Introduction

Recently, while car shopping, I did the obligatory reading of reviews of the vehicles I was interested in, probably in much the same way you wound up reading this review. There was one particular vehicle that had a recurring theme in the reviews that basically stated “it is not without its flaws, but it is far more refined than any other vehicle in its class”. I like the sound of that. The noted flaws were ones that mattered little to me, and certainly mattered less than refinement. When I stated this to my wife, she looked at me quizzically and asked “what exactly do they mean when they say it is ‘more refined’”?

“Refined” can certainly refer to craftsmanship, design and build of anything, it is hardly automobile specific. It is all about well thought through design and attention to detail, especially the smallest details. Execution from start to finish. Smooth and flawless operation, and things are more aesthetically pleasing when they are put together well. This goes for electronics, as well. A PCB with blobs of solder may initially perform as well as a well made board, but probably not for long. A mash up of capacitors certainly will not look as clean or perform as well as a well designed board. In the world of PCBs, very few companies make boards as refined as ASUS.

The ASUS HD6870 DirectCU brings a very refined aspect to video cards. In addition to the Radeon HD 6870 GPU overclocked to 915MHz, the ASUS HD6870 DirectCU brings a slew of ASUS exclusive features and technologies. Naturally, the card is fitted with ASUS’ DirectCU cooling system, complete with three direct contact copper heat pipes and aluminum fin array, dust repellant shroud and variable speed fan. Under the shroud, you will find ASUS’ exclusive Super Alloy design featuring the highest quality capacitors, MOSFETs and chokes for improved performance, lower heat and longer life. It also needs to be noted that the stronger nature of Super Alloy technology certainly helps in overclocking, especially with the HD6870 DirectCU’s unlocked voltage in the BIOS. To aid in overclocking, ASUS includes their Smart Doctor software to assist you in easily and safely overclocking your GPU.