Fans of HIS' IceQ range of graphics solutions will, undoubtedly, be disappointed at reports, claiming that the company isn't working on an IceQ4 HD 4870 part at this time.

It is believed that, for the time being at least, HIS' IceQ4 cooling solution shall be exclusive to the company's HD 4850 offering, which released to market recently.

Additionally, it is suggested that whilst AMD has given its AIBs permission to express themselves creatively, there appears to be reluctance from some to do so. This is, supposedly, due to high GDDR5 prices and the ease in selling reference solutions instead.

This hasn't stopped AIBs such as Gainward, Palit, PowerColor or Sapphire though and, perhaps, we shall see some further examples of non-reference HD 4870 solutions soon, despite the perceived lack of benefits to be had from this.