Introduction

While new AMD cards are around the corner, AMD-only partners continue to release new HD 3870 models. One particular AMD partner is Sapphire who has always been pretty much on the ball when it comes to stand-out models.

The particular model we're looking at today is the HD 3870 Ultimate. I'm not a big fan of companies swinging the world Ultimate around, so today we will find out if the HD 3870 from Sapphire deserves that title.

While the new 4k series of cards are just around the corner, come the middle of June we will only see the HD 4850. While that's a bit disappointing, it's certainly better than nothing. Two things are going to happen with the release of this card; HD 3870 users will be getting rid of their cards second hand, meaning you can pick up a bit of a bargain, or it will disappoint and it might be time to pick up a second HD 3870 or a pair at the same time.

Before we get into the actual card let's see what Sapphire has done with the package, as it generally is something they take care of quite well.