SAPPHIRE HD 6850 1GB Video Card
A Closer Look |
| Every manufactures gets the chance to design there own card off the reference cards made by AMD and this is the one created by Sapphire for their 6850 series card. SAPPHIRE has introduced the SAPPHIRE HD 6850, with the a configuration of 960 stream processors and 48 texture processing units. With clock speeds of 775MHz for the GPU core and 1000Mhz (4 Gb/sec effective) for the memory it gives the users access to exceptional performance at a lower price point with full DirectX 11 support and all the features of this innovative generation of graphic card technology. Along with the new GPU comes a new, yet old name. What we see with the introduction of the 6800 series is the lack ATI being mentioned. Everything is now referring to Radeon, which was once used as the branding for ATI cards many years ago.
 The multiple stream processors of the HD 6800 series video cards can be used to accelerate many other applications such as video trans-coding. The latest generation of web browsers which are being GPU accelerated for a more rich interaction, this is also supported for enhanced productivity in Microsoft Office 2010. So even when not playing games or movies you can enjoy the added speed of the 6800 series of AMD graphic processor.  A quick look at the backside of the Sapphire HD 6850
The card has a total length of 8.5 inches and is 1.5 inched thick. The ever so familiar blue PCB is used once again by Sapphire for the 6850 card. From this angle we can see that at the top of the rear of the card is where the CrossFire Bridge connection is located. We will be showing you some CrossFire results in a review very soon!
 Like previous production of cards from Sapphire, the SAPPHIRE HD 6800 series has an on board hardware UVD (Unified Video decoder) – this technology is now in its third generation, significantly reducing CPU load and delivering smooth decoding of Blu-ray™ and HD DVD content for both VC-1 and H.264 codecs, as well as Mpeg files, and now AMD is introducing support for Multiple Video Coding for Blu-Ray 3D. We all know that 3D is quickly becoming more mainstream and AMD wants to makes sure that you are well ahead of the pack. The output side of the dual slot card has just about very connection you need to connect to your display of choice. You get two DVI ouputs, one HDMI 1.4, and a display port.
A very stylish gloss black plastic cooler covers the entire 6850 to guarantee that all the vital components get the cooling they need. Air is drawn in from the inside of the case and forced out the back just like any other two slot cooler setup does. If you look down into the cooler you can see that the heat sink is make of aluminum and is a heat pipe configuration is used for the cooing solution. 
 The power connection for the cooling fans connects to the rear of the card. I had to tuck the cable back under the cooler as it came out during shipping. This not a issue, just not pleasant looking, for the card but I just wanted you to make sure that you check that before you install the card. We can see that the heat sink has plenty of cooling fins to keep the card cool.  A single six pin power connection is all the extra power that this 6850 needs to give you the performance you need. Sapphire even includes a power adapter in case you need it but almost all new power supplies built today have this already, but it just goes to show you that Sapphire is willing to take the extra steps. |
