Sapphire HD 6870 1G GDDR5 Dirt3 Edition Pro Reviews

Overall the Sapphire 6870 is a great graphics card with plenty of power for what most people do. There are obviously more powerful and more expensive video cards available on the market right now but in nearly all cases they perform only slightly better than the Sapphire 6870. In terms of real world testing through games as well as synthetic benchmarks the Sapphire 6870 performed more than adequately which is is great news for gamers looking to save a little bit of money without sacrificing performance. Sapphire also did a great job with the dual cooling fans, though as mentioned they can be quite noisy when the card is really running hard. This is not necessarily a big deal though it can get annoying at times. It was also impressive to see all of the accessories included with the Sapphire 6870, very few companies include this many additional items so it was nice to see that somebody still does.

In performance terms, the Sapphire 6870 Dirt 3 isn't a fantastic leap forwards, although there is untapped potential for those who want to overclock further. The cooling system helps keep noise levels to a minimum, and given that it should cost only around £15 more, the Dirt 3 could be the most polished version of the 6870 you can buy.

I have no issues recommending it to anyone interested in getting a 6870 specifically, or looking for a second to throw into CrossFire. It is not a blow-your-socks-off, revolutionary release, but that doesn't by any means make it any less of a contribution to the market that adds flavor and vitality. This is a good card for those who are looking for what is offered here and can make use of all the bundled inclusions. If the extras aren't necessary, or the overclock won't be taken advantage of, then I would advise looking elsewhere.