PCWizkid has tried, tested and reviewed the high end of the HD5000 series cards and the entry value edition of the ATI DirectX11 ready cards.  Today we are looking at it straight down the middle of the spectrum with the Diamond HD5770 Model of the new ATI HD5000 lineup.  PCWizKid understands that some PC Game Enthusiasts cannot afford to spend $300 USD on a video card.  Also there are many reason to get a cheaper performing HD5000 series graphics card, one of them being the fact they require less power to deliver performance and also have similar if not the same features as in some higher end cards. Diamond Multimedia is a leader in providing the latest ATI video cards, today we look at the Diamond HD5770 ATI Radeon which is based on the Juniper codename graphics processor.  I recall how the old ATI HD4770 was a hit with enthusiasts for its low power and incredible overclocking capabilities.  Lets see how the HD5770 performs with similarly.  A reminder, the HD5770 has the latest support for DirectX 11, Shader model 5.0, OpenGL 3.1 and HDMI 1.3.  Oh and lets not forget the ability to hook up 3 monitors for a surround widescreen experience called eyefinity are some of the major items which make this type of card desirable. 

Like with any new hardware, there are minimum system requirements, take a look at the suggested specs recommended:

PCWizKid's Test System

- Phenom II X4 965 Overclocked to 4Ghz 
- Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P Motherboard
- OCZ 4GB DDR3 AMD Black Edition (8-8-8-24)
- WD Caviar Blue SATA HDD 500GB
- Tuniq Ripper 1000 Watt Power Supply
- Cooler Master Scout Case
- Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler
- Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
Note: Ambient room temperature is 20C Celsius during tests.

- All tests are performed at 1280x1024 and 1680x1050 resolution for consistency in results and comparisons with other system tests.  These are benchmarking resolutions which are commonly used.

• Game settings for benchmarks are always maxed out,  AA at 4x or 8x either Very High or Enthusiast levels when available.

Video Review

Features

Specifications

Conclusion

The results of the Diamond HD5770 demonstrate its ability to produce and compared to other cards in the same price range. The HD5770 is able to give the GTX260 and the HD4870 a run for its money.  PCWizKid was impressed also at the overclocking results when a core to clock of 950MHz and the memory to clock of 1425MHz was achieved with the ATI Catalyst 10.2 drivers, however a more cooler and stable overclocked value of 925Mhz core freq and 1375Mhz memory was the end result which was very satisfying as well.  With all of this performance priced under $170 you can see why this lower powered card is a smart choice for those wanting to keep a cooler and quieter system while not losing out on performance.  Also the game performance results were incredible with both DirectX11 and DirectX 10.x game titles shown in the video review.  A terrific overclockers dream or a great performing card with low temperatures makes this a well rounded and recommended choice by PCWizKid.

Click here for the latest price on the DIAMOND Radeon HD 5770 5770PE51G Video Card