Today we are checking out the new AMD Radeon HD 7970 graphics card that is targeting the $549 price range. AMD hopes to take down the Nvidia GeForce GTX 580, which is currently the fastest single-GPU graphics card money can buy. In order to do so they have designed a new architecture which uses the 28nm design process...

First let’s talk about the numbers, as we saw some pretty compelling frame rates from the Radeon HD 7970. In the dozen games we tested with, the Radeon HD 7970 was on average 42% faster than the Radeon HD 6970. That’s a mind blowing result when you consider that the Radeon HD 6970 was just 24% faster than the Radeon HD 5870.

Today we are checking out a new graphics card from HIS, as they reinvent the Radeon HD 6870 with a new IceQ model. Sporting what HIS call a black hole impeller, this new graphics card receives a massive upgrade in the cooling department, said to deliver 24 degrees lower temperatures. This new design should not only improve thermals and operating volume, but it should also enhance the overclocking performance...

Here we find HIS attempting to make old technology new as they re-design the Radeon HD 6870, giving it a new lease on life. Although the Radeon HD 6870 is still a current generation product, it is fair to say that after 12 months it is getting a little long in the tooth, especially with the release of AMD’s upcoming Southern Islands (Radeon HD 7xxx) family just around the corner.

Today we have the long-awaited HIS Radeon HD 6970 IceQ Turbo which has been redesigned from the ground up. Sporting what HIS call a black hole impeller, this new graphics card receives a massive upgrade in the cooling department, said to deliver 23 degrees lower temperatures. Not only is the 6970 IceQ Turbo cooler and quieter, but it is also faster thanks to a little factory overclocking...

The HIS Radeon HD 6970 IceQ Turbo is a fantastic product and is without a doubt one of the best Radeon HD 6970 graphics cards available today. The crown jewel is certainly that massive dual slot cooler, which kept the card at just 74 degrees, even when stress testing with FurMark. As remarkable as this thermal result is, it is made even more amazing by the fact that at no point was the card audible.

For those that have recently purchased a Radeon HD 6790 graphics card, we have a basic step-by-step guide on how to overclock it to achieve 6850 like performance. Those wanting the maximum bang for their buck are most likely interested in overclocking this new graphics card and we are going to show you how...

Overclocking your graphics card is a very quick and easy way to get a little extra performance out of your system. The overclock we used when testing our Radeon HD 6790 should be considered as a maximum air-cooled overclock for this particular card. That said, we expect that almost all cards will reach 950MHz, which is still an impressive 110MHz increase or 13% boost in frequency.

Today we are checking out the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 550 Ti, which has been designed from the ground up featuring a custom PCB, upgraded cooling setup, and overclocked core and memory frequencies. Despite the numerous improvements that Gigabyte has been able to make, they have also managed to hit the MSRP right on target...

While we are not entirely convinced that the GeForce GTX 550 Ti is a worthy contender at $149 US, Gigabyte certainly has done a lot to improve its value. When compared to the Radeon HD 6850 which was consistently much faster, the GeForce GTX 550 Ti costs just 15% less despite being around 30% slower most of the time.

The arrival of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 590 has been largely anticipated and today the wait is finally over. Not since the mighty GeForce GTX 295 has Nvidia released a dual-GPU graphics card, making the new GTX 590 all the more exciting. For testing we have a Gigabyte production version that comes bundled in a very impressive package...

The Gigabyte version of the GeForce GTX 590 is a very impressive graphics card, even if it does follow the Nvidia reference design to a tee. However the inclusion of the Gigabyte M8000Xtreme gaming mouse is very nice, as is the package that it all comes in. Gigabyte has also included a Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort female cable adapter which allows those with a standard DisplayPort cable to use this feature.

Today we have the Inno3D GeForce GTX 560 Ti graphics card on display featuring factory overclocked core and memory frequencies for even greater performance. Inno3D has also taken the liberty of enhancing the cooling setup by dumping the single fan Nvidia reference design for a dual-fan setup of their own...

As is so often the case with Inno3D products the availability of the GeForce GTX 560 Ti OC is poor, which is a shame because this is a very good graphics card. Although we often only saw a performance increase of 2-3fps, the upgraded cooler generated very little noise while managing to keep the GTX 560 Ti OC well within acceptable temperate ranges when under load.

Today we are going to provide you with a basic step-by-step guide on how to overclock the new GeForce GTX 560 Ti graphics card. This new mid-range Nvidia graphics card is already proving to be a popular choice among gamers, and at just $250 US there is little not to like about the GTX 560 Ti. Those wanting the maximum bang for their buck are most likely interested in overclocking this new graphics card and we are going to show you how...

Overclocking your graphics card is a very quick and easy way to get a little extra performance out of your system. While the 1000MHz might not be obtainable with all GeForce GTX 560 Ti graphics cards, we are confident that almost all will handle 950MHz without a problem. In either case, gamers can enjoy performance gains as high as 15–20%.

Thinking of buying a new graphics card? It might be wise to hold off until you have checked out the new Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti which aims to deliver even more value to the mainstream performance market segment. This new mid-range graphics card can be transformed to deliver high-end performance with a few quick and simple tweaks, making it the ultimate value solution...

Nvidia says that they hit the sweet spot with the GeForce GTX 460 (1GB) at $230 US and we are inclined to agree with them. They now believe that the sweet spot has just gotten a whole lot sweeter thanks to the introduction of the GeForce GTX 560 Ti and while we again agree it worth mentioning that the “sweet spot” is also now $20 US more.

Today we are checking out a new version of the AMD Radeon HD 6970 graphics card from Gigabyte that is targeting the $369 price range. AMD hopes to take down the Nvidia GeForce GTX 570, which is currently running unopposed in the same price range. In order to do so they have refined the Cayman XT, which still uses the 40nm design process...

Then when it came to power consumption the Radeon HD 6970 and GeForce GTX 570 were again very much the same, as they demonstrated a similar level of operating efficiency. Therefore the battle between the Radeon HD 6970 and GeForce GTX 570 is going to be close-fought.

Today we are checking out a new version Nvidia GeForce GTX 570 graphics card from Gigabyte that is targeting the $350 price range. Nvidia hopes to take the improved efficiency of the new GF110 architecture recently demonstrated by the GTX 580, and package it as a more affordable product for the masses...

Something we really like about the GeForce GTX 500 series is its improved efficiency, and efficiency is something that plagued the high-end graphics cards of the GTX 400 series. When testing with Crysis we found that the GeForce GTX 570 used less power than the GTX 470, while it consumed 8% less than the GTX 480 and provided 5% more performance, now that is efficiency.

Today we are taking an in-depth look at the latest Inno3D graphics card based on the world’s fastest GPU, the GF110. Known as the GeForce GTX 580 this version features overclocked core and memory frequencies designed to make this already very fast graphics card even faster...

In terms of performance the Inno3D GeForce GTX 580 OC was on average, in the 13 games that we tested, 5% faster than the Radeon HD 5970, 31% faster than the GeForce GTX 480 and 53% faster than the Radeon HD 5870. Out of interest if you ignore the results from Metro 2033 and particularly S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat, the Inno3D GeForce GTX 580 OC was on average 3% slower than the Radeon HD 5970 and just 39% faster than the Radeon HD 5870.

Today marks the release of the fifth member of the GeForce 400 series, as Nvidia takes the covers off their new mid-range contender the GeForce GTS 450. Based on the new GF106 architecture, the GeForce GTS 450 sheds a lot of weight when compared to existing cards. The end result is a cheaper product that has very low power consumption and thermal output, the only question remaining is how well does it perform?

Even without the minor factory overclocking, the GeForce GTS 450 was still on average faster than the Radeon HD 5750. When compared to the GeForce GTX 460 (768MB) the Inno3D GeForce GTS 450 iChill was 22% slower at 1680x1050, while we know for a fact that a standard GeForce GTS 450 is 28% slower. Therefore at $130 US the GeForce GTS 450 appears to offer the best price vs. performance ratio of any graphics card.

This time last month we were taking the wraps off some new GeForce GTX 460 graphics cards, so it is only fitting that we take the time to check out another great GeForce GTX 460 product, this time from Gigabyte. The Gigabyte GV-N460OC-1GI comes factory overclocked and fitted with an upgraded cooler, so it is certainly worth checking out...

The Gigabyte GV-N460OC-1GI is certainly one of the better quality GeForce GTX 460 1GB products out there, with its custom PCB design and upgraded cooler. Best of all the GV-N460OC-1GI meets the MSRP of $230 US, making it one of the cheapest GeForce GTX 460 1GB graphics cards available. Still the GV-N460OC-1GI does share this price bracket with some very stiff competition.

Today marks the release of the fourth member of the GeForce GTX 400 series, as Nvidia takes the covers off their new mid-range contender the GeForce GTX 460. Based on the previously released GeForce GTX 400 graphics card, this new version sheds a lot of weight, cutting down on power consumption and thermal output without sacrificing too much performance...

The new Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 graphics cards appear to be real winners, as they deliver greater performance per dollar than their ATI rivals while giving up nothing on the power and heat front. The GeForce GTX 460 768MB graphics card, which will be priced at $200 US matching the current retail price of the Radeon HD 5830, was found to be on average 6% faster.

Today we are going to show you just how well a pair of Radeon HD 5770 graphics cards in Crossfire compares to similarly priced single GPU graphics cards in modern video games such as Aliens vs. Predator, Battlefield Bad Company 2, Just Cause 2, Metro 2033 and many others. Already 8 months has passed since our original Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire article and we want to find out if anything has changed...

For example at 1920x1200, which was the resolution that we focused on, adding a second Radeon HD 5770 graphics card improved performance by 75% when testing with Aliens vs. Predator, while we saw a 78% performance increase when testing with Battlefield Bad Company 2. Other new games such as Just Cause 2 and Metro 2033 saw 63% and 86% performance gains respectively.

Today we are checking out the new Palit GeForce GTX 470, which is no ordinary GTX 470, as it features a number of new upgrades making this graphics card much more exciting. Most noteworthy is the upgraded cooler, which reduces load temperature considerably. Despite these improvements, Palit is said to be waiving any price premiums for this product...

The key advantage of the Palit GeForce GTX 470 is certainly the upgraded cooler, as it reduced load temperatures significantly when compared to the Nvidia reference design. Even when heavily overclocked, temperatures were still lower than that of the reference design, which was impressive. Of course while it was possible for Palit to solve the thermal issues of the GeForce GTX 470, there is little they could do about the graphics cards power consumption problem.

Today we are checking out one of the most, if not the most, impressive ATI Radeon HD 5870 graphics card available. Designed from the ground up by MSI, their custom built Radeon HD 5870 is known as the R5870 Lightning, which is labeled under their military class products as it is designed to kick some serious arse...

The MSI R5870 Lightning is an impressive graphics card with a number of unique design aspects. In terms of features, build quality and overclocking abilities, it is by far the best Radeon HD 5870 graphics card that we know of. The fact that we could overclock the core to 1GHz with the memory at 5.4GHz and not end up with a swirling vortex that tried to suck the case door in, is impressive.

Finally after a very long wait Nvidia is today launching their new GeForce GTX 400 series, with the introduction of the GeForce GTX 480 and 470 graphics cards. The big question now is after having waited so long, is Nvidia’s latest GPU architecture all it’s cracked up to be?

The good news for Nvidia and their new GeForce GTX 480 graphics card is that it is still a very fast product, and as the drivers have time to mature it is likely to become even faster. For now I am going to reserve my opinion on whether or not the GeForce GTX 480 is a good buy, and wait for it to hit shelves to review the pricing. It will also be very interesting to see what upgrades Nvidia’s board partners can throw at the GeForce GTX 480 to help keep temperatures under control.

Today the new ATI Radeon HD 5830 is being unveiled, providing gamers with the first sub $250 US graphics card in the Radeon HD 5800 series. This graphics card delivers the latest features, such as DirectX 11 support, to the masses, while it will pack a big enough punch to take on the very latest games...

The Radeon HD 5830 is a worthy addition to the Radeon HD 5000 series, providing an impressive level of performance at a slightly more affordable price tag when compared to the Radeon HD 5850. In fact, the Radeon HD 5830 slots in perfectly at the $250 US price range, placing a great deal of pressure on Nvidia’s fading GeForce GTX 200 series.

Today AMD is launching yet another new DirectX 11 graphics card. This time they are targeting the $80 US price range with the Radeon HD 5570. Could the Radeon HD 5570 be the next 4770, we hope so, as the last few Radeon HD 5000 launches have been quite lackluster...

However the Radeon HD 5570 is nothing like the Radeon HD 5870/5850 graphics cards, and we are not talking about performance here. As I just said, these flagship models are so impressive because they set a new benchmark for $300 - $400 US graphics cards. The Radeon HD 5570 changes almost nothing, and in fact at $80 US it could be considered a little backwards.

Ultra low-end graphics cards are not something we often review here at Legion Hardware and in fact they are not something we really review at all. The problem with ultra low-end graphics cards is that we see very little purpose for such a product, especially for our readers. The way we categorize ultra low-end graphics cards is by their retail value, which is $50 US or less...

Bottom-line, the Radeon HD 5450 does not feel like a step forward for low-end graphics cards, it offers the same lackluster performance and it will likely do so at the same price. It really does feel as though AMD are letting Nvidia off the hook here. Instead of smashing the GeForce 210/220/240 graphics cards with quality budget Radeon HD 5000 products, AMD is simply matching what is already available. The end result is a new graphics card with a new model name that essentially has nothing new to offer.

Inno3D recently sent us their new GeForce GT 240 graphics card, which features an improved cooler designed to produce lower temperatures and quieter performance. The performance of the GeForce GT 240 is questionable, especially given the price tag, so we are interested to see if this Inno3D version has anything new in store for us...

In terms of performance the GeForce GT 240 is a real disappointment. After all, it was often bettered by the old GeForce 9600 GT in quite a few of the games tested. Furthermore, in none of our tests was the Inno3D GeForce GT 240 able to better the old GeForce 9800 GT, which is really an 8800 GT, now a 2 year old product.

The time has come, the time we have been waiting for since the release of the Radeon HD 5870. Today we can show you the Radeon HD 5970, which is essentially a pair of Radeon HD 5870 GPU’s on a single PCB, and at 30cm long it’s not only the fastest graphics card you will have ever seen, it’s also the biggest...

Although the GeForce GTX 295 is almost a year old now it has ruled with an iron first, destroying the competition to become the world’s fastest single graphics card, until now of course. Interestingly, despite the huge leap in performance, the Radeon HD 5970 only consumed 8% more power than the GeForce GTX 295 when under full load, making it very efficient.

Last week AMD launched their first mainstream Radeon HD 5000 series graphics cards designed to deliver DirectX 11 support to the masses. The Radeon HD 5770 is an impressive product providing gamers with excellent performance in the latest and greatest games. Still, as good as one Radeon HD 5770 graphics card is, we wanted to know what two could offer when using Crossfire technology...

The Radeon HD 5770 performance when working in Crossfire mode was impressive to say the least. Although we are not normally advocates of multi-GPU technology, in this instance it does make sense. The Radeon HD 5770 configuration was able match or beat a single Radeon HD 5870 in almost every game, and costing around 16% less, that is pretty good value.