Sapphire HD 2900 XT

Conclusion

Published: 9th July 2007 | Source: Sapphire | Price: | Author: Matt Kemp

Conclusion

The Sapphire HD 2900 XT is a nice card and the 2900 XT is, in my eyes, a good solid release from ATI/AMD. In our game tests the results were mixed with the ATI offering often beating the nVidia 8800's out of the door as regards FPS, especially in Oblivion. The HD2900 XT also showed it's colours in the Futuremark suite, scoring some nice numbers there.

However, one does wonder if it was enough to release a card that merely competed with nVidia's mid-high range cards. It's certainly left the market wide open, giving customers more choice, but has it given them motivation to buy an ATI branded product? I'm not so sure.

Looking at bundle and pricing, the card stands out here. With a great bundle for what you are paying it's sure to grab a few people's attention. The fantastic software on offer will tempt those looking for the complete bundle and at around £240ish (see recommended retailers below), you are getting decent value for money.

Although the 2900 XT has failed to grasp ultra high end enthusiasts there's still something there for people who want a nice card for their money. If you can ignore the slightly whiney fan it's worth taking into consideration. That in mind, we're giving it an "OC3D Recommended" award.

Recommended Award

Pro's

+ Good solid performance
+ Cool running card
+ Great looking
+ Excellent bundle
+ Decent overclocking

Con's

- Only competes where perhaps it should have dominated
- Slightly whiney cooler
- 1 x 8 PIN PCI-e cable needed for safe overclocking

Thanks to Sapphire for supplying the review sample

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Most Recent Comments

09-07-2007, 18:34:24

equk

long review :)

On the quake4 test. Did you do a timedemo :confused: the results seem a bit 'wild'
All of the fps results are a bit wierd :) how do you get the avg fps etc?

edit: Once again I did three two minute runs on Quake 4 on each card and took the average of all my readings from these.

Sounds like a FRAPS type job? :(

The oblivion benchmark? is quite interesting.

On the hardware side, the cooler is quite nice :)
Shame about it being noisy :(

I thought the review was excellent. I really liked the beginning with the hardware images and little bits of info like the fan being noisy etc :)

I would be interested to see the HDMI capabilities of the card :)

09-07-2007, 18:50:15

Kempez

Ye I use FRAPS to record FPS and play a manual run through of the game. Not sure why you say "wild", tis just min, max and average FPS. I know it works well cause the FPS stay the same every time and comparing two similar cards gets similar results. Some cards handle games well staying very steady, some really fluctuate ate certain points. That's where my impressions of the game come in so I can say if it was smooth or not (not just let the graphs do the talking)

Ta mate

I would have tested HDMI but I don't have an HDMI TV/Monitor (yet). Still, I know HDCP works well

17-07-2007, 10:27:54

badsykes

There is a flaw in the review and nvidia cards were in disadvantage ..

"Both nVidia cards are using the nVidia !!! 97.92 !!! Forceware drivers.

The ATI card was installed with the Catalyst Control Center 7.6's."

The latest oficial is 158.22 and the latest beta is 163 ... Can the reviewer repeat the tests with latest official if not beta drivers...I hate nvidia very much but the reviews must be fair..
Latest drivers VS latest drivers
7.6 official VS 158.22 official

17-07-2007, 10:44:37

Kempez

The review clearly states that these results were taken from a previous review which is the reason for the older drivers.

Yes there would perhaps be a difference, but not to the extent it would skew the results.

I no longer have the 8800 GTS's as they are back with the manufacturers.

17-07-2007, 11:27:40

badsykes

Ya .. sorry..I forgot that the review states that thing.

06-08-2007, 14:57:59

badsykes

Hello Kempez.After 7.8 will be released is any chance to update the review.The AA performance has been improved radically.

06-08-2007, 15:46:07

Kempez

I no longer have a 2900XT, and unfortunately I can't redo each review after every driver release, I have enough trouble reviewing the new stuff that comes in! :crazy:

06-08-2007, 18:25:17

!TIMMY!

Hello Kempez.After 7.8 will be released is any chance to update the review.The AA performance has been improved radically.

When will they be out? These 7.7's look nice, but performance sucks.

07-09-2007, 14:23:24

badsykes

I no longer have a 2900XT, and unfortunately I can't redo each review after every driver release, I have enough trouble reviewing the new stuff that comes in! :crazy:

Heh sorry mate :P..I think the reviews for a new VGA should be done after a couple of month..The trend is too early releases but with buggy drivers :(

08-09-2007, 19:57:50

Kempez

Trouble is this isn't when the graphics cards companies want them done, and we kind of have to live by their schedule I'm afraid