770 has been made available and these four cards make up today's huge test.

With so many cards and combinations to test this is also a first for OC3D in that two of our reviewers, myself Tom Logan and Bryan Waters, are collaborating to bring you this huge amount of information as concisely as possible.

Naturally with demand so high obtaining these cards is quite a feat, so we were delighted when ASUS stepped in to offer us an amazing 6 of their excellent 5 series cards to enable us to run the full battery of tests.

We know you're all as itching as we are to see some numbers and find out which would be the best bang for buck, so let's cut to the chase.

5970 Review

ATI now dominates the graphics industry with their DirectX 11 Radeon HD 5000-series video cards, which allows them to enjoy current-generation gaming on Windows 7 and Vista. The ATI Radeon HD 5870 has already beat the worn and weathered GeForce GTX 285, just as the Radeon HD 5850 and HD5770 do at their respective price points. By combining two Cypress XT GPUs together on one PCB, the ATI Radeon HD 5970 video card will now compete against the very best NVIDIA can offer: the GeForce GTX 295. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the 'unlocked' Hemlock GPU against the top graphics products available and demonstrates just how much ground AMD has gained in a few short months.

After years of leading the industry, NVIDIA has finally succumbed defeat to ATI. The back and forth battle between chip makers has seen Radeon top GeForce, and then GeForce top Radeon. This time, though, it has a lasting affect. When ATI launched the Radeon HD 5000 series in September (2009) they released a level of graphics product that NVIDIA was unprepared for. On the same day that ATI claimed the top end, NVIDIA responded by redefining the bottom end, and launch the GeForce 200 (a discrete video card with graphics power so low it competes with integrated graphics). Even two months later as the top-end Radeon HD 5970 launches, NVIDIA fires back with another low end alternative: the GeForce GT 240. From the reports, it won't be until February 2010 before NVIDIA launches their 40nm Fermi architecture. Even then, DirectX 11 support is unconfirmed.

Long before the 'Hemlock' is tested on its first benchmark, gamers really want to know if the ATI Radeon HD 5970 is simply a convenient package for two Radeon HD 5850's in CrossFire. The specifications might make it appear that way, but AMD has designed the HD5970 to overclock up-to and beyond the HD5870 specifications. So for those willing to push the Hemlock GPU further, the HD5970 could perform better than two HD5870's in CrossFire. Power efficient improvements are meant to reduce electrical draw, intended to make the HD5970 a more energy-efficient solution.

AMD has launched the Radeon 5000-series as their first assault on the multi-monitor ATI Eyefinity Technology feature, using native HDMI 1.3 output paired with DisplayPort connectivity. The new Cypress GPU features the latest ATI Stream Technology, which is designed to utilize DirectCompute 5.0 and OpenCL code. These new features improve all graphical aspects of the end-user experience, such as faster multimedia transcode times and better GPGPU compute performance. AMD has already introduced a DirectCompute partnership with CyberLink, and the recent Open Physics Initiative with Pixelux promises to offer physics middleware built around OpenCL and Bullet Physics. This looks like ATI's recipe for success, since NVIDIA does not have a GPU to compete against the Radeon 5800 series or support DirectX 11. It doesn't help matters any that NVIDIA GPUs do not support OpenCL and DirectCompute 11 environments, leaving them out in the cold for the coming winter months.

From these developments ATI has distanced themselves ahead of NVIDIA by placing gamers first in their consideration, and have positioned the ATI 5000-series to introduce enthusiasts to a new world of DirectX 11 video games on the Microsoft Windows 7/Vista Operating Systems. While most hardware enthusiasts are familiar with the back-and-forth competition between these two leading GPU chip makers, it might come as a surprise that NVIDIA actually remarked that DirectX 11 video games won't fuel video card sales, and have instead decided to revolutionize the military with CUDA technology. Perhaps we're seeing the evolution of two companies: NVIDIA transitions to the industrial sector and departs the enthusiast gaming space, while ATI successfully answers retail consumer demand.

Here is some Benchmarks :

3DMark Vantage :

Crysis WarHead :

Devil May Cry 4 :

Unigine Heaven DX10 :

Unigine heaven DX11:

5870 Review

With the change of the seasons comes the change of hardware. AMD just released their latest series of video cards to the public in the form of the ATI HD 5870. The ATI HD 5870 comes packing double the stream processors and double the texture (TMU) units as well as doubled render (ROP) units. The stream processors total in at 1600, with 80 TMUs and 32 ROPs - the reference core speed remains the same as the 4890's while memory speed has increased to 1200MHz. The fabrication process has been shrunk from 55nm down to 40nm, but with the increase of transistors the total die size has grown considerably to nearly an extra 25% in size. ATI was the first to 40nm video cards, and is also the first to present DirectX 11 compatibility. The memory bus and size has not increased - remaining at 256bit and 1GB. Overall the new release should bring some serious performance and all of the new developments look very enticing. AMD also has developed new software to go along with the new series - it is called ATI Eyefinity, the software allows multiple monitors of up to 6 to be used at the same time on each video card.

And here is some Benchmarks :

3DMark Vantage :

Crysis WarHead :

Devil May Cry 4 :

Unigine Heaven :

5770 Review

For gamers, the last month has been a dream come true as ATI has effectively opened the floodgates on its 40nm manufacturing process by bringing an entire range of well-priced DX11 cards onto the market. The release of the high-end HD 5870 was quickly followed by the launch of the HD 5850; a card many people are calling the new 8800 GT due to its amazing price / performance ratio. The fun continues today with the simultaneous launch of two performance-oriented mid-range cards: the HD 5770 1G and the HD 5750 which will be available in 1GB and 512MB forms. In this review we will be looking at the XFX HD 5770 1GB GDDR5.

Unlike the HD 5870 and HD 5850, the positioning of the HD 5770 is a bit less ambiguous since its price of around $160USD doesn’t particularly line up with much in NVIDIA’s current lineup. At this point, the GTS 250 512MB sits at around $125 while the less popular 1GB version comes in at $140 which means ATI is hoping their new card bridges the gap between the GTS 250 and the GTX 260 216. In essence, the gap we are referring to is presently filled in ATI's lineup by the HD 4850 512MB whose $125 price point is a good 20% lower than that of the HD 5770. Depending on the HD 5770’s performance, this might mean that consumers will be forced to pick between a less expensive DX10 card or a costlier DX11 GPU.

In the grand scheme of things, ATI is still aiming to lead the pack when it comes to both the price consumers have to pay for performance as well as performance per watt. Their 40nm manufacturing process seems to have matured to a point where both of these goals are within reach which is why we are seeing this sudden glut of DX11 cards.

The only issue thus far with the 5-series launch has been the sparse availability of products. A combination of popularity coupled with very few units being restocked has led to shortages of the HD 5870 and the virtual non-existence of the HD 5850. Whether these problems carry over into the 5700-series is anyone’s guess but from what we hear, these lower-end cards should be available in good quantities come launch.

The HD 5770 1GB we are reviewing today isn’t the usual overclocked card we have all come to expect from XFX but rather it is based on the ATI reference design and sports stock clocks. We are sure that in the future, XFX will flex their overclocking might but the stock nature of this GPU doesn’t stop it from carrying the usual Double Lifetime Warranty. This warranty basically gives you along with the second buyer (if you choose to sell it) a modder-friendly lifetime warranty. Along, with their 5-star customer and technical support, XFX hopes that these little touches will differentiate them from the competition.