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VisionTek ATI HD 3870 X2 OC Review
Author: Guest Ninja
Published: Thursday, July 17, 2008
Card Features and Layout
The top of each copper heatsink is covered by a pair of matching black heatshields to prevent prying hands from getting burned. This is the first time I have seen this feature and it show just how much thought was put into the design. Or maybe just how many times they got burned!
Early specs described the HD 3870 X2 with 8 pin power sockets however Visiontek included the more traditional set of 6 pin PCI-e power leads. The recommended power supply for a single card is a 550 Watt or greater with at least 2x 6-pin PCIe® power connectors (750 Watt PSU and 4x 6-pin connectors for dual ATI CrossFireX™).
Early specs described the HD 3870 X2 with 8 pin power sockets however Visiontek included the more traditional set of 6 pin PCI-e power leads. The recommended power supply for a single card is a 550 Watt or greater with at least 2x 6-pin PCIe® power connectors (750 Watt PSU and 4x 6-pin connectors for dual ATI CrossFireX™).
The 3870 X2 runs best on a 16x PCI-Express slot but will function on any PCI-e supported motherboard at a reduced speed. CrossFireX is supported on the 3870 X2 by installing a second 3870 X2 (or any combination of 3870 cards) and linking them with the included cable.
To learn more about ATI’s CrossFire X, check out their support page at: http://game.amd.com/us-en/crossfirex_about.aspx A complete combination Options Chart can be found here: http://game.amd.com/us-en/content/images/crossfirex/CF_combo_chart_July08.jpg
To learn more about ATI’s CrossFire X, check out their support page at: http://game.amd.com/us-en/crossfirex_about.aspx A complete combination Options Chart can be found here: http://game.amd.com/us-en/content/images/crossfirex/CF_combo_chart_July08.jpg
Although the VisionTek HD 3870 X2 Design uses two Radeon GPUs on the same PCB, they have chosen to go with the non-standard quad DVI output. Theoretically this means you could pair a set of 3870 X2 cards to get a massive 8 monitor desktop. In practice utilizing the onboard Crossfire setup drops you back to only two active video ports.
