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Today we have a new and exciting budget product from ASUS, called the Extreme AH4770 Formula, which as the name suggests is a Radeon HD 4770 graphics card. However not just any Radeon HD 4770, as a lot of work has gone into upgrading this particular version with better cooling and more durable components… The ATI Radeon HD 4770 was officially released on the 28th of April, making it the world’s first and still the only 40nm graphics card. The 40nm fabrication process means that the RV740 GPU is not only incredibly small but also extremely efficient, as it uses very little power and therefore generates a minimal amount of heat.  However when we checked out the ATI reference sample on the release date which featured the deluxe cooler, we were a little disappointed. Although this cooler looked impressive, as it was a shrunk down version of what you might find on a Radeon HD 4890 for example, it allowed the Radeon HD 4770 to idle at 70 degrees while temperatures would reach just over 80 under load. These results certainly were surprising, especially given that the Radeon HD 4770 consumed roughly the same amount of power as a GeForce 9600 GT, yet at idle it was an incredible 66% hotter! Still the Radeon HD 4770 was far from a disappointing product, as it delivered unbeatable performance at $100 US, making it one of the best value graphics cards to date. Nevertheless, while the Radeon HD 4770 does own the value segment, it is not without a weakness and that of course being its cooler. Therefore ASUS has set out to create the ultimate Radeon HD 4770 solution with their new Extreme AH4770 Formula graphics card. Rather than just apply a pathetic factory overclock, ASUS has focused their attention on making the Extreme AH4770 Formula more durable and efficient. They have done this by ditching the reference cooler for what they call their “Formula” fan and heatsink combo. ASUS claims that this new cooler will reduce operating temperatures by 33% under load, while it will also be quieter. In an effort to improve durability ASUS has included their Fuse Protection Technology, which helps protect against over-current. Finally, the last feature that ASUS includes to help make the Extreme AH4770 Formula more durable, is being marketed as “Ultimate Armaments”. This feature means that only quality components have been used, such as solid capacitors, covered chocks, and low RDS (on) MOSFETs, while the output ports also come with EMI shields. |
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