A Solid card (mostly...) 3/13/2010
By ConQuix
Pros: Well... it's the 5870 - it's fast. Although the only games I've got that really test it are probably Call of Pripyat and the new Aliens Vs. Predator game (it looks really good I have to say). It does a great job in both games. I can crank all the DX11 effects and the regular "sunrise slowness" in Stalker isn't really noticeable with this card.Where to Buy
Cons: It does occasionally lockup the video. To be fair, this is probably because I have an old phys-x card in the neighboring slot. I don't have the alternative to set this up in any other way if I want to continue to use it. The intake for the fan is largely blocked by the close proximity of this card, and I believe that is what causes the thing to lock-up. I can't be sure though - as the temperature rarely gets above 60. From what I've read the card can handle 80°C - although I've never had it reach that temperature. My suspicion is that the cooler is able to keep the core cool enough to register a reasonable temp but the memory is overheating. The lockups (when they occur) are relatively infrequent, but usually they involve grey lines running vertically down the screen (ribbed with thin red lines). It's definitely and issue with the card and I suspect it's the presence of the neighboring card. If you don't have any other add-in cards, the intake fan will be free to do its job.
Other Thoughts: TBH - I the lockups I do get with it are quite infrequent. I can only say that it has been slightly less stable than the GTX 8800 it replaced - although the difference is slight. It usually locks once or twice a week - provided I'm running everything at the default levels. I think the vapor-x is probably a good cooling solution, but for my setup it doesn't have a clear cool-air intake path. It's unfortunate I didn't have better foresight when I chose this particular card. I think ATI has a real winner on their hands here, I just wish I could figure out how to keep my card happy, as lockups like this (although are quite infrequent) make me concerned that some components on my card are running too hot. The card comes already overclocked, so I'm not planning on pushing it over it's present setpoint (esp. with the fan blocked). Just consider your hardware setup first before buying this variant of the 5870.
Vapor-x does what it needs to do. 3/6/2010
By graver13
Pros: The card keep cool, and I mean cool. while d/ling, playing games, and watching movies. it keeps a cool 38-40c temp. I haven't had any problems, no bent screws, everything in working order.
Cons: Card is very long. I use a antec 900 and it goes passed the motherboard and almost to the harddrive bay in my tower. I would recommend getting a antec 1200 or another full-size tower for this one unless your skileld at wiring all your fans and plugs correctly. I used a x58 motherboard and was lucky it didn't cover any extra pci, sata, or other slots that I would normally use.
Other Thoughts: Though pricey, this is a good upgrade from the 4870 x2 gig series that ran a lot hotter (70-80c on full load). as I have yet to breach the 40c mark on this 1gb card.
Current system
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CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C9
Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920
SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100281VX-2SR Radeon HD 5870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Full
Antec 900 case
Antec TPQ-850 850W Continuous Power ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply
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