Verdict and Conclusion
When I got this card in the mail I was not expecting a world record card and I did not get one. What you do get however is a very solid overclocker and extremely cool running card.
This card is more meant for those who want a solid HTPC card or a card meant for some casual gaming. This card will do that decently out of the box, but once you overclock it to bring out its full potential you get a great bang for the buck.
If HIS overclocked the card out of the box it would be easy for them to control the Radeon 6570 market and even take over a segment of the Radeon 6670 market. But as-is it is simply a cool running Radeon 6570 with loads of headroom to turn that low-end HTPC into a mid-range gaming PC.
When buying a card like this you are not looking to spend a ton of money on a card and you are also not expecting a ton of performance. If you are adverturous you can easily get a solid 25% speed increase and make even the newest games playable at decent settings and resolutions. Who says that PC gaming has to be expensive?
Shopping around the IceQ can be found for around $75 before rebate. Honestly that is not too bad of a deal at all. If you are at that limit for as far as you can spend it is a solid choice, but if you are looking for a full gaming experience I really suggest getting a faster card. But that is not to say that you will not be able to play games with the 6570 IceQ because you will, just not at the highest settings and resolutions.
Final words. While this card is not a record setting card it is fast enough for people who want to do some casual gaming. Once overclocked you can make even the most demanding games playable at decent settings from the 25% boost in speed from a simple overclock.
Good:
- Inexpensive price
- Great cooler
- Nice warranty
- Case-Sticker (I’m a sucker for them)
- Huge overclocking potential
- Does not need external PCIe Power
Bad:
- Not the fastest card around
- No voltage control
SCORE
8.0/10
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