If you are like most hardware enthusiasts, while keeping pace with the latest technology can be a real chore, not to mention a serious money pit. The fact is that most of us simply can't afford to shell out hundreds of dollars every few months for the newest processor, motherboard or video card. Fortunately for us, there is always that diamond in the rough, that value priced piece of hardware that truly offers exceptional performance without breaking the bank. Today we will be taking a look at Palit's Radeon HD 4870 Sonic Dual edition graphics card, a higher-end card with several perks over the reference design that is sure to grab the attention of consumers around the globe. - OverClock Agency

Palit Radeon HD 4870 Sonic Dual Style Board Review

While it no longer holds the huge price advantage that it recently did over the GeForce GTX 260, it still has a lot to offer which we will explore today. The Radeon HD 4870 arrived in the retail package. Palit's robotic frog mascot can be seen on the front, along with a sticker detailing the card inside. Around back, we find technical specifications in several different languages. Coming in at a great price point, this card has certainly garnished praise from many sites and end users alike. Now inside we find the card itself, a quick installation guide in four different languages, some display adapters and dual power molex.

Palit decided to use a dual fan heatpipe configuration which directs heat to the back of the card and subsequently out the back of the computer case through slots in the dual bay bracket. This is the most logical cooling system and we only wonder why other video card manufacturers don't use similar style coolers. Expelling that heat inside the case is only going to make everything else run at a higher temperature. The back of the card is rather plain, with only the cooler's bracket and several serial number and warranty stickers to see. Well that, and the solid red PCB that matches the front of the cooler nicely.

The Palit Radeon HD 4870 Sonic Dual edition is a really nice video card and has proven itself in a number of categories today. It won today in our performance tests, but of course we were only testing it against a GeForce 9800 GT so that was to be expected. This particular card has a relatively limited software bundle, but that only helps to keep costs down a bit. There are a few display adapters included that allows you to connect your PC to a high definition TV using HDMI and also connect older monitors using the anolog connection. And DisplayPort is also provided, should you happen to own a device that uses that interface.

We really liked the inclusion of the smart switch on the back of the card. This makes mild overclocking a breeze and thus, most users won't even have to worry with manual overclocking. Those that want to push the envelope more are certainly welcomed to do so via the Overdrive software feature or another 3rd party overclocking utility. If you are in the market for a high-end video card but can't afford the elite, yet still want great performance, this is certainly a viable option. The price of NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 260 has come down a good bit so the advantage isn't what it once was, but don't let that deter you from a nice card.