We have all heard the phrase two heads are better than one, but are three heads better than two? In sports and other competitive aspects to have a three to one advantage will always place the favor to that side, but how does this relate to computers and cooling? We have all become used to two slot cooling solutions when we purchase a high end video card, and at one time have even complained about it taking up too much space. Well now we are moving into the realm of three slot cooling solutions which to some will take up even more space, and if your system doesn't come complete with a full tower case or some extra expansion slots, you might not even be able to accommodate it. - HiTechLegion

Palit Revolution 700 Deluxe CrossFireX Card Preview

The Palit Revolution 700 Deluxe is one of the first video cards to offer a three slot cooling solution, and being an ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 makes the card a lot longer than what most might expect. The Radeon HD 4870 X2 is ATI's newest high-end video card platform which consists of dual GPU's on a single PCB. The Palit Revolution 700 Deluxe has 2GB of GDDR5 memory as well as Palit's three slot heatsinks and fans. The two chips that are housed on the Revolution 700 are RV770 processors. Since the Palit Revolution 700 Deluxe is an X2 video card, it is already larger but will its cooling solution be an advantage or a hindrance?

The Palit Revolution 700 Deluxe comes packaged in a reddish brown box and what catches your eye the most has to be their mascot, the bionic frog. The back of the box reveals what system requirements are needed to use the card and also shows some key features about it. And upon opening the box, the Revolution 700 Deluxe is nicely protected by a large layer of styrofoam and an anti-static bag. When out bag, you can see that this is no ordinary video card with an ordinary heatsink. You will also notice that you will need both an 8-pin and a 6-pin PCI Express connector to power the graphics card.

With a price tag of over $500 the Palit Revolution 700 Deluxe places this product in the category of high-end video cards. Pricing is very compatible with other manufacturers, we have found prices ranging from $479 to $539 and these were for standard vanilla versions of the card with normal clock speeds. The Palit Revolution 700 Deluxe should more than satisfy an enthusiast's need for speed as long as the system that it is used on can accommodate it. We didn't feel that the three slot cooling solution was a hindrance, sure it took up more space, but don't most of us own a full sized case? And surely all gamers out there do.

We found the fans to be much more quiet than the other two video cards tested which is a plus when air cooling. Most gamers want the ability to play their games at the highest resolutions possible, but achieving acceptable frame rates at those resolutions can, at times be a challenge. The Palit Revolution 700 Deluxe can deliver all aspects. Game play will be crisp and clear, you should not have to concern yourself with any choppiness nor should you have to use lower graphics settings to enjoy a true high definition gaming experience.