| Sapphire Radeon HD4870 512MB Graphics Card
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Testing:
A system with the following components was used to test the Sapphire 512MB Radeon HD4870 graphics card:
» ASUS P5E64 WS Evolution X48 ATX motherboard
» Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 dual core processor (at 3.2GHz)
» G.Skill 4GB DDR3-1600 Pi Series dual channel memory kit (at 1600MHz and 7-7-7-18)
» OCZ Technology Vendetta CPU cooler
» Maxtor MaxLine III 250GB SATA 3Gbps hard drive
» TSST Super WriteMaster optical drive
» Nesteq EECS 700 Watt ultra quiet power supply
All tests were conducted in the 64-bit version of Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 with all updates current as of July 2008. In lieu of the driver's provided with the card, version 8.7 of the ATI Catalyst Control Center software was used.
For comparison purposes the following two cards were tested head to head with the Sapphire 512MB Radeon HD4870:
» ASUS EAH3870 TOP Overclocked Radeon HD3870
» Sapphire Radeon HD3870 X2 1GB
These two cards will provide a reference to how top of the line single and dual GPU cards from the previous generation compare to the latest and greatest in the ATI Radeon line up. The image below shows the three cards to be compared, and from left to right we have the HD4870, the HD3870 TOP, and the HD3870 X2. The HD4870 and the HD3870 may have similar appearances, but the HD4870 weighs a good deal more.
The following table summarizes the key technical data for the three cards, and shows a few of the specifications that the 512MB HD4870 should be able to take advantage of to outscore the competition.
Installation of the card was simple, and if your power supply doesn't have two 6-pin connections available, Sapphire has provided the appropriate adapters. While the fan remained rather quiet during normal operation, at start up there is a surge that will definitely get your attention. Some may call it a leaf blower or hair drier, but this sound seems far more intense, and I am glad I have not heard it other than those few seconds when first powering up.
The image above is provided to confirm a bunch of data on the card, and draws from CPUID's Hardware Monitor, GPU-Z, and the Catalyst Control Center. Of interest is that the GPU runs at 79C with no load, which seems quite high to me, but when it is loaded up with any game or benchmark you could throw at it, the temperature only rises 6C to 85C total. The fan never gets louder, and it just seems like something more effective could have been done to lower these temperatures.
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