Testbed:

Motherboard:
EVGA 680i SLI (Provided by EVGA)

Processor:
Intel Core 2 Duo 6800 Extreme edition (Provided by Intel)

Memory:
OCZ FlexXLC PC2 9200 5-5-5-18  (Provided by OCZ)
        during testing CL5-5-5-15-CR2T 1066MHz at 2.2V

PSU:
OCZ Silencer 750 Quad Black (Provided by OCZ)

Hard disk:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 80GB SATA (Provided by Seagate)

CPU-Cooler:
Freezer 7 Pro (Provided by Artic Cooling)

Case Fans:
Artic Cooling - Artic Fan 12 PWM
Artic Cooling - Artic Fan 8 PWM

Vista 32 SP1


3DMark Vantage

Sapphire HD 4870 X2 scores 9547 points in 3DMark Vantage, which is the highest graphics card result we’ve seen so far.



It beats GTX 280 by 19% and HD 4870 by 43%, and although these are nice results for synthetic tests let’s see how those translate to gaming.

Gaming

HD 4870 X2 is not a card for low resolutions and those “weak of heart” CPUs. We see that it properly jumps and starts performing only at the highest resolution. It beats HD 4870 by 65% and GTX 280 by 10%.



Call of Juarez has always been more Radeon-friendly, but in this scenario HD 4870 X2 beats its single GPU sibling, HD 4870, by almost 50%.



Unlike in the previous game, ATI is down on its luck in Crysis. It scores only 11% percent better than one HD 4870 and outperforms GTX 280 by 1fps.



ATI does nicely in F.E.A.R. and we see the dual chip card outperforming HD 4870 by 78R and GTX 280 by an impressive 43%.



In this game Sapphire HD 4870 X2 scores 30% higher than HD 4870 and 6% higher than GTX 280.



UT3 and World in Conflict only confirm that HD 4870 X2 has no real competition and that GTX 280 is slower, just like we’ve seen so far.

 

Conclusion

Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 X2 is the fastest card we’ve tested so far. Thanks to that, ATI is on the throne once again, but you could say that GTX 280 is its faithful servant. Yes, the card does consume quite a bit of power (although it’s lower than two HD 4870s in CrossFire) and it runs a bit loud and hot, but the results are simply great. If you’re looking for a card that will produce enough frames for a 30’’ screen, then look no further than HD 4870 X2.

Radeon HD 4870 X2 is the first card coming with 2GB of GDDR5 memory, each core featuring 1GB. The card is dual slot but single PCB, so you can handle it like one card. Length-wise, it’s the same as GTX 280 (10.5’’) and will fit in a standard sized case. Sapphire bundles 3DMark Vantage with it, so you can make friends jealous with your “new results.”

At press time, Sapphire HD 4870 X2 is available at about €410 and we think that price/performance ratio is good. You’ll pay about the same for two HD 4870 cards, and since HD 4870 X2 is one card, it will prove to be a much cheaper solution for those that don’t have a CrossFire motherboard.