Page 2: Parts
Parts:
Aside from the card, there are a number of goodies that Sapphire bundles with the card. A full version of 3DMark06 is included. 3DMark06 is a Windows DirectX benchmark. PowerDVD is also included for Windows as well as the DVD Suite from the same company, CyberLink. The driver cd contains Windows drivers and utilities, but the real gem is that the package contains a coupon for The Black Box which was to be released but never was. It includes games such as Portal. It can be redeemed by logging onto Steam. Aside from the software, you get a DVI to HDMI converter, a DVI to VGA converter, a HDMI cable, a 4-pin to 6-pin Molex connector and some video out cables. The bundle also includes a Crossfire connection.
Sapphire's bundle is very impressive considering that the last few graphics cards didn't come with anything.
Sapphire Radeon HD 3870 Toxic:
STOP! Remember to connect power to the graphics card or else it won't work! Not only that, the cable extension shown is the wrong type. Somehow I don't think this will be a problem for the target market.
The Sapphire Radeon HD 3870 Toxic uses a single slot cooler which I happen to like much better than the dual slot solution due to the added weight and the space taken up. The theme for the Toxic edition is the Vapor-X. Vapor-X is basically a better version of a heatpipe, the same principles are at work. A phase change happens to draw heat away and then cools and the process starts again. Vapor-X actually uses water, but it brings the pressure to lower than normal so the boiling point is less. The point of this system is to keep the card cool at a reasonable noise level.
The Toxic sports a cool blue PCB and a nice black heatsink as the labelling on the package suggests. The video card is accented with a silver heatsink on the back of the card for the RAM (on the top side).
This card is fairly standard in that it supports two DVI connections and a TV out connection. What isn't standard is that it supports HDMI with HDCP which I'll never use. HDCP is one of those 'features' that attempts to take your rights away. Tough. HDMI also means that this card actually has a sound processor built-in. It doesn't use a passthrough. I couldn't test the HDMI, though.
The back of the card contains the 6-pin video power connector. Older generation cards used a load of power, but the die shrink combined with the power saving technology makes this card run cooler and less power hungry. Everyone is going green.
The card itself is fairly long and moderately heavy. It isn't heavier than the dual slot cooling cards I have used (actually, it is lighter). Just make sure the length of the card will work in your system. It works fine in any of mine.
The back of the card contains the various certifications and markings. It is RoHS which means it is greenly made. The four screws holding the heatsink on the back-bottom of the card portrude a tiny bit so it won't do any harm to any other cards in your system.
Aside from the card, there are a number of goodies that Sapphire bundles with the card. A full version of 3DMark06 is included. 3DMark06 is a Windows DirectX benchmark. PowerDVD is also included for Windows as well as the DVD Suite from the same company, CyberLink. The driver cd contains Windows drivers and utilities, but the real gem is that the package contains a coupon for The Black Box which was to be released but never was. It includes games such as Portal. It can be redeemed by logging onto Steam. Aside from the software, you get a DVI to HDMI converter, a DVI to VGA converter, a HDMI cable, a 4-pin to 6-pin Molex connector and some video out cables. The bundle also includes a Crossfire connection.
Sapphire's bundle is very impressive considering that the last few graphics cards didn't come with anything.
Sapphire Radeon HD 3870 Toxic:
STOP! Remember to connect power to the graphics card or else it won't work! Not only that, the cable extension shown is the wrong type. Somehow I don't think this will be a problem for the target market.
The Sapphire Radeon HD 3870 Toxic uses a single slot cooler which I happen to like much better than the dual slot solution due to the added weight and the space taken up. The theme for the Toxic edition is the Vapor-X. Vapor-X is basically a better version of a heatpipe, the same principles are at work. A phase change happens to draw heat away and then cools and the process starts again. Vapor-X actually uses water, but it brings the pressure to lower than normal so the boiling point is less. The point of this system is to keep the card cool at a reasonable noise level.
The Toxic sports a cool blue PCB and a nice black heatsink as the labelling on the package suggests. The video card is accented with a silver heatsink on the back of the card for the RAM (on the top side).
This card is fairly standard in that it supports two DVI connections and a TV out connection. What isn't standard is that it supports HDMI with HDCP which I'll never use. HDCP is one of those 'features' that attempts to take your rights away. Tough. HDMI also means that this card actually has a sound processor built-in. It doesn't use a passthrough. I couldn't test the HDMI, though.
The back of the card contains the 6-pin video power connector. Older generation cards used a load of power, but the die shrink combined with the power saving technology makes this card run cooler and less power hungry. Everyone is going green.
The card itself is fairly long and moderately heavy. It isn't heavier than the dual slot cooling cards I have used (actually, it is lighter). Just make sure the length of the card will work in your system. It works fine in any of mine.
The back of the card contains the various certifications and markings. It is RoHS which means it is greenly made. The four screws holding the heatsink on the back-bottom of the card portrude a tiny bit so it won't do any harm to any other cards in your system.