Sapphire's new Radeon HD 3870 is based on AMD's new RV670 GPU. Even though the model number suggests it, this card is not intended to be the highest-end performance card from AMD. Instead it wants to offer excellent performance at affordable upper mid-range prices. The RV670 GPU is based on the RV610 and RV630 architecture, but features much better performance. It is built on a 55nm process with 666 million transistors with a 256-bit memory interface. As a novelty this chip brings DirectX 10.1 support and can benefit from the improved features of PCI Express 2.0. Both features are not important today, but are a clear commitment from AMD looking at future technologies. - techPowerUp!

Sapphire Radeon HD 3870 512MB Video Card Review

Well, no sexy alien robot on a Sapphire box this time. The package looks fine, the important features are described accurately. Here again we have to complain that CrossFireX is advertised as feature, but it is not described that it will not be available until next year when AMD releases it. The Sapphire Radeon HD 3870 is a bit shorter than the Radeon HD 2900 cards which ensures it will fit every case. The cooler follows the typical ATI style with red transparent plastic. We are a bit disappointed by the quality of the sticker on the card. It really looks like a sticker that was slapped on quickly instead of a high quality product.

The cooler uses a baseplate made from copper which transfers the heat upward to a large number of fins. The fan sucks in cool air from inside the case, passes it over the fins and exhausts it near the rear of the case. You can use this card in CrossFire with any other Radeon HD 3870. Also it is possible to run triple or quad CrossFire next year with this card, also called CrossFireX. But since performance of this is to be determined yet, we would not buy a card only for the purpose of being able to run CrossFireX. Don't forget you will also need to purchase the appropriate motherboard and CPU.

Even though PCI Express 2.0 has a higher power delivery capability, the card needs a 6-pin power connector for operation. This is also the case on a PCI Express 2.0 capable motherboard, the power connector is always required. Also it is important to note that this card will work fine on any PCI Express 1.0 or 2.0 motherboard. Both standards are interchangeable. The main benefit of PCI Express 2.0 is that bandwidth per pin is doubled. Just like on the Radeon HD 3850 card, the GPU is the AMD RV670. It is fabricated in a 55nm process, with 666 million transistors but comes with 512MB of GDDR4 memory.

Sapphire is selling their Radeon HD 3870 for $249, but we expect this price to drop rapidly after Christmas. While the naming scheme may suggest that the Radeon HD 3870 is AMD's new king of the hill, it is not. Certainly the card performs better in some benchmarks than the Radeon HD 2900 XT, but not always. On the other hand performance per watt and performance per dollar have been significantly improved. So overall we would say the Radeon HD 3800 series are a good step forward. Unfortunately the Sapphire Radeon HD 3870 is not faster than the GeForce 8800 GT which is sold at about the same price point.

We would expect that the Radeon HD 3870 price drops soon, also it is in stock now. NVIDIA's GeForce 8800 GT is permanently sold out because of limited quantity. So if you need a Christmas present and you need it now, the Radeon HD 3870 is an excellent choice. For media PC's where HDMI is a must and audio via HDMI is a very important plus, only AMD has good solutions. If you are looking at video decode only, you will certainly be fine with the Radeon HD 2600 XT. But if you plan to do gaming too on your big screen, then the Sapphire Radeon HD 3870 will be the right choice to run everything you can throw at it.