Conclusion
PowerColor's HD 4870 1GB PCS+ delivers on its promise to increase performance whilst decreasing GPU temperatures, when compared to the reference design. This is, we believe, the best method of realising the true potential of the HD 4870 GPU.
The increased framebuffer helps the most at 2,560x1,60, ensuring both increased performance and consistent results by minimising any caching to main memory or the system's hard-drive. The increased clockspeeds also help at lower resolutions, though, so it's not only those with 30in monitors that will see the benefit.
The ZEROtherm cooling solution is certainly an improvement over the reference design, but we would have looked upon the package in a kinder fashion had the memory cooling been a little beefier.
At an estimated £210, the PowerColor HD 4870 1GB PCS+ is reasonable value for money when both the increased performance and uprated cooler are factored in, but unless 2,560x1,600 gaming is your priority, the 512MB variant, currently available at £182.52, looks to be a better choice - offering the increased clockspeeds and uprated cooler at hardly any premium over the reference design.
A decent, non-reference card that plays well for consumers looking with high-resolution monitors and who put all in-game settings to maximum. Grab one of these or a GeForce GTX 260 and you won't be disappointed.
HEXUS Awards
The PowerColor HD 4870 1GB PCS+ receives the HEXUS.gaming speed award for offering excellent performance, even at the highest resolutions.
HEXUS Where2Buy
TBC.
HEXUS Right2Reply
At HEXUS.net, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any PowerColor representatives choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.
