Sapphire HD 7750 Low Profile edition – for mini-HTPC and light DX11 gaming

Unboxing the Sapphire HD 7750 Low Profile edition

The Sapphire HD 7750 Low Profile edition comes in a box with a fully-armed G.I. Jane type of picture that emphasises that Sapphire means business with this new card. Genuinely low-profile to fit inside a mini-ITX case complete with 1GB GGR5, high-speed HDMI with every kind of necessary adapter, and multi-display capable, stand out to catch the consumer’s eye at retail.

Clearly the box emphasizes that Sapphire means business by having their mascott dressed for war.  The other side of the box is dedicated to another view of Sapphire’s mascott and to the card’s features. The potential buyer at retail can see what is included with the HD 7750 – assorted cables (Optional), the driver CD and the quickstart manual. It advises, “Ignite your Imagination with the Sapphire HD 7750”.

The inner and outer packing materials are made from 100% recycled paper.  The end panels are pretty plain although the specifications are on one panel. Opening the box, we see that everything is well-packed and the low profile HD 7750 card itself comes in an anti-static foam-protected envelope.

Here is everything out of the box.  The first thing you notice is that the card is really small.

Dual-Link DVI-I, HDMI and Displayport outputs are all mounted within the low-profile backplate. This has been achieved by the use of mini-DP and micro-HDMI sockets. A set of Mini-DP to DP, micro-HDMI to HDMI, and DVI-I to VGA adapters are supplied with the card, as well as both low profile and standard height backplates for regular sized cases such as our test case.

We see a no 6-pin PCIe connector which suggests that this card is very light on power usage and will draw all of its power from the PCIe slot.  The card is capable of CrossFire without a bridge although it is probably a good idea to use a CrossFire bridge when paired with another HD 7750 for maximum performance.

Sapphire has created a well-designed card specifically for small form factor cases and for HTPC with plenty of connectors. Removing both hex screws on the plate on either side of the DVI connector allows the owner to exchange the mini-plate for a regular sized one for use in a standard PC.  A regular or needle-nosed pliers works fine to loosen and remove them.  As it comes shipped, the Sapphire HD 7750 Low Profile card comes set up for low-profile/mini-ITX PCs, and to change it over takes only about a minute. 

Sapphire has added a very small heatsink and fan to the card to keep it cool. There is no need for a 6-pin PCIe connection or any external power connectors as the card sips power through the PCIe slot.

Here is the other side of the card: 

This card is easy to fit into any case and even into smaller mini-ITX cases as the card is physically short at about 170mm by 67mm with a thickness of only 18mm. The card is packed well for shipping and it looks great for its purpose.

Let’s take a look at our test system before we benchmark the reference clocked (800/1125MHz) Sapphire HD 7750 Low Profile edition against the stock clocked EVGA GTX 550 Ti as well as a VaporX Sapphire HD 7770 GHz OC edition (1100/1300MHz) and also against a stock-clocked HD 7750 (1100/1125MHz).  As a bonus, we shall clock our Sapphire HD 7750 Low Profile edition as far as we can to see if we can get even more performance.