Page 2: Parts
Parts:
No! STOP! A much needed warning is now included on all cards that require a power connection. I say just leave it be and let people fend for themselves. Hey, if they don't read the manual... well, I don't read the manual either.
Sapphire's bundle is very good and has been. The hardware parts include a DVI to VGA connection, a DVI to HDMI connection (with 7.1 audio support), a Crossfire cable, a USB sampler drive, a power connector, and some TV out cables. The USB sampler is 2GB and includes some nice pictures and demos of how the graphics card works. Pretty interesting.
You also get a manual and a good load of software for Windows. The bundle now includes 3DMark Vantage for your benchmarking goodness, but that's a synthetic benchmarks. Sapphire should bundle a game instead since that would be fun. There is a Ruby Rom CD that includes stuff about Ruby, the ATI mascot. FYI: The driver disk does not have any open source drivers even though they were ready for release.
This 2GB USB flash drive is a nice bonus since you can use it for anything. I'm sure that this won't be included in the box for much longer.
The Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 is a single slot card which I always like over the dual slot cooler combination. The problem with the single slot solution is that cooling is usually worse due to the cramped space. This card gets extremely hot to the touch. I checked with an IR thermometer and it was hovering at 180 degrees F. The card was stable throughout the testing and normal use, though. If your case has proper ventilation, the card will stay cooler.
The unit features two DVI ports and the standard TV out port. The DVI ports can be changed to HDMI which also pumps out 7.1 audio. That is pretty impressive for a graphics card. It also supports HDCP for those that like to degrade their rights.
The Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 is bathed in red with black accents. Red and black are a great combination and it is ATI's default color. You can see the Crossfire connection on this side of the card and also notice how the heatsink attempts to direct air away from the card.
The unit is PCI Express 2.0 and fits in all 16x slots. The extra copper heatsink is probably for the surface memory. It doesn't get nearly as hot as the core.
The bottom is pretty packed full of components. Notice no memory on the bottom of the unit. As always, the card is made in China and it green with RoHS compliance. It even has green labeling for the extra effort.
Here is a comparison shot between the 4850 and a »3870 Toxic from the same company. Notice that the cards are nearly the same, but the 4850 is just slightly longer. It should have no trouble fitting in almost all cases.
No! STOP! A much needed warning is now included on all cards that require a power connection. I say just leave it be and let people fend for themselves. Hey, if they don't read the manual... well, I don't read the manual either.
Sapphire's bundle is very good and has been. The hardware parts include a DVI to VGA connection, a DVI to HDMI connection (with 7.1 audio support), a Crossfire cable, a USB sampler drive, a power connector, and some TV out cables. The USB sampler is 2GB and includes some nice pictures and demos of how the graphics card works. Pretty interesting.
You also get a manual and a good load of software for Windows. The bundle now includes 3DMark Vantage for your benchmarking goodness, but that's a synthetic benchmarks. Sapphire should bundle a game instead since that would be fun. There is a Ruby Rom CD that includes stuff about Ruby, the ATI mascot. FYI: The driver disk does not have any open source drivers even though they were ready for release.
This 2GB USB flash drive is a nice bonus since you can use it for anything. I'm sure that this won't be included in the box for much longer.
The Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 is a single slot card which I always like over the dual slot cooler combination. The problem with the single slot solution is that cooling is usually worse due to the cramped space. This card gets extremely hot to the touch. I checked with an IR thermometer and it was hovering at 180 degrees F. The card was stable throughout the testing and normal use, though. If your case has proper ventilation, the card will stay cooler.
The unit features two DVI ports and the standard TV out port. The DVI ports can be changed to HDMI which also pumps out 7.1 audio. That is pretty impressive for a graphics card. It also supports HDCP for those that like to degrade their rights.
The Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 is bathed in red with black accents. Red and black are a great combination and it is ATI's default color. You can see the Crossfire connection on this side of the card and also notice how the heatsink attempts to direct air away from the card.
The unit is PCI Express 2.0 and fits in all 16x slots. The extra copper heatsink is probably for the surface memory. It doesn't get nearly as hot as the core.
The bottom is pretty packed full of components. Notice no memory on the bottom of the unit. As always, the card is made in China and it green with RoHS compliance. It even has green labeling for the extra effort.
Here is a comparison shot between the 4850 and a »3870 Toxic from the same company. Notice that the cards are nearly the same, but the 4850 is just slightly longer. It should have no trouble fitting in almost all cases.