Intro

Many gamers out there know the power of the R420 GPU contained within the X800 line of AGP cards as well as the PCIe flavored (R423) X800's. These cards deliver stellar performance across the board; but what if you don't have the $400+ to pony up to own one of these pixel pushing gems? You could always go with the much much cheaper (and much much slower) X600 (RV380); but if you are a gaming enthusiast at all this card will not satisfy your need for speed. This is where the Sapphire Hybrid X700 Pro (RV410) comes in. How about impressive performance for around $200? If you are an AGP card user then don't get too worked up over this card since it only comes as a PCIe card. So far I have not seen any word of retrofitting this GPU to work in AGP systems. Maybe once the supply of 9800 Pro cards on the market thins out we will see these make it into AGP systems. Until then, from a business stand point, there really is no reason for them to release a faster and cheaper card that would cut the virtual throat of sales of those older cards, now is there? :)

So what separates this card from the X600 and X800 line? What about the old 9800 line? The X700 GPU is based on the newer 0.11-micron process allowing ATI to pack some more pipelines on the GPU without substantially adding to the GPU size. How many you ask? The X700 Pro has eight pixel pipelines which is the same as the earlier flagship 9800 series of cards. The X700 Pro GPU shines above the 9800 series by increasing the number of vertex units from 4 to a hefty 6 (the X600 Pro only had 2) and even sports support for the more versatile 2.0b pixel shader spec which allows for more complex pixel shader programs and greatly increases the number of instructions from 160 to a whopping 1,536. The newer GPU also has support for ATI's 3Dc normal map compression. If you are not familiar with 3Dc, it is a bump mapping algorithm which compresses info in a more efficient manner with little to no loss of quality. This is a key feature since more and more games are being put out with these graphic options. Graphic options like pixel shading and bump mapping make a huge difference in overall game eye-candy.

Let's take a look at the GPU and memory speeds of the X700 and X600 line. In the chart below you can see the speeds across the X600 and X700 line. Worth noting is that Sapphire's X700 line implements GDDR3 instead of regular DDR. My experience with GDDR3 RAM has proven that it is excellent for overclocking so I look forward to that. The X700 and X600 both have a 128 bit memory interface and can come equipped with either 128MB or 256MB of RAM.

Package

The package arrived practically unscathed and immediately you can tell this is a Sapphire product due to the conspicuous logo and graphics. The package has a funky 3D rendered character (like pretty much all other Sapphire product packages) and includes the same window on the back as the the box that the X600 came in. I like this about the packing because it gives you a sneak peek at what color the card is in case you are hunting for that special color-matching component to match the rest of your PC gear.

Package contents include the video card, RCA and S-Video cable, RCA to S-Video adapter, DVI to Standard VGA adapter, manual, a Sapphire sticker, and software including Prince of Persia, Splinter Cell, PowerDVD 5, Redline OC Utility Install and the driver disk. The software package is the same as that of the X600 I previously reviewed. I was pleased with it then and I still am. Both of the included games are top notch and this card should easily run them.

Specs

Here are the specs on the X700 Pro ripped from the Sapphire Tech website:

(ATI RADEON™ X700 Pro Chipset)

Dawn Of A Hardware Hybrid

Erupting from the depths of a hardware stew of performance and affordability, the X700 Series presents itself as the definitive Hybrid graphic solution! Combining technologies such as 8 Pixel Shader pipes, and 6 Vertex pipelines, the X700 Hybrid series raises the threshold of believability in today's detail rich game environments.

Features:

• 128/ 256MB of GDDR3 memory accelerates the latest cutting edge 3D applications
• 128-bit GDDR3 memory interface
• 8 parallel pixel pipelines
• Supports the latest X16 Lane PCI Express technology
• Six programmable vertex shader pipelines
• Full support for DirectX® 9.0 and the latest OpenGL® functionality
• New SMARTSHADER™ HD technology allows for support for Microsoft® DirectX® 9.0 programmable vertex and pixel shaders in hardware as well as OpenGL® via extensions.
• SMOOTHVISION™ HD technology provides enhanced image quality by removing jagged edges and bringing out fine texture detail, without compromising performance
• 3Dc™ High quality 4:1 Normal Map Compression delivers beautiful scenes without the performance hit.
• Unique VIDEOSHADER™ HD engine uses programmable pixel shaders to accelerate video processing and provide better-looking visuals
• HYPER Z™ HD is optimized for performance at high display resolutions, including widescreen HDTV resolutions.

Available in both FULL Retail and Lite Retail Versions

Full retail indicates that the package contains the entire bundle including the Game software bundle and utilities. The Lite retail versions do not come bundled with the software bundle and are packaged with the necessities needed to enjoy the pinnacle in performance from Sapphire alone.

General Card Specifications are subject to change dependent upon region purchased in and subject to component availability. Sapphire has enjoyed a commitment to excellence and to its customers so please do not hesitate to inquire about specific products at your regional Sapphire office.