KitGuru KitGuru.net – Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards
There is doubt that this limited edition graphics card is something very special indeed. To coincide with the release of Battlefield 3, Sapphire have worked from the ground up to create a heavily customised HD6970.
Everything about AMD's reference design has been tweaked and enhanced. Sapphire have created a new PCB design with bios switch, allowing for a core speed increase to 930mhz. The Vapor X cooler really needs no introduction and maintains the high standards we would expect, delivering reduced temperatures and lower noise emissions. Our card had additional headroom, even when at the ‘boost' setting, achieving 960mhz core and 1500mhz (6,000mhz effective) from the GDDR5 memory.
Sapphire have included a comprehensive bundle which includes various cables. Everything you need to use this card with three screens in Eyefinity is included in the box, so it makes for a painfree upgrade if you have three large screens ready for a new system build – and you aren't tied into DisplayPort technology either. As we have seen today, the Sapphire HD6970 Battlefield 3 Flex Edition can power Battlefield 3 across three 24 inch screens @ 5760 resolution.
Pricing in the United Kingdom looks to be very favourable indeed. We were told that the card will retail for £310 inc vat, which is only £20 more than a reference card. When you factor in that Battlefield 3 alone costs £30, and you get FleX technology and the Vapor X cooler, it seems like a total no brainer to us. If you are in the market for a new HD6970 for multi screen gaming then this should be right at the top of your list. Just be sure to pick one up quickly, as this is a limited edition run.
Pros:
- FleX technology for painfree multiscreen gaming.
- Vapor X cooler is quiet and cool running.
- Dual Bios switch gives the card a speed boost.
- Works great with Sapphire TriXX overclocking software.
- Plenty of headroom, especially via the GDDR5 memory.
- Free copy of Battlefield 3.
Cons:
- Nothing.
Kitguru says: Another stellar card from Sapphire and one of the finest HD6970's we have reviewed to date.
Watch the interview with Sapphire's Bill Donnelly here and you can win this card over here !
THe price is pretty good, but some of the GTX580s have dropped in price recently too, £380 ish. Nice to see them working out a deal for BF3.
Is battlefield 3 any good? havent played it yet.
Cant see it anywhere for sale yet. is this a preorder on any store im missing?
Love the vapor X cooler, got one on my GFX too 🙂
If you were buying one today, would you get this or the twin fan XFX ?
Battlefield is £30 for PC. This is a very good price.
Nice, good temps and cooler
No one is stocking it, or evenon preorder
I like sapphire cards, i want their 6990 but cant get one anywhere
Great. Good luck to all wo entered the comp. Hope i win!
Love it! Cant wait to play bf3. They make good hardware
Why buy one of these. New cards will be out in a few months
Vapor x rocks. Dual bios switch is a good idea. Any ideas when we might be able to get it? Ive held off buying bf3 for this now
6970 is a great card, but i bought the 6959 and modded it to 6970 cost me 210
Last month
@Billy …and why buy those cards coming out in a few months when new cards will come out a few months after those? lol
I agree you gotta jump in sometime. Seems like as good a time as any now
Nice. I rexoomend 6970 for 1080p. Has extra bandwidth for more aa than 6950
Really dumb question bby someone who knows nothing of graphics cards, just because its supports the 3 screen setup it will still work fine with just 1 screen ? Also the switch to change the modes is that a physical switch on the card or a something you can change on the computer on the fly?
Hi Dan, Yes, the card works fine with 1 screen. I just tested Battlefield 3 with eyefinity. All other games are using one screen.
There is a physical switch on the card for the enhanced core speed mode. Switch it while the system is off and restart. There is a picture of it, earlier in the review.
Ok awesome thanks for the speedy response. Does that switch poke out the back or would i have to take the case of my computer each time i wanted to change it?
I would just leave it on the higher setting all the time.
The bios switch is on the card itself, you would need to take the door off the case to get at it.
So you review an special/overclocked edition with BF3 and you do not bench it with BF3, just with these freaky triple display that only people with $5000 rigs uses… cool.
Three 1080p screens in uk can cost as little as £500. And we used this sapphire review card to test battlefield 3 with those screens. Not sure how you work out 5000 dollars just for that.
An eyefinity setup is not expensive at all actually. i5 2500k, 4gb of ram, £80 motherboard easily used as a basis for an ef rig.
pretty good………………nice