Introduction

Already we've taken the time to look at the entry level HD 6850. With that out the way it's time to look at the HD 6870, a model that is again not designed to replace the HD 5870. It's important that we continue to push this as I'm still reading on a lot of forums that people are under the impression the HD 6800 series is a flat out replacement for the HD 5800 series.

I don't agree with what AMD has done with the name change, but really, this is the most confusing part. The HD 6900s that we should start to see next month aren't going to be as confusing; they will be AMDs top of the line cards. What I would probably suggest if you're interested in knowing a bit more about the lineup is head on over to our preview article posted in the middle of the week; AMD Radeon HD 6850 and HD 6870 - What We Can Tell You.

Of course, we're not going to force you to do that and if you haven't seen it you'll no doubt want to check out the actual card we're looking at today on the next page. What wasn't in that original quick look were the clocks of the cards, so even if you have seen what the HD 6870 looks like, you might still want to check out the specifications to get a clearer picture.

Unlike the HD 6850 we just looked at, the HD 6870 isn't a retail version, so we haven't got a bundle to look at yet. Don't worry, though, we've got retail versions in the lab and you'll see what companies like Sapphire and HIS are offering when we start to look at CF and OC performance.

For now, though, let's just check out that's going on with this HD 6870 in reference form.