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Sapphire HD3870 Atomic Edition |
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Value and Conclusion
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| 9.1 | Sapphire's new Vapor-X cooler is doing a pretty good job at keeping the card cool. During our testing we observed similar temperature levels compared to the HD3870 reference design, which uses a dual-slot cooler. Sapphire's card is the only Radeon HD 3870 on the market today that works with a single slot cooler making it an excellent choice for small form factor or media PC systems. Another possible use is CrossFireX which is AMD's implementation of Quad-CrossFire that will be released soon. Another plus of the Radeon HD 3870 Atomic Edition from Sapphire is that the card comes pre-overclocked out of the box. For less experienced users this is a quick and easy way to get some extra performance without having to worry about losing their warranty. The presentation of the Atomic Edition is outstanding with the silver metal suitcase it is shipped in. There are plenty of accessories including a 3m long HDMI cable. However, all these gimmicks cost money and Sapphire charges you for it. Even though the initial announcement was something like "$15 over a normal card" it is now about $50 extra. You have to decide yourself if that is something you are willing to pay, it probably comes down to a) do you need a single slot card, b) do you have any use for the accessories or c) you want something your friends don't have. |
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