ASUS EAH4870 DK TOP

Benchmark Reviews is no stranger to the Radeon HD 4870 and today we add one more to the ranks: the ASUS EAH4870 Dark Knight Top. This 'DK TOP' model comes equipped with ASUS' famed Dark Knight cooler and claims of a 9% performance lead over stock 4870's thanks to an impressive factory overclock. In today's review, we'll put this claim to the test and find out what kind of performance the EAH4870 DK Top brings to the table.

There's a reason the Radeon HD 4870 is so popular: it offers one of the best price/performance ratios the GPU market has seen in quite some time. With recent price cuts dropping the cost below $200, this ratio has gotten even better. In fact, prices throughout the entire HD 4000 line have been steadily falling for several months. If you've been holding out on upgrading your video card, now is definitely a good time to buy.

With a custom HSF and factory overclocking, the EAH4870 DK Top should prove to be a top performer. Still, with prices on the rest of HD 4800 series dropping, some may be inclined to pick up a cheaper 4830 or 4850. For this reason, we'll be pitting our test card against ATI's other mid to high-end offering to find out just what kind of performance advantage the 4870 has over its siblings.

About the company: ASUS

Asus is one of the most respected manufacturers of computer hardware of the industry, including video cards. Here is what they have to say about their commitment to quality:

"ASUS, a technology-oriented company blessed with one of the world's top R&D teams, is well known for high-quality and innovative technology. As a leading company in the new digital era, ASUS offers a complete product portfolio to compete in the new millennium.

In 2007, one in three desktop PCs sold was powered by an ASUS motherboard; and the company's 2007 revenues reached US$6.9 billion.

ASUS products' top quality stems from product development. It's like learning Chinese Kung-Fu; one must begin with cultivating the "Chi" and inner strength. Besides innovating cutting-edge features, ASUS engineers also pay special attention to EMI (electromagnetic interference), thermal, acoustics and details that usually go unnoticed to achieve complete customer satisfaction. ASUS notebooks are the first TCO'99-certified notebooks worldwide.

The requirements for this honor include radiation emission control, energy (battery consumption), ecology (environment friendly) and ergonomics. To succeed in this ultra-competitive industry, great products need to be complimented by speed-to-market, cost and service. That's why all 8,000 over employees of ASUS strive for the "ASUS Way of Total Quality Management" to offer the best quality without compromising cost and time-to-market while providing maximum value to all customers through world-class services.

With unyielding commitment to innovation and quality, ASUS won 2,568 awards in 2007, meaning on average, the company received over 7 awards every day last year. BusinessWeek has ranked ASUS amongst its InfoTech 100 for the 10th straight year; and the company is ranked as No.1 in quality products and services by the Wall Street Journal. ASUS has also achieved the number one title on the annual league table of Taiwan Top 10 Global Brands with a brand value of 11.96 billion US dollars."

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