14 DAY TRIAL // The list of brands offering Tahiti LE-powered graphics cards is not and will not be high, but it won't be too short either. VTX3D has just added its name to it, by launching the HD7870 Black Edition video adapter.
Essentially, it is the same thing as the PowerColor PCS+ HD7870 Myst and Club3D's Radeon HD 7870 JokerCard: a video controller based on the newest graphics processing unit from AMD.
Tahiti LE is a limited edition chip, one that will only sell during this holiday season, although AMD might decide to extend availability a bit.
Thus, the VTX3D HD7870 Black Edition probably won't be up for order after the 2013 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show.
Given the specifications, and the likely price of $220 / 220 Euro, people will either lament this or feel nonplussed.
Speaking of which, the VTX3D HD7870 Black Edition graphics adapter has a GPU frequency of 925 MHz, but particularly demanding applications will make it jump to 975 MHz.
2 GB of GDDR5 VRAM assist the chip in its endeavors. The memory clock speed is of 6 GHz. The interface is of 256 bits.
DirectX 11 is fully supported of course, as is CrossFireX (for multi-GPU configurations) and Eyefinity (3- or 6-panel configurations).
In fact, the new video card has two mini DisplayPort connectors, one HDMI input and one dual-link DVI connector.
As for the cooler, it is a single-fan model (92 mm diameters) with three heatpipes and a card-long fin array.
Gamers can start checking with street stores and online retailers to see if the VTX3D HD7870 Black is there. While waiting for the delivery, gamers can check back with the official product page to make sure they have all the facts (the web page is located here). We will just say that anyone interested will have to make sure their power supplies are of at least 500W.