14 DAY TRIAL // NVIDIA and AMD will both launch a new generation of graphics cards this year, but the time between then and now cannot be allowed to go to waste, which is why products like the new board from Sapphire keep coming out.
The new graphics adapter from Sapphire is based on the Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition from Advanced Micro Devices.
Its name is Sapphire HD 7770 Vapor-X Black Diamond and describes the combination of technologies that set it apart from the reference board and all other rivals.
First off, there is the Vapor-X cooler, which relies on an advanced vapor-chamber design and a pair of 8mm copper heatpipes.
A dense aluminum fin stack makes sure the heat is dissipated well enough for the two 80mm fans to easily deal with it.
The “Diamond Black” comes from the cooler's shroud, colored equal parts black and white. The PCB (printed circuit board) is black as well.
Speaking of the PCB, it uses Sapphire's noise-free chokes and holds the GPU, 1 GB of GDDR5 VRAM and a 128-bit memory interface.
As for the graphics processing unit, it operates at 1 GHz. Here, at least, Sapphire did not interfere, the same way it left the aforementioned RAM at 1,250 MHz (5 GHz effective clock speed).
Finally, the Sapphire HD 7770 Vapor-X Black Diamond graphics adapter has a pair of DVI ports, an HDMI connector and a DisplayPort output. It should be enough for multi-display configurations.
Sadly, Sapphire did not say when sales would begin, or for what price. Given the specs above, and the use of a single 6-pin PCI Express connector, the tag shouldn't be too far from the $115-140 of the ones already on sale (115-140 Euro).
Prospective buyers should check with local retailers and online stores in case listings show up.
