Conclusion:
Over the course of this review, the Sapphire Radeon HD4870 512MB graphics card showed that it could outperform a 512MB HD3870 with ease. Improvements of 54%, 66%, and 96% are just a few snapshots of how much better the HD4870 fared in some tests, and the only way the playing field was leveled was to use two cores as found on an HD3870 X2 card. While the HD3870 X2 did do better in some tests, it was generally by a fairly close margin, and it came at the cost of more noise, heat, and power consumption.
The capabilities and performance of the Sapphire Radeon HD4870 512MB graphics card will not disappoint, and all of the negative points to be raised seem to be side effects of the power this card has to offer. The first is that it runs hot, whether it is at idle or being stressed. The fan never got loud during testing, but a few surges at start up tells me it is capable of running much faster. Running something like ATITool or considering an aftermarket cooler seem like good ideas, as there is definitely room for improvement in the cooling department. Using ATITool to add just a bit more fan speed could help dramatically, and it probably wouldn't have to get to the point where the fan was actually loud.
Power consumption is the other concern, as testing revealed that the HD4870 is far more power hungry than an HD3870; with the system requiring about 35% to 55% more power during normal operation. The recent trend has been for computer components to get more energy efficient as they evolve, and the HD4870 definitely isn't playing along with those unwritten rules!
Browsing around Newegg.com is the best way to get a quick price comparison for Sapphire's HD4870. The model covered by this review sells for about $285 (US), which is about par for the course. They offer nine 512MB HD4870 cards from a handful of manufacturers and all of them have prices between $285 and $300. Since the base price might not be a factor, other items may sway your decision. Some of the other cards currently offer mail in rebates of $20 to $30, some come with factory overclocks, and some bundle goodies like games or multimedia remotes that may be of interest.
Considering the excellent performance in benchmarks and games, the Sapphire Radeon HD4870 512MB graphics card earns the Bigbruin.com awards of "Gaming Approved" and "Recommended".
 
Pros:
» Solid performance
» Performance easily beats HD3870, and usually beats an HD3870 X2
» Remains surprisingly quiet
» Respectable bundle of accessories
» "Free" 2GB USB flash drive
» Capable of 4-way CrossFire X
Cons:
» Hot! GPU idles near 80C, and even plastic on cooler hits 55C
» Fan stays relatively quiet, but should be adjusted to provide more cooling
» Not very energy efficient, at idle or under a load
Special thanks to Sapphire for providing the Sapphire Radeon HD4870 512MB Graphics Card to Bigbruin.com for review!
Please drop by the Bigbruin.com Forum and feel free to post any comments or questions.
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