HIS Radeon HD 5550 1GB GDDR3 Review

Introduction

Given the typical target audience of Overclock3D, you may well be surprised to see a review of a "budget" graphics card. With our Graphics Card section now littered with reviews of Radeon HD 5800 series, GTX 480 and similar graphics cards, sub £100 graphics cards may not appear to have a place here. That said, we fully appreciate that many of today's users cannot justify nor afford today's latest graphics cards. More to the point, many DIY builders simply don't need the power offered by the high end.

HIS are among the most popular ATi Add-In Board Partners, known for selling a variety of innovative graphics cards. Aside factory overclocked editions, HIS are also well known for their own cooling solutions. This is why we're taking a look at the brand's new passively cooled HIS Radeon HD 5550 graphics card.

Many of us have lost sight of the specifications that make a graphics card fit for purpose.

For those who have been part of the hardware scene for at least three years, you would know that the specifications of this graphics card closely resemble some of the high end graphics cards of 2007. Sporting 320 stream processors, a fairly healthy core clock and 1600MHz GDDR3, the technical specifications of the Radeon HD 5550 are within a stones throw of the old (but previously popular) HD 3850. Furthermore, the HD 5550 is smaller, consumes less than half as much power and is passively cooled.

Let's take a look at some photos.