We were privileged to test one of the worlds rarest graphics card: the ASUS ARES of which only 1'000 pieces haven been manufactured. The ARES weighs an absolutely mindblowing 2.2 kilograms and this all is pure graphics power. ASUS really built a card without doing any compromises at all. The mission statement must have been something like: faster than any other card on the market no mater what it costs.

We'd like to thank ASUS for providing us with the testsample.

As with all the HD5870s this one is also being empowered by a RV870 chip (codename "Cypress"). Furthermore the GPU measures 334 square millimeters and carries an astonishing 2.15 billion transistors. MSIs R5870 Lighning supports ATI Eyefinity which allows a user to connect three displays simultaneously.

On the following pages we will show you the strenghts and weaknesses of the ASUS ARES.