Board design

Sapphire Hybrid RADEON X700 PRO 256MB

Back of the card

While the Sapphire Hybrid RADEON X700 PRO 256MB looks drastically different than ATI’s reference X700 XT board design, fundamentally they’re quite similar. Selection of board circuitry and layout is nearly identical, with the most notable differences obviously being the cooling used for the graphics core and memory and the Sapphire board’s aqua blue PCB. The blue PCB is an obvious reminder of the company color and is also used on Sapphire’s flagship TOXIC line of X800 PRO cards.

For keeping the graphics core cool, Sapphire relies on a traditional aluminum heatsink configuration: the ducted copper cooler design used on the reference RADEON X700 XT is gone. While this setup may not look as exotic as the X700 XT’s cooler, we found it to be quite effective, even when overclocking under DOOM 3 board temperature was lower than X700 XT. Keep in mind that DOOM 3 is known for pushing graphics cards not only from a pixel perspective, but also thermally, so this is quite an accomplishment.

Aluminum heatsink/fan unit keeps VPU cool

Heatsinks on memory provide additional cooling

Like the X700 XT, the Hybrid X700 PRO is equipped with a variable speed fan that dynamically adjusts its RPMs based on core temperature. If the graphics core is running cool, the fan spins in the intermediate mode, if the temps crank up, so does the fan. In operation, the fan runs quietly (quieter than X700 XT), even when running in its highest mode, which we did experience from time to time during overclocking. For added protection of the card’s fan, Sapphire adds a plastic sheath over the fan’s power cord. This is a very nice touch that we’ve never seen before (including on high-end CPU coolers), but hope to continue to see in the future.

To help keep the board’s memory cool, Sapphire adds heatsinks on each of the board’s memory modules. This isn’t a cosmetic application either – we’ve seen many cards with these RAMsinks in place where only the modules on the top of the board are cooled – a quick glance of the underside of the Hybrid X700 PRO reveals heatsinks located there too.

While our board was equipped with 256MB of GDDR3 memory, Sapphire’s website also lists a 128MB variant as well. With the 256MB X700 Hybrid PRO going for an MSRP of $200 and the vanilla X700 retailing for $149, we expect this 128MB Hybrid X700 PRO to retail for somewhere between $150-$200, although exact pricing data hasn’t been announced nor has the card hit the streets. Considering you’ll likely only be paying $20 or $30 more, most gamers would probably be better served by going with the 256MB card Hyrbid X700 PRO card.

Rage Theater chip would rest here

Blue PCB and cooling looks good

Plastic shroud protects the fan power cord

Software and accessories

Even though Sapphire’s Hybrid X700 PRO is targeted for the mainstream segment, Sapphire includes the same software bundle found in their high-end X800 cards. Included in the box is the DVD-ROM version of Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow while Price of Persia: The Sands of Time ships on two CDs. Also included is a copy of PowerDVD 5 and Sapphire’s Redline utility for overclocking your graphics card, which is based on Rage3D Tweak. Hardware accessories include a DVI adapter, Sapphire case badge, S-Video cable, and a composite cable.