ASUS EAH6850 DirectCU Review

👤by Sahil Mannick Comments 📅21-10-10
Closer Look (Continued)









Removing the cooler

Removing the cooler and shroud, we are left with the PCB and its the smooth matt black finish. The layout is very similar to the MSI HD6870 in that the VRM circuitry is towards the I/O panel side of the PCB leaving the other end less cluttered with plenty of empty space. The GPU area is set in the middle and surrounded by 8 memory modules. Since it has been built as a mid-range card, the emphasis on better VRM circuitry isn’t as important but that is also down to the greater efficiency of the core itself. To the right of the memory modules is a bare area of the PCB. It suggests that the same PCB may be used for other cards in the future which may require extra components to fill the gap.


The 255mm squared Barts die

The Barts core seen here has a die size of 255mm squared, smaller than the 334mm squared of the Cypress core but significantly higher than the 166mm squared of the Juniper core it is replacing. The fabrication is still on the 40nm process due to the lack of readily available 32nm or 28nm manufacturing. The code number on the HD6850 is P3R491 00 as opposed to P3R496 00 on the HD6870.


The Hynix H5GQ 1H24AFRT2C030A memory module

The memory modules used here are GDDR5 chips sourced from Hynix rather than Samsung. AMD have opted for a different memory controller codenamed Redwood, significantly smaller and less complex than on Cypress to improve efficiency. The down side is that lower memory speeds are supported, hence the default memory clock speed of 4.2GHz. The “T2” in the module code denotes the rated speed of 5GHz, so plenty of headroom remains. Altogether, the eight modules give 1GB of VRAM. For more information on Hynix’s naming convention, check [url= http://www.hynix.com/inc/pdfDownload.jsp?path=/upload/products/gl/products/dram/down/GDDR.pdf]here[/url].


The power circuitry

The VRM circuitry uses a 3 phase PWM design and solid capacitors. The MOSFETs are cooled with a small thin aluminium heatsink which is installed uses a push pin mechanism.


The cooler

The DirectCU heatsink is composed of 32 densely packed fins, two copper heat pipes and a PWM fan. The two heat pipes have been milled at the base for direct contact to the core. This innovation can be seen in numerous CPU coolers nowadays under the H.D.T moniker, ensuring more efficient heat transfer to the heatsink. The aluminium base plate has four stand offs for the screws to install into from the back of the PCB. One complaint I have is that the fan cable isn't braided as that would have given the card a neater finish.

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