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MSI has launched it’s version of the ATI Radeon HD 5770 which boasts an amazing looking Twin Frozr II cooler. Their 5770 Hawk also brings with it some outstanding software and voltage control options to help you with overclocking. We will also be taking a look at their claims of a 13c temperature advantage over reference cooling designs. The 5770 is in the middle of the pack for the new generation of cards, with the 5970 in the lead and the 5450 bringing up the rear. All in all, ATI has to be loving the massive success these cards have brought them. Hop on board and let’s have some fun putting this card through the paces.

Packaging:

The 5770 Hawk:

Specifications & Features:

• ‧Microsoft DirectX 11 Support
• ‧ATI Eyefinity Technology
• ‧ATI Stream Technology
• ‧40 nm Process Technology
• ‧Advanced GDDR5 Memory Technology
• ‧2nd Generation TeraScale Engine
• ‧Microsoft Windows 7 support
• ‧ATI CrossFireX™ Technology
• ‧Enhanced Anisotropic Filtering
• ‧Accelerated Video Transcoding
• ‧HDMI 1.3 Support
• ‧Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio Support
• ‧ATI PowerPlay™ Technology Enhanced Support for GDDR5 memory
• ‧ATI Avivo™ Technology Enhanced Unified Video Decoder 2 (UVD 2)
• 7+1 phase PWM design

• - World’s first HD 5770 with 7+1 phase PWM for better overclocking capability.
  - 7 phase PWM for GPU on Hawk provides 100% more current compared to 4 phase PWM on reference HD 5770.
• Twin Frozr II Thermal Design
  - Dual PWM fans and triple heatpipes.
  - Temperature is 13℃ lower than reference cooling design.
• Over-voltage function of GPU.
  - Use afterburner to overclock HAWK, increase performance up to 20%.
  - GPU Voltage can be increased up to 1.35V
• Military Class Components.
  - Hi-C Cap provides more precise GPU voltage and has better stability.
  - SSC (Solid State Choke) for No Buzz noise.
  - All Solid CAP for longer lifespan.
• V-Check Points.
  - Hawk series has built-in voltage measurement points.
  - Get accurate voltage of GPU and Memory on the fly.
  - Additional cables to hold multimeter probes.

Test Setup:

Overclocking Software and Results:

Afterburner Software:

The MSI Afterburner software is incredibly easy to use. It’s very self-explanatory and with just a few clicks here and there you can tweak almost anything you would like. You can set custom profiles and even your very own custom fan speed settings. This is a really nice addition to the software because it limits the requirement of 3rd party programs and the added congestion on your computer. MSI did a great job combining all of the options in one easy to use program!

Overclocking:

Overclocking the 5770 Hawk using the Afterburner software was a breeze. Settings were easily changed and the software gave us a nice range to play with. The final overclock of 1016/1372 was, needless to say, interesting. The Sapphire 5770 we tested had an overclock of 960/1435. With the Hawk, it seemed to offer a little give and take, having a slightly higher core clock, but a lower memory clock frequency. Although any overclock is a plus given that it is not guaranteed, we were just expecting more on the memory front with the voltage control and great software from MSI.

Synthetic Benchmarks:

3DMark:

FurMark:

Unigine: Heaven

Unigine: Tropics

Game Benchmarks:

*All tests ran at the applications highest allowable detailed settings*

Batman Arkham Asylum:

Battlefield – Bad Company 2

Bioshock:

Champions Online:

Company of Heroes:

Call of Juarez:

Far Cry 2:

F.E.A.R.2: Project Origin

Fuel:

Just Cause 2:

Modern Warfare 2:

Operation Flashpoint 2 – Dragon Rising:

Risen:

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. :

Resolutions:

Star Trek D-A-C :

Team Fortress 2:

Torchlight:

Warhammer 40000 - Dawn of War 2:

World In Conflict:

Wings of Prey:

Twin Frozr II:

The Twin Frozr II is a fantastic looking cooler. It has a crowd-pleasing look and great performance to top it off. We just wish more companies would put more effort into cooling their cards  instead of just throwing on the generic cooler. The dual PWM fans are a nice touch. Having two fans instead of the standard one will help to dissipate heat at a greater rate without comprising on noise levels. MSI does claim that the Twin Frozr II is s full 13 degrees Celcius cooler than the reference design, and as you will see next, this may be true under the right circumstances.

Temperatures:

The testing conditions were as follows.

• Ambient Room Temp: 24-25C
• Ambient checked before and after tests
• Card left idle at test settings for 15 minutes to get idle temperature

*Sapphire 5770 Comparison*

Temperatures were impressive from what we received in our testing. While the numbers were achieve aren’t exactly the 13c that MSI claims from the Twin Frozr II, they were close. We can say without a doubt that the Twin Frozr II is definitely better than reference design coolers. How much better? Well, it really depends on the environment in which the card is being run. The Twin Frozr II makes it’s biggest improvement over the reference design with the fans running at low speeds, as you can see from comparing the charts.

Voltage Monitoring:

In the picture above, you can see the 5770 Hawk runs 1.61v for the memory. This never changes in idle or overclocked states.

With the card sitting idle, you can see a nice low .96v is being used for the core voltage. If you are into power saving features, then you should like this, even if the savings are minimal.

You may have noticed the same thing we did if you looked at the pictures above. The multimeter is reading .03v higher than what the Afterburner software is showing us. This was consistent, so you could work with it and know for sure how many volts you were pushing through the card. But this should be a reminder to all who go by strictly software readings when overclocking and playing with voltage; it usually isn’t 100% accurate.

Power Consumption:

Notice in the test below that this is total power consumption. We tried our best to push the load as much as possible on the video card and nothing else. We ran FurMark at the highest settings our system would allow. We think FurMark gives the most reasonable readings on GPU load and how much wattage it puts out without stressing other components in the system too much. (Total consumption measured at outlet.)

With the tests above, you can see just how much wattage you can expect to use during gaming/benchmarking. This should assist you with your PSU shopping and the uncertainties that it always brings. You can now refer to the chart above and make a better decision on how many watts your PSU needs to be able to deliver. The chart will also give you an idea of what to expect from the much loved energy bill you get every month. Even with the card taking the system up to 239w while overclocked, this is still a very reasonable number for most people.

Fan Noise:

We did not have a decibel meter handy at the time of testing.  When you crank up the fans to 100%, the real cooling power is unleashed. However, unlike the Sapphire 5770 we tested, there is not an annoying whine from the fans. You can hear the blowing of the air, but it does not have the same high pitched scream. We are glad that MSI took control of the noise level with the two PWM fans in the Twin Frozr II. This is an extremely nice addition to the 5770 series.

Conclusion:

Well, we took this card for a ride and tested it with anything and everything we could find.  After all was said and done, this card proved to be an extremely impressive product. It has confirmed everything and proved that the first review of the previous 5770 we tested was not a fluke. It took monster games and held them in check. Yes, we know that there are better 5 series cards out there, but for the price, you would be hard-pressed to find another card that puts out this much power. It handled high resolutions with high settings, 8x AA and 16x AF, and kept on going. The “wow” factor we saw with this card is that it can run any game out on the market without bogging down. There may be some games that you may not get to run at max resolution and max settings, but the 5770 can hold its own, especially if you tweak it a little like we did here.

Overclocking the card was hassle free and easy. With the increased heat dissipation of the Twin Frozr II cooler, the 5770 Hawk gives you plenty of headroom to overclock. However, one thing we think could be improved upon is the Afterburner software in regards to it’s voltage readings. This is not a major fault in the software, but it would be nice to get even closer to the actual voltage that you enter.  

Aesthetically speaking, we think this is one of the best looking cards on the market. MSI did a great job in the overall design of the card and the Twin Frozr II! Another great feature of this card worthy of mention is the presence of built-in voltage measurement points, or V-Check points as MSI calls them. With this feature, you can always keep an eye on the actual voltages you put into your card while overclocking simply by touching each of the points with a simple multimeter. Overall, the 5770 Hawk is an extremely strong contender at the $150 pricing point.

The MSI Radeon HD 5770 Hawk 1GB has earned the TechREACTION.net Gold Silicon Award!