Final thoughts and rating
The ASUS Radeon HD 5770 1,024MB Voltage Tweak graphics card offersenthusiasts the opportunity of increasing the GPU's voltage in order to achieve higher frequencies that lead to better performance. Applied by the SmartDoctor utility bundled with the card, users also gain control over the fan speed and temperatures. Memory-voltage adjustment isn't available, however.Shipping at the same 850MHz core and 4,800MHz memory settings as any other Radeon HD 5770 1,024MB offering, our sample's 1,003MHz/5,680MHz stable clocks translate to an in-game frame-rate improvement of almost 15 per cent, consistent across a bunch of titles at a 1,920x1,200 resolution.
The extra speed puts the overclocked HD 5770 VT's numbers better in-line with a GeForce GTX 260, etailing for the same kind of money, so there's definite merit in raising the voltage. We appreciate the fact that ASUS honours all SmartDoctor-set parameters, taking the worry out of overclocking.
All good, then? Not quite. The cooler's fan - not particularly quiet on stock cards - needs to work even harder when the GPU's juiced up. Our measurements also show that under-load power-draw increases by around 50W when the core's voltage is increased by 14 per cent, mitigating much of the energy efficiency argument of the Radeon HD 5770.
Bottom line: we still look upon the ASUS Radeon HD 5770 1,024MB Voltage Tweak variant in a positive light, however, because it gives the user a choice. It will behave much like any other Radeon HD 5770 if left at the default speeds, but promises better-than-default performance with a little tweaking, at the expense of increased noise and power.
HEXUS Rating
We consider any product score above '50%' as a safe buy. The higher the score, the higher the recommendation from HEXUS to buy. Simple, straightforward buying advice.
The rating is given in relation to the category the component competes in, therefore the ASUS Radeon HD 5770 Voltage Tweak is evaluated with respect to our 'mid-range' criteria.
ASUS
Radeon HD 5770 Voltage Tweak
1,024MB (at £125)
HEXUS Awards
ASUS Radeon HD 5770 Voltage Tweak 1,024MB (at £125)
HEXUS Where2Buy
The ASUS Radeon HD 5770 Voltage Tweak 1,024MB can be purchased for £125.55 from Scan.co.uk, incuding free delivery*.* As always, UK-based HEXUS.community discussion forum members will benefit from the SCAN2HEXUS Free Shipping initiative, which will save you a further few pounds plus also top-notch, priority customer service and technical support backed up by the SCANcare@HEXUS forum.
HEXUS Right2Reply
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