The Card

The footprint of the card is exactly the same as the HD 4870 X2 reference card. It actually seems that Sapphire uses the same board and just replaces the cooler. Since a waterblock is uses, this allows the card to occupy just one slot, which is a great think if you plan to run two of these cards and your motherboard's slots are next to each other.


The card has two DVI ports, the standard output config nowadays. In case you need an analog VGA output, you can use the included VGA adapter. For HDMI output use the included HDMI to DVI adapter. The HDCP output features the usual HDCP+Audio, which allows easy setup of a media PC.


If you look closely near the edge of the sticker you can see that it is lifted up a bit. That's the way it came right out of the package. For a product in that price range that claims an absolute premium status, this is unacceptable.


The CPU waterblock has the pump integrated which is why it has a 12V power cable going to it. The rather short power cable uses a fan connector. As you can see the base plate is made from copper and comes with thermal paste pre-applied.


The radiator is a typical heater core style design that has been painted black for looks. Attached is a transparent plastic fan which is running at constant speed unless your motherboard has support for fan speed control on a 3-pin fan header. Even though it is hardly visible on the pictures, the hoses feel to be of rather low quality. They are not made from rubber, but solid plastic which has its structure improved by some kind of shape molding.


When powered up the fan will light up blue.


Here are the front and the back of the card, high-res versions are also available (front, back). If you choose to use these images for voltmods etc, please include a link back to this site or let us post your article.