We find the Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 Atomic in something of an odd position. It is unquestionably the fastest single consumer graphics card currently available to buy – our benchmarks prove this unequivocally. Its watercooling loop is also able to keep the GPU remarkably cool, significantly more so than a stock card and much quieter in doing so as well. The problem lies in not only the price, which borders on the ridiculous, but the knock on effects of putting such a high thermal output card into such a relatively small watercooling loop. CPU temperatures suffer terribly to the point that even a £10 aftermarket cooler will comfortably outperform it.

What this product is then, is niche. In fact, it’s a niche within a niche. It’s for those looking for the absolute fastest graphics card without the hassle of building a waterloop themselves and have money to burn. If you fall into this, admittedly small demographic, then the Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 Atomic is a great product that accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do – it’s the fastest consumer card in the world right now, is an absolute breeze to fit, and runs cooler than a stock card by a wide margin even under load.



Link: Bit Tech