Sapphire 9700 Pro Ultimate

[CamH]

Are they any good? I'm thinking of buying one later today.

[Speed_Mechanic2]

For how much $$$?

IF you can't get one for less then $280, then your much better off buying a Radeon 9800 Non-Pro for $243 from BananaPC.com.

[Gnerma]

So what is the Sapphire 9700pro ultimate edition? It's a normal 9700pro with a Zalman ZM80C-HP (http://www.zalman.co.kr/english/product/ZM80C-HP.htm) for cooling. Okay so they put a nifty ATI sticker on it but that does not make it special. Be sure you are not spending a lot more to have Sapphire put the Zalman sink on for you.

If you are not looking for a passive/quiet cooling solution this is not a good idea. Yeah it looks like those big Zalman heatsinks would cool the buhgeezus out of any big bad card but they get really hot without at least minimum direct airflow. ESPECIALLY if you want to overclock the thing. Check out the Zalman fan/bracket (http://www.zalman.co.kr/english/product/ZM-OP1.htm) that attaches to that model. Or the more universal Zalman FB165 (http://www.zalman.co.kr/english/product/cnpsvga3.htm) that blows down on your video card.

As impressive as that heatsink looks, don't expect it to take your overclocks to the stratosphere. It's more useful for those who are looking for less noise then more FPS. Here is a review (http://www.silentpcreview.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=65&page=1) of the earlier Zalman heatpipe VGA cooler. Differences? Well, it cools about the same as the new one but is not as sturdy and you can't attach a fan easily to it.

[CamH]

How would it be with a 92mm Tornado blowing across it? Any better than a normal 9700 Pro?

[Gnerma]

Originally posted by CamH
How would it be with a 92mm Tornado blowing across it? Any better than a normal 9700 Pro?
Heh well if you were being that agressive with it I'm sure it would overclock better than a stock 9700pro heatsink.

For a lot of good threads about Zalman heatpipe coolers and 9x00 cards check out the VGA forum at silentPCreview.com (http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewforum.php?f=19). Just remember that these guys don't use fans that blow anywhere near as much airflow as a 92mm tornado. You'll see them mention "undervolted L1As" which are 80mm fans that blow 20cfm at full speed but most of them run them at 5v or 7v where they blow 10 to 13 cfm.

Remember however that Zalman isnt swinging for the fences as far as cooling ability goes with these big sinks. They're designed to provide good cooling with minimal noise and airflow.

[CamH]

Well, I just ordered one for $250. Thanks for the info. :)

[juliendogg]

nice, have to say though, i would have recommended a 9800np for the same price, and bios flash to a 9800pro. spanky.



J.

[Gnerma]

Originally posted by CamH
Well, I just ordered one for $250. Thanks for the info.
A nice card, let us know how it works out for you :clap:

[CamH]

Originally posted by juliendogg
nice, have to say though, i would have recommended a 9800np for the same price, and bios flash to a 9800pro. spanky.



J.

Well, I consider that, too, but I decided a safer route would be to just get the 9700 Pro and not have to worry about flashing the BIOS or having the wrong type of RAM.