Is this really a 4870?

GPU-Z will tell you what it's got under the hood...

+1 GPU-Z

If it is a 4870, it is using a non reference design that I have not seen yet.

The PCB on a standard 4870 should look like this.



Notice that there are no conventional caps where yours is coverd with them.

Even a 4850 has a different layout but the number of caps is more in line with what you have.



Your card



At this point, I would be leaning towards you having a non standard layout 4870 but you should download GPU-Z and check to be sure.

It looks like a 4870 Asus is know to put that same type on none standard cooling on almost all there card. But what they do is when a card is just released they have the standard reference cooling and after a while the offer it with an improved none standard cooling that you have

To the OP - you have been given a 4870 for sure - the 2 x 12v GPU power plugs give it away... Looks like a non standard model - fire up GPU-Z to see what it is, factory OC or 1GB memory is my bet...

It looks like a 4870 with ASUS' non-reference cooler. ASUS already has a 4850 with this cooler:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814121272

Note that your card has an additional heatsink for the voltage regulator and an additional 6-pin power connector. These both indicate that it's a 4870... maybe a new design not yet released on Newegg. Anyway, that HSF should keep your 4870 cooler than the stock solution, but obviously with the problem of not exhausting the hot air out the back. Usually cards with a non-standard HSF cost a bit more, so you may have gotten a good deal here. It may even be factory overclocked...

You can be sure it's a 4870 by identifying your card with GPU-Z:

http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/

If you're unhappy with it then I'm sure you can contact newegg and they'll work with you.

@outlw6669: That first picture is most definitely not a 4870 reference card.

I'm quite interested in the OP's GPU-Z results. It seems very odd to me for a manufacturer to go from a dual slot reference cooling design that exhausts the air out of the case to a single slot non-reference cooling solution that recirculates the hot air into the case. This along with the capacitors has me thinking it's some flavor of 4850.

Now where the hell is that OP with GPU-Z results?!?

I think thats 2 slot cooler, it looks pretty thick and massive

Also, here's an ASUS HD3870 with a very similar design (caps and heatsinks) and it's factory overclocked:

http://usa.asus.com/products.aspx? [...] odelmenu=1

I think the OP got an overclocked HD4870.

Damn it Google
K, changed the pic to Hardware Canucks one.

That's what I had originally thought it was also.
Most of the other TOP edition cards have the same Hs design but the 4870 seems to have a standard cooler.
The review is Here, ASUS's product page is Here.
Bouth show it with a standard 4870 cooler



I would agree that the twin 6 pin PCIe power connectors show it to be a 4870 but I am unable to locate anything to confirm it as of yet

ASUS sent me a lame message about even if they look different, they have the same features. I told them, not venting outside the case is a different feature. I also mentioned I am having video problems with it so they said call tech support. GPU-Z does say it is a 4800 series.



Any ideas why an hour into EQ2 the whole screen goes artifacts? I tried using an Omega driver but no help.

He posted the link to the thumbnail instead of the full sized image, silly guy
I think this is what he meant to post:

and just for the fun of it, test your ram with memtest86+, run it for 8-10 hours to be sure... I got severe artifacting in games because of bad DDR2 rams. It happened right from the start though. but testing the rams doesn't cost anything so why not