Right now is an interesting time to purchase a new graphics card, as we are faced with a rare scenario that has seen AMD beat Nvidia to the punch with their latest generation products. Up until a month ago the GeForce GTX 285 featured the worlds most powerful and complex GPU based on the GT200 architecture. With a price tag near enough to $400 US, it goes without saying that not everyone enjoyed the power of this particular graphics card.

However when AMD released the Radeon HD 5870 on September 23rd at $380 US, it was able to make the GeForce GTX 285 look quite slow. Then the Radeon HD 5850 followed a week later, and despite a price tag of just $280 US, it was still faster than the GeForce GTX 285, making it the second fastest GPU available.

Despite all this, what was to follow excited most gamers the most, as we introduced the new Radeon HD 5770 last week. This particular version may be slower than both the Radeon HD 5870 and 5850, but it is also a great deal cheaper as well, with the retail value of just $160 US. The Radeon HD 5770 turned out to deliver similar performance to that of the Radeon HD 4870, which is obviously the product it is stepping in for.

This also made the Radeon HD 5770 only slightly slower than the GeForce GTX 260 in most tests, while there were a few that saw it come out on top. The similar performance margins between the Radeon HD 5770 and the older Radeon HD 4870 quickly got us wondering about Crossfire performance. Should you throw a pair of these graphics cards together you could theoretically achieve Radeon HD 4870 X2 like performance for $320 US.

That said, before spending $320 US on a pair of Radeon HD 5770 graphics cards, what are the alternatives right now? The GeForce GTX 275 seems to be fetching between $280 - $300 US, so it is only slightly cheaper, while the GeForce GTX 285 is still priced around $380 US. There is also the Radeon HD 5870 at $380 US, while the most expensive graphics card money can buy is the GeForce GTX 295 at around $480 US.

Therefore the main competition for a Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire configuration will come from the Radeon HD 5870 and the GeForce GTX 285. While we will be comparing the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire configuration to 10 other graphics cards, including a single Radeon HD 5770, we will be focusing primarily on how it compares to the Radeon HD 5870 and GeForce GTX 285 graphics cards. In total we have tested with 18 games, while we have also included some 3Dmark results, so get ready for an onslaught.

Hardware - Intel Core i7 965 Extreme Edition (Overclocked @ 3.70GHz) - x3 2GB G.Skill DDR3 PC3-12800 (CAS 9-9-9-24) - Seagate 500GB 7200-RPM (Serial ATA300) - HIS Radeon HD 5870 (1GB) - HIS Radeon HD 5850 (1GB) - HIS Radeon HD 5770 (1GB) - HIS Radeon HD 5770 (1GB) Crossfire - VisionTek Radeon HD 4870 X2 (2GB) - Asus Radeon HD 4890 (1GB) - Palit Radeon HD 4870 (1GB) - Asus GeForce GTX 295 (1792MB) - Asus GeForce GTX 285 (1GB) - Asus GeForce GTX 275 (896MB) - Palit GeForce GTX 260 (896MB) - ASUS P6T Deluxe (Intel X58) Software - Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate (64-bit) - Nvidia Forceware 191.03 - ATI Catalyst 9.10

According to 3Dmark Vantage we can expect the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire configuration to match the performance of the Radeon HD 4870 X2 in most games, which is what we were expecting/hoping for. At 2560x1600 the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire cards scored 34% higher than the GeForce GTX 285, while they were just 8% slower than the Radeon HD 5870.

Although Batman Arkham Asylum uses the Unreal Engine 3, the same engine used by Unreal Tournament 3, the game looks very impressive and very up to date. Despite the impressive visuals the frame rates are extremely high, even at 2560x1600 on affordable graphics cards such as the Radeon HD 5770. At 2560x1600 the Radeon HD 5770 averaged 56fps, while it was 91% faster when working in Crossfire mode.

The massive performance boost seen when using a pair of Radeon HD 5770 graphics cards meant that in Batman Arkham Asylum at 2560x1600 the Crossfire configuration was 24% faster than the GeForce GTX 285, while it beat the Radeon HD 5870 by a single frame per second. The Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire cards were 9% slower than the Radeon HD 4870 X2 and 19% slower than the GeForce GTX 295.

This is an impressive result for the Radeon HD 5770 duo and it makes them one of the best value high-end solutions available, at least in this particular game. Let’s move on to see how things develop...

BattleForge is an intense RTS (Real-Time Strategy) game that is highly demanding on the graphics card. As a result a single Radeon HD 5770 manages just 15fps at 2560x1600 using maximum in-game image quality settings. However when adding in a second Radeon HD 5770 to be used in Crossfire, we saw an impressive 87% performance boost at 2560x1600.

This made the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire graphics cards the second fastest configuration tested. The Radeon HD 5870 was just a single frame per second faster, while the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire cards beat the Radeon HD 4870 X2 and Radeon HD 5850 graphics cards by a 12% margin. Furthermore, they were able to more than double the performance of the GeForce GTX 285 in this game.

The Call of Duty World at War results are very favorable, as the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire cards produced the highest frame rate at 1680x1050 and 1920x1200. Interestingly at 2560x1600 the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire were slower than the GeForce GTX 295, while they did manage to match the Radeon HD 4870 X2. This made the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire configuration 7% faster than the Radeon HD 5870 and 29% faster than the GeForce GTX 285, which is a remarkable result.

When testing with Company of Heroes the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire performance was again impressive, despite being 16% slower than the Radeon HD 5870 at 2560x1600. Again the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire cards matched the Radeon HD 4870 X2, which made them 43% faster than the GeForce GTX 285. When compared to a single Radeon HD 5770 graphics card the Crossfire configuration produced 78% more performance.

The Radeon HD 4870 X2 had a definite advantage over the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire configuration in Crysis Warhead and at 2560x1600 the Crossfire cards were 16% slower. That said, this meant that they were also just 7% slower than the Radeon HD 5870, while they beat the GeForce GTX 285 by a 17% margin. Furthermore we saw a healthy 69% performance boost when going from a single Radeon HD 5770 graphics card to a pair of them operating in Crossfire mode.

Dawn of War II is another very demanding game, especially when testing at 2560x1600 with 4xAA and maximum in-game quality settings enabled. The single Radeon HD 5770 configuration averaged just 30fps, while adding in a second card boosted the frame rate to 33fps.

Although it appears that Crossfire and SLI technology is not very efficient in Dawn of War II, the pathetic 10% rise in performance was limited to the Radeon HD 5770 graphics cards. The Radeon HD 4870 X2 and GeForce GTX 295 did see greater performance improvements over their single GPU parts.

The Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire graphics cards were able to take top position when testing with Enemy Territory Quake Wars. At 2560x1600 the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire cards were just 3% faster than the Radeon HD 5870, while they beat the Radeon HD 4870 X2 by a 7% margin. The Nvidia GeForce graphics cards do not perform well in this test and as a result the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire cards managed to beat the GeForce GTX 285 by an 88% performance margin.

The Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire configuration once again performed admirably, this time beating the Radeon HD 5870 by a 10% margin at 2560x1600. This also meant that the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire cards were 67% faster than the GeForce GTX 285, while they came second only to the Radeon HD 4870 X2 as they were 11% slower. When compared to a single Radeon HD 5770 graphics card the Crossfire cards saw an 86% rise in performance.

The Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire graphics cards once again performed very well, this time when testing with Far Cry 2. At 2560x1600 the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire cards were just 6% slower than the Radeon HD 5870, while they were 14% faster than the GeForce GTX 285. This also meant that the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire cards were 78% faster than a single Radeon HD 5770 graphics card.

The Radeon graphics cards have the advantage of supporting DX10.1 in Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X and as a result the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire configuration was 74% faster than the GeForce GTX 285. Meanwhile the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire cards were 25% faster than the Radeon HD 5870, although they were 10% slower than the Radeon HD 4870 X2.

The Left 4 Dead performance of the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire graphics cards is impressive, with an average frame rate of 73fps at 2560x1600 with maximum in-game quality settings and 8xAA/16xAF enabled. This meant that the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire cards were just 3% slower than the Radeon HD 5870, while they were 35% faster than the GeForce GTX 285. The Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire configuration delivered a 59% performance boost over the single Radeon HD 5770 graphics card.

The Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire configuration does well once again, cleaning up in Resident Evil 5 where it beat the Radeon HD 5870 by a 6% margin and the GeForce GTX 285 by a much larger 54% performance margin. The Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire cards were 15% slower than the Radeon HD 4870 X2 despite seeing a 72% performance increase over the single card configuration.

The Radeon HD 4870 X2 once again gets the better of the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire graphics cards, beating them by a 6% margin. Nevertheless the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire cards were 9% faster than the Radeon HD 5870, and more than twice as fast as the GeForce GTX 285 in Street Fighter IV at 2560x1600.

When testing with S.T.A.L.K.E.R Clear Sky we found that at 2560x1600 the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire cards were able to match the Radeon HD 5870. This meant that they were roughly 7% slower than the Radeon HD 4870 X2 and GeForce GTX 295 graphics cards. It also meant that the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire configuration was 47% faster than the GeForce GTX 285.

The Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire graphics cards performed as expected in The Last Remnant, delivering 72fps at 2560x1600. This made the Crossfire pair just a single frame faster than the Radeon HD 5870, while they were just 6% faster than the GeForce GTX 285. Still the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire cards did see an 80% boost in performance when coming from a single card configuration.

The Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire graphics cards were unable to match the raw power of the Radeon HD 5870 in Unreal Tournament 3, delivering 79fps, making them 29% slower. Interestingly the Radeon HD 4870 X2 was 20% faster, and clearly the greater bandwidth of this graphics card plays a role here. Still, despite all this the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire cards were 36% faster than the GeForce GTX 285.

The Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire graphics cards delivered 38fps at 2560x1600 when testing with World in Conflict. Although this meant that they were 14% slower than the Radeon HD 4870 X2, they were 9% faster than the Radeon HD 5870, and 15% faster than the GeForce GTX 285, so a good result overall.

Finally we are finishing up our benchmarking with Wolfenstein, and at 2560x1600 the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire graphics cards averaged 59fps. This made them just 3% slower than the Radeon HD 4870 X2 and Radeon HD 5870 graphics cards, while they were 40% faster than the GeForce GTX 285. This also meant that the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire configuration was 90% faster than the single Radeon HD 5770.

Although the performance margin between the single Radeon HD 5770 and 4870 was quite small, the Radeon HD 4870 X2 did lead the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire configuration by decent margins in most games. That said, the Radeon HD 4870 X2 does have the advantage of having the GPUs placed locally on a single PCB, which reduces latency. Furthermore we feel the drivers are still slightly better for the Radeon HD 4870 X2, though that is to be expected given that this is a much more mature product.

However, while the Radeon HD 4870 X2 did seem to provide a performance advantage over the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire configuration in most games, the newer titles such as BattleForge went the way of the Radeon HD 5000 series. Furthermore, the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire cards consumed 20% less power when compared to the Radeon HD 4870 X2, reducing system load consumption levels from over 500 watts to just over 400 watts.

Then there is the issue of volume, and let me tell you, a pair of Radeon HD 5770 graphics cards in Crossfire is much quieter than a Radeon HD 4870 X2, not to mention a great deal cooler. Of course the newer Radeon HD 5770 graphics cards also support newer features and technologies such as DirectX 11.

So while you might be sacrificing a little performance when going with the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire configuration opposed to the Radeon HD 4870 X2, the improved features and power consumption more than justify going with the newer Radeons. Of course the Radeon HD 4870 X2 has now been discontinued anyway, so the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire cards are merely picking up where it left off.

Right now there is nothing in the Nvidia arsenal that can contend with a pair of Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire cards in terms of value, and at $320 US we consider them the best value for money option right now within that price range. While the Radeon HD 5850 pretty much made the GeForce GTX 285 pointless, the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire configuration certainly has.

The Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire cards even challenged the Radeon HD 5870, and in some tests they were much faster. In terms of power consumption the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire cards only use slightly more power than a single Radeon HD 5870, we saw about a 20 watt rise for the entire system when under load. While we do tend to favor the single card approach, as it is not driver dependent, in the games that do support Crossfire the slightly cheaper Radeon HD 5770 alternative does seem like the way to go.

While we would not go as far as to say you should forget the Radeon HD 5870 and go for a pair of Radeon HD 5770 graphics cards, there is no denying that these budget graphics cards are really something when used in Crossfire. For those looking to spend around $300 US on their graphics card budget, we feel that the Radeon HD 5770 Crossfire configuration is the way to go.

Reviewed By Steven Walton