ATI Radeon HD 4770 512MB GDDR5 Review

Under the Heatsink / A Closer Look at the Heatsink

Here we have the tiny 40nm RV740 core. As usual, ATI has forgone the use of a large IHS like we usually see on higher-end Nvidia cards and instead allows the core to come in direct contact with the base of the heatsink.


The cooler used on the HD 4770 is unique among reference cards since it uses a totally exposed copper fin assembly and an oversized 80mm fan. There is a small shroud around the whole affair which leaves a bit of place for manufacturer stickers or advertising materials.

While this whole heatsink looks impressive; it comes with a few potential issues other than the aforementioned 2-pin fan header. First of all, there are no shrouds to make sure that any heat is directed towards the back of your case which means that without sufficient airflow, this card can increase the ambient temperatures within your case. In addition, the whole dual-slot height of this heatsink marks an odd departure from the single slot HD 4830 and HD 4850. Maybe the 40nm core isn’t as cool-running as we all hoped it would be.


While they may look like copper, the heatsink’s fins are nothing but standard painted aluminum. One way or another, this whole setup should hopefully ensure great cooling for the core. Meanwhile, the base of the cooler is flat but not finished to the highest quality standards. There are some gouges in it and some major tooling marks.