Asus ARES Dual Radeon HD 5870 4GB Review
Our Summary and Conclusion
Performance Summary: Summarizing the Asus ARES' performance couldn't be any easier. Quite simply, the Asus ARES is the fastest graphics card we have ever tested. The ARES' combination of dual-Radeon HD 5870 GPUs and 4GB (2GB per GPU) of fast GDDR5 frame buffer memory resulted in excellent performance across the board. In every test, at every resolution, the Asus ARES came out on top.
We should also point out that as fast as the Asus ARES is in its stock form, the card also offers voltage adjustments via the Asus SmartDoctor Utility, and overclocking is supported. We have only had the card in our possession for a very short period of time and couldn't focus on overclocking just yet, but rest assured the ARES has even more performance left in the tank.
We have to look at the Asus ARES from two different perspectives. From a technological standpoint alone, the Asus ARES is impressive to say the least. Asus' engineers have assembled the fastest, single graphics card on the planet, that's also quieter than lower-performing solutions, and they should be commended. There's no question the Asus ARES represents the current pinnacle of ultra-high-end, enthusiast graphics card.
But, all of that custom engineering, performance, and technology comes at a price. The Asus ARES commands a hefty $1200 MSRP. To put that into perspective, a pair of 2GB Radeon HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 Edition cards will cost about $1000 ($499 ea.), so the few users who can opt for an ARES will pay an approximate 20% premium for the card. To be fair, Asus does include a quality gaming mouse and cool metal briefcase, but the bottom line is consumers will have to pay a premium to play on an ARES.
And that's if you're one of the lucky few that can get in on the action. The Asus ARES will be a limited edition product, with only 1000 being introduced into the U.S. market. Considering its ultra-high-end specs and relatively small pool of potential buyers, Asus was smart to make this a limited edition product. But something tells us all 1000 of these puppies are going to disappear from store shelves. We know ours isn't going to make it out of the lab without a fight.
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