Sapphire Radeon HD6870 Vapor-X Review  

Introduction

Specifications

Here are the specifications of this card:

A much more detailed list of features can be found on the Sapphire product page here and all about Vapor-X here. We tend not to copy manufacturer's specs since product pages change over time and that renders our information inaccurrate.

One of the complaints we have heard a lot from readers in the last few months is that the 6800 series is hardly any faster than the 5800 series and the simple answer to that is that it's not meant to be! The 6850 and 6870 are direct replacements for the 5850 and 5870 because they have a much smaller die size and are thus easier to manufacture. The benefit to the consumer is a lower priced product for the same or greater performance. The jump to 2GB of memory on the 69XX range as standard is an interesting move and we'll have to see how that translates into performance gains over 1GB models (like the one we are testing today).

To see how the 6800 series compares with its Nvidia competitors:

Die size is almost half of the Nvidia products and is partially accounted for by the lack of a 320 or 384 bit memory bus. It will be seen in the months to come whether Nvidia's 384-bit bus or AMD's 2GB memory is a significant factor in performance. Price is lower but Nvidia are releasing a host of cut down cards which we shall keep an eye on. For now the jury is still out.

The key aspects of the 6800 series are as follows:

The dies are similar in size so one can assume that the 6850 has some capability deliberately disabled for product differentiation or that speed binning results in those that fail the 6870 test to be used as 6850 GPUs (assuming thay meet the criteria for these). Realistically, a combination of the two policies will be used.

Power consumption is better than the 5800 series - crucially 20W at idle is a good figure as the cards are unlikely to be going flat out all the time and power saving (and noise since fans will spin slowly when not needed) is an important consideration in total cost of ownership (TCO).

The maximum power draw of 150W and the fact that only two 6-pin connectors (and not a 6-pin and 8-pin) make this much more palatable to the mass market. Outputs are also much better for Eyefinity support so we are unlikely to see an Eyefinity version any time soon.

One thing that grabbed our attention was the support for 3D in games. We've already seen 3D take off in a big way with movies and now it looks as if games will do the same in 2011. Whether this will be through 3D glasses on a standard monitor or, as with 3D televisions, require the purchase of a 3D monitor remains to be seen. Nvidia offered an alternative technology a few years ago using special glasses that alternated shutters to produce a 3D effect but it never really took off due to double framerate requirements and users complaining of fatigue so it will be interesting to see the uptake of 3D gaming.

The Architecture

Quite a few changes have been made to streamline things and the key point from the slide is the reference to better performance than a Radeon 5850 using a quarter less silicon - there would have been no point in a launch if either factor was below par.

The GPU

Moving on to the Sapphire card itself lets start with the box.

Branding is very important for a manufacturer's product positioning, both against the offerings of competitors and to enhance product differentiation. The Vapor-X is a premium series in Sapphire's offering, the main benefit being enhanced cooling (hence the penguin motif) and low noise (more on that later).

It may seem strange to evaluate packaging (some people throw it away or tear it open) but it says a lot about brand positioning. Sapphire use a very strudy box with embossed/raised graphics and lettering. Given the lifespan of modern graphics cards (we've never had a single one go wrong in almost a decade of normal use) most users will want to keep the boxes safe to make it easier sell on or give as a gift to friends/relatives when the time comes to upgrade to a faster model. We much prefer the egg carton used for holding the card than the usual flimsy carboard inserts or foam that breaks apart when handled.

The box is awash with information on all sides and it's nice to see detailed specifications not being ommitted in favour of all-round marketing material. Shoppers at big stores will no doubt appreciate this (particularly those that have ever tried asking a technical question at PC World).

The card is completely different from the reference design to support the Vapor-X features. We used a bright light to illuminate the massive heatsink which extends almost the full length of the card and also to show the heatpipes which transfer heat from the center of the heatsink which covers the GPU to the edges. For this reason Sapphire have used a big (and quiet) fan positioned in the centre of the card and not at the internal edge..

An edge view gives some idea of the size of the heatsink covering the GPU. The two 6-pin connectors are mounted to the side for ease of installation in a greater variety of enclosures although no longer narrow ones.

The edge view compares the Sapphire 6870 (bottom) with a reference 5850 design (top). Not only is the exhaust grill larger but the Sapphire card has two mini display port connectors as well as the all important HDMI connector. This allows more options for Eyefinity and for daisy chaining mini-DP monitors (when they eventually become available in appreciable quantities).

It's interesting to note that the length of the Sapphire 6870 Vapor-X remains the same as the Radeon 5850 and will actuall fit into a smaller case because the reference 5850 has its 6-pin sockets on the internal edge as opposed to the side.

What else is included in the box? An HDMI lead of a good length, a mini-port to HDMI adapter, a DVI to VGA adapter, Crossfire connector and two cables to allow molex connectors to be used for the 6-pin power requirements if the PSU does not have 6-pin connectors. A note of caution - if your PSU doesn not have 6-pin power connectors for PCI-E cards then it is important to make sure both molex connectors used do not come off the same rail and to know the capabilities of the PSU by referring to the manual or manufacturers specifications. If it looks like the power requirements will be exceeded it may be time to upgrade to a new PSU and relegate the old one to a less demanding spare machine etc.

Test Setup

We have two main test systems at present and recently upgraded our Intel one to an i7-2600K we received from Intel for the Sandy Bridge launch in January. The AMD system has the most powerful processor currently available in the AMD range.

Test Results - DX10

Noise Performance

Analysis and Other Benefits

Conclusion

Sapphire have an extensive range of products aimed at different market segments. The Radeon HD6870 we looked at today is in their Vapor-X range. This means that it meets the needs of those that value cool and quiet performance through the use of large fans and heatpipe technology. They also have a Toxic range (factory overclocked and higher spec than reference design) as well as their mainstream products competing on price alone.

The Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 Vapor-X is well designed with branding to give the feeling of being a member of an exclusive club. Quality is second to none and over the years, reliability of Sapphire products has been of the highest standard. Performance is better than the more expensive (now end of line) Radeon HD5850 and, in many cases, as good as the higher specced Radeon HD6950. Sadly our test card was only on loan but if we had to choose a Radeon HD6870 for our test rig, there would be no better choice than Sapphire's Vapor-X offering.

If you're in the market for a Radeon HD 6870 but want to keep noise and GPU temperatures to a minimum then the Sapphire Radeon HD6870 Vapor-X is the ideal solution..

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