14 DAY TRIAL // With the media buzzing around the recent release of NVIDIA Fermi-based GTX 470 and GTX 480 graphics controllers, AMD may have seen a special opportunity to grab some attention at its rival's expense, by launching another rather anticipated device. Advanced Micro Devices has finally come out and officially introduced its Radeon HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 graphics adapter, which comes with all the benefits of AMD's fastest single-GPU card, as well as some extra memory and display scalability. Now that the product is official, Sapphire has already made its move and released its own version into the world.
As consumers are probably aware, from the many leaks and previews of the adapter, the HD 5870 Eyefinity differs from the reference card through its output options and amount of VRAM. The Sapphire HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 has no DVI, HDMI or VGA ports, being built with six mini DisplayPort outputs. Of course, the company supplies passive Displayport to DVI or Displayport to HDMI adapters, but enthusiasts are unlikely to acquire the device just to use it with one monitor.
As for the rest of the specifications, the card has the GPU operating at 850MHz, a memory interface of 256 bits and its 2GB GDDR5 VRAM set at 4,800Mhz. The product also boasts a dual-slot cooler and support for DirectX 11, DirectCompute 11, ATI Stream technology and CrossFireX.
“The new SAPPHIRE HD 5870 Eyefinity6 edition is a 3D graphics accelerator with a single GPU and six mini Displayport outputs on the bracket. Any or all of these outputs can be connected to Displayport compatible monitors to give a choice of Eyefinity configurations to maximise gaming experience, enlarge work area for increased productivity or configure display areas for information or multimedia systems. The Eyefinity6 Edition is the first and only card in its class to support six monitors from a single graphics processor and delivers a stunning visual experience,” the press release states.
The Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 Edition should become available shortly and will carry a price tag of $479.