Sapphire Radeon 9700 Atlantis Pro “Ultimate Edition”

ToshiroOC · Feb 21, 2003, 11:49 PM

We recently had the opportunity to take a look at the Radeon 9500 Pro video board from Sapphire and we were impressed with the capabilities of the board. But that board is really for those wanting a workable graphics solution on a budget. So what can we get if we have a bit more to spend on our toys?

Enter the Sapphire Radeon 9700 Atlantis Pro “Ultimate Edition” video board. It uses the most up to date ATI Visual Processing Unit (VPU) on the market and has a few other features that may just set it apart from the masses. It isn’t cheap, but then I have always been told that “You get what you pay for”.

So sit back and we’ll take a little trip into Radeon Country and see why the Radeon 9700 Pro has such a cult following. Oh, and we’ll also see why the folks at Sapphire added the “Ultimate Edition” moniker to this little toy.
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When you pull this behemoth out of the box, you’ll first notice the lack of a fan on the board. We mentioned earlier that this uses a heatpipe variety of cooling system and I found that it is basically identical to the Zalman VGA Heatpipe that was reviewed here. The only real difference is the color and the inclusion of RAM sinks. The missing RAM sinks was the only thing that kept the Zalman cooler from earning our Editors Choice Award. The fact that the folks at Sapphire decided to include them bodes well for their dedication to the Enthusiast.
---
As we mentioned early on in this review, the Sapphire Radeon 9700 Atlantis Pro “Ultimate Edition” is not a video card that falls into the budget group. With a street price of right around US$300, it can be downright pricey to those on a budget. But for those who are looking for performance that makes the competition look pale in comparison, this board will be there waiting for you.

Many of those users who fall into the Enthusiast category, you will look inside your own performance rig and see something along the lines of the Radeon 9500 Pro or the Ti4200 cards being compared today. I have been asked many times whether the upgrade to the Radeon 9700 Pro boards is really worth it. After our tests today, I think that the answer to this question can be summed up in a single word; YES!

The overclocking capabilities of this card may seem limited for those accustomed to using the nVidia based boards, but even so the levels of performance we’ve seen today are far above what we could even dream of with some of the common boards being used in systems today.

Bottom line… If you have been looking at upgrades to your existing video board, then you would do very well to take a hard look at the Sapphire Radeon 9700 Atlantis Pro “Ultimate Edition” board. Even if you currently have a GeForce4 or lesser Radeon board currently in your system, the performance difference makes the upgrade a worthy choice. The Sapphire unit we had the privileged of testing not only works exceedingly well, but has also earned the “Ultimate Edition” moniker that has been proudly branded to the front of the box.

--By Mike Wright, source: TweakTown

Article can be read here.

Vampyromaniac · Feb 21, 2003, 11:53 PM

deja vu

ToshiroOC · Feb 22, 2003, 12:16 AM

Don't you deja vu me!

I just checked though, and I HAVEN'T already posted this one! There have been a couple of repeats with Zardon and me switching off, but I don't see this one anywhere

EDIT: Oh, and about this card?

~~WyreTheWolf~~ · Feb 22, 2003, 02:48 AM

Candyman posted the same thing here. LOL not a problem... when you have several people posting news.... this happens on occasion.

ToshiroOC · Feb 22, 2003, 01:31 PM

D'oh!! Oh well, its a good review and a good card, it can't hurt

Feb 21, 2003, 11:49 PM	#1
ToshiroOC Unbiased. Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 4,812 Rep Power: 0	Sapphire Radeon 9700 Atlantis Pro “Ultimate Edition” We recently had the opportunity to take a look at the Radeon 9500 Pro video board from Sapphire and we were impressed with the capabilities of the board. But that board is really for those wanting a workable graphics solution on a budget. So what can we get if we have a bit more to spend on our toys? Enter the Sapphire Radeon 9700 Atlantis Pro “Ultimate Edition” video board. It uses the most up to date ATI Visual Processing Unit (VPU) on the market and has a few other features that may just set it apart from the masses. It isn’t cheap, but then I have always been told that “You get what you pay for”. So sit back and we’ll take a little trip into Radeon Country and see why the Radeon 9700 Pro has such a cult following. Oh, and we’ll also see why the folks at Sapphire added the “Ultimate Edition” moniker to this little toy. --- When you pull this behemoth out of the box, you’ll first notice the lack of a fan on the board. We mentioned earlier that this uses a heatpipe variety of cooling system and I found that it is basically identical to the Zalman VGA Heatpipe that was reviewed here. The only real difference is the color and the inclusion of RAM sinks. The missing RAM sinks was the only thing that kept the Zalman cooler from earning our Editors Choice Award. The fact that the folks at Sapphire decided to include them bodes well for their dedication to the Enthusiast. --- As we mentioned early on in this review, the Sapphire Radeon 9700 Atlantis Pro “Ultimate Edition” is not a video card that falls into the budget group. With a street price of right around US$300, it can be downright pricey to those on a budget. But for those who are looking for performance that makes the competition look pale in comparison, this board will be there waiting for you. Many of those users who fall into the Enthusiast category, you will look inside your own performance rig and see something along the lines of the Radeon 9500 Pro or the Ti4200 cards being compared today. I have been asked many times whether the upgrade to the Radeon 9700 Pro boards is really worth it. After our tests today, I think that the answer to this question can be summed up in a single word; YES! The overclocking capabilities of this card may seem limited for those accustomed to using the nVidia based boards, but even so the levels of performance we’ve seen today are far above what we could even dream of with some of the common boards being used in systems today. Bottom line… If you have been looking at upgrades to your existing video board, then you would do very well to take a hard look at the Sapphire Radeon 9700 Atlantis Pro “Ultimate Edition” board. Even if you currently have a GeForce4 or lesser Radeon board currently in your system, the performance difference makes the upgrade a worthy choice. The Sapphire unit we had the privileged of testing not only works exceedingly well, but has also earned the “Ultimate Edition” moniker that has been proudly branded to the front of the box. --By Mike Wright, source: TweakTown Article can be read here.

Feb 22, 2003, 12:16 AM	#3
ToshiroOC Unbiased. Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 4,812 Rep Power: 0	Don't you deja vu me! I just checked though, and I HAVEN'T already posted this one! There have been a couple of repeats with Zardon and me switching off, but I don't see this one anywhere EDIT: Oh, and about this card? __________________ [img][/img] [color=White]Peace be with you, Joe.[/color] Driverheaven Staff Member (Supermoderator)

Feb 22, 2003, 01:31 PM	#5
ToshiroOC Unbiased. Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 4,812 Rep Power: 0	D'oh!! Oh well, its a good review and a good card, it can't hurt __________________ [img][/img] [color=White]Peace be with you, Joe.[/color] Driverheaven Staff Member (Supermoderator)

Feb 21, 2003, 11:53 PM	#2
Vampyromaniac confutatis maledictis Join Date: May 2002 Location: somewhere dark Posts: 5,974 Rep Power: 60 System Specs	deja vu

Feb 22, 2003, 02:48 AM	#4
~~WyreTheWolf~~ Wolfish Bastard Join Date: May 2002 Location: Cave; Ozark Mountains Posts: 2,111 Rep Power: 0	Candyman posted the same thing here. LOL not a problem... when you have several people posting news.... this happens on occasion.