Sapphire 7770 FleX

Posted September 21, 2012 by Jake in Video Cards

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Overview

Hardware: Video Cards

Manufacturer: Sapphire Technology

Price at time of Review: $150

WHAT WE LIKED:

Eyefinity capabilities on card, Excellent temperatures, Low noise, Affordable

WHAT WE DISLIKED:

Too weak for good Eyefinity gaming, Can't beat older GTX 460.

BOTTOM LINE:

Eyefinity technology on card, but lacks horsepower for higher resolutions.
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by Jake

Full Article

Introduction

AMD Eyefinity allows users to essentially span multiple separate monitors into one large, singular desktop. Arguably the most popular configuration is the three-screens-wide format, and the lure of this to gamers is a massive field of vision across three screens. But Eyefinity has always had one very big asterisk: one monitor must have a native DisplayPort connection. DisplayPort monitors aren’t terribly popular, nor inexpensive, and certainly not as popular as screens with traditional DVI outputs. If you don’t have a DisplayPort screen do you go out and buy a new one? Likely not. Go buy an active display adapter to make Eyefinity work on non-DP screens? Perhaps, but that’s still not entirely a cheap prospect. What else? Well, this is where the Sapphire 7770 FleX comes into play.

What’s so special about a FleX graphics card? Well, FleX is unique to Sapphire and it supports Eyefinity out of the box with no need for expensive DisplayPort screens or adapters. The tech is built directly into the card itself, independent of the monitors being used. This means that any monitors with DVI ports can run Eyefinity; no expensive DisplayPort is necessary. Of course, you still need three monitors to begin with, but no need to buy new monitors with special outputs.

We’ve seen a few other FleX models, notably the Sapphire 7950 FleX which proved rather worthy in terms of horsepower and cooling prowess. This 7770 FleX is considerably less powerful, so the beauty of Eyefinity gaming might also be a bit less satisfying. But what about price? At about $150, it looks like Sapphire might again have a good value card.

We’ve typically found the Sapphire FleX cards to be very impressive, so let’s take a closer look at the Sapphire 7770 FleX and see if it has the power to tackle Eyefinity gaming.