Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2

Overclocking

Before overclocking the Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 X2, we installed the latest Catalyst 8.8 WHQL drivers to ensure performance was as stable as possible. We used an AMD overclocking tool for adjusting GPU speeds, which gives us free reign to set the GPU core and memory speed to whatever we like.

As with all RV770-based cards, the 4870 X2 clocks itself down to 500MHz core and 500MHz memory at idle, so after forcing the card to its stock clocks of 750MHz core and 900MHz memory (3,600MHz effective) we began overclocking, increasing the core and memory speeds in increments of ten MHz and running our Crysis benchmark at 1,680 x 1,050 with 4xAA to test stability.

We were able to overclock the Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 X2 to a stable 810MHz core and 910MHz memory, improving our frame rates by less than one frame per second. This is pretty disappointing considering the overclocking headroom we've seen on the 4850 and 4870 cards, and it's obvious that ATI is pushing this hardware pretty hard right out of the box. A performance improvement of less than one frame per second hardly makes the whole process worthwhile.


It's also worth mentioning that the massive 4870 X2 cooler became worrying hot (yes, even more so than usual) whilst we were overclocking. The stock cooled 4800 series of cards have already caused a number of burned fingers in the office when we try to quickly remove boiling hot cards, and the 4870 X2 is obviously no exception - after being overclocked the cores were idling at 84°C!

Value

While it might be the performance king, value is one point where the Sapphire 4870 X2 might fall down. As we've already said, pricing for this card hasn't really budged since it was launched, and prices still vary wildly between retailers. Prices have frequently hovered around the £375 mark as demand outstriped supply, and the cheapest we've found this particular card for is £327.98 which as far as we can see is the cheapest you'll find a 4870 X2 anywhere right now.

However, you'll need to ask yourself if the performance advantages are really worth the £70 or so more over an Nvidia GeForce GTX 280, which in most games delivers very comparable performance at 1,920 x 1,200 and below, or the £160 more over the price of a single Radeon HD 4870. Both are fine cards and will deliver perfectly playable frame rates in all modern games even at very high resolutions, and aren't subject to the potential driver inconsistencies of the dual GPU 4870 X2. For those who want the best with money no object (Hi Man City fans!), there's only going to be one choice, and this is it.

Final Thoughts

The Sapphire 4870 X2 is a fine example of the card and is available at a very competitive price that right now sets it apart from the competition. The included bundle is solid, and inclusions like 3DMark Vantage are certainly very welcome, giving new owners that much needed score to help them justify the massive wedge of cash they've just spent on playing Crysis a bit faster.

With the weight of Sapphire behind it, it shouldn't prove too tricky to get hold of either, and while the two year warranty isn't anything to shout about, it should provide you enough piece of mind until it's time to upgrade again. If you're in the market for a 4870 X2, this should do nicely - but it's still a lot of money.

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