Sapphire HD6870 FleX Edition CrossfireX Review – Quad screen 7680×1080 testing

The Sapphire HD6870 FleX Edition is a stunning card, and one that deserves plenty of attention from the public. KitGuru firmly believes that the future is multiscreen gaming and right now AMD solutions are clearly leading the way. Eyefinity is a strong selling point and it really is only when you experience gaming across three screens that you can actually feel the immersive benefits.

The only real problem with Eyefinity right now is the generalised hardware demand for at least one Displayport equipped monitor. This can add a huge cost to the purchase of three screens, and for those people who want perfectly matched panels, then the cost is multiplied. Take the excellent Displayport equiped Dell U2410 for instance –  three of these would set you back £1,200 which is a considerable investment.

The Sapphire HD6870 FleX Edition allows gamers to hook up three, inexpensive DVI monitors without any additional hardware in the mix. Three budget LED 22 inch ilyama Prolite E2271HDS screens from Yoyotech would only cost £420. Sure, they aren't in the same class as the Dell U2410, but gamers generally aren't that picky about colour balancing and IPS panels.

We have yet to get confirmation of the price of the HD6870 FleX Edition, but you will be paying a small premium when compared against a reference HD6870. Sapphire have designed the FleX PCB from scratch with a very capable heatpipe based cooler and have included a plethora of cabling to cover all demands.

The HD6870 Flex in a Crossfire configuration means you can game across four screens at 7680×1080 resolution. We would advise interested enthusiast users to purchase panels with the thinnest bezel possible, as it isn't quite as intuitive for positioning as a single forward, middle screen. With the right games however, it can look even better than a 5760×1080 setup.

The Sapphire HD6870 FleX has got it all. The heatpipe cooler is quiet, and keeps the card well under control at all times. The power consumption is also well optimised considering the technology involved and the pricing will be only marginally higher than a reference board. If you have a desire to get into multi panel gaming and don't want to invest extra in expensive displayport panels then this comes with our highest possible recommendation. If you have money to spare, a single FleX card will support up to five monitors, only two of which need to be Displayport capable.

KitGuru says: A quality product, bringing low cost multi screen gaming to the enthusiast masses.

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