ASUS Radeon 5870 V2

Not too bad looking card, I must say.

There are really only a few downsides to this card. The first is that it can't match the performance of Nvidia's GTX 480. However, that card runs far hotter, louder, and draws more power as well for a modest performance increase. Unless you're an Nvidia fan, the 5870 V2 is a better card overall. The second issue is the cost of this card; at about $410 USD, it's a bit more expensive than competitors' non-reference designs, though in fairness you do get the voltage tweaking option here with ASUS. Lastly, the power connectors are located at the end of the card rather than along the side does mean you may have space issues inside your case, depending on your particular setup.

The ASUS Radeon 5870 V2 Edition is an impressive graphics card, improving upon what is already an excellent product in the ATI lineup. There are a few minor niggles but if you're looking to jump on the Radeon 5870 bandwagon and want something faster and cooler than the reference card, then take a close look at the V2; it gets our recommendation.