{"id":31770,"date":"2012-09-06T18:10:06","date_gmt":"2012-09-06T17:10:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=31770"},"modified":"2012-10-01T20:43:48","modified_gmt":"2012-10-01T19:43:48","slug":"sapphire-hd-7750-flex-edition-brings-inexpensive-eyefinity-to-gaming-and-productivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/sapphire-hd-7750-flex-edition-brings-inexpensive-eyefinity-to-gaming-and-productivity\/","title":{"rendered":"Sapphire HD 7770 FleX edition brings inexpensive Eyefinity to gaming and productivity"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\/\/ <![CDATA[\n                                  google_ad_client = \"pub-7021221536180758\"; \/* 468x60, created 11\/11\/09 *\/ google_ad_slot = \"1949837292\"; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60;\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">In mid-February of this year, AMD released the HD 7770 on 28nm featuring their new GCN architecture complete with Eyefinity Technology 2.0 and DX11.1. It&#8217;s based on AMD&#8217;s GPU named &#8220;Cape Verde&#8221; and its stock core clock is 1GHz. We evaluated the <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=28819&amp;all=1\">Sapphire HD 7770 GHz Overclocked edition<\/a> a month later and the <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=29688\">Sapphire Vapor-X HD 7770 GHZ Edition OC<\/a> in May.\u00a0 Both cards performed very well\u00a0for their class in\u00a0light DX11 gaming\u00a0especially when overclocked.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Sapphire Technology has just announced the\u00a0Sapphire HD 7770 Flex GHz Edition, bringing together the features of AMD\u2019s 28nm\u00a0GCN architecture with Sapphire\u2019s unique FleX solution\u00a0for multi-screen graphics in an affordable solution for the mainstream.\u00a0 No longer do you have to buy at least one expensive adapter to run 3-panel Eyefinity out of the box and there is also an additional DisplayPort for a\u00a0fourth display.\u00a0 In fact, Sapphire includes a HDMI cable and\u00a0a HDMI\u00a0to DVI adapter in the box!<\/p>\n<div id=\"main\">\n<div id=\"contentwrapper\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Enter the new <strong>Sapphire HD 7770 GHz FleX\u00a0Edition with\u00a01GB GDDR5 <\/strong>at $149<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31772\" title=\"BOX-CARD\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/BOX-CARD.jpg?resize=480%2C610\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/BOX-CARD.jpg?resize=480%2C610 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/BOX-CARD-235x300.jpg 235w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/BOX-CARD-805x1024.jpg 805w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Sapphire HD 7770 FleX brings easily configured multi-display Eyefinity\u00a0graphics to the mainstream. The FleX feature enables users to connect low-cost DVI monitors for the first three screens in landscape or portrait mode providing a very\u00a0cost-effective solution for increased productivity as well as for display systems or multi-screen gaming. By also using the DisplayPort output, the Sapphire HD 7770 FleX can support\u00a0a fourth\u00a0screen in Eyefinity.<\/p>\n<p>The Sapphire HD 7770 FleX is a member of the Sapphire GHz series and it ships with clock speeds of 1000MHz for the core and 1125Mhz for the 1GB of on board high speed DDR5 memory.\u00a0 FleX is in the same performance class and comparable to the Sapphire GHz OC editon (1150MHz\/1250MHz) and also\u00a0versus the Sapphire Vapor-X (1150\/1250MHz) through further overclocking.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31771\" title=\"3-7770s\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/3-7770s.jpg?resize=480%2C611\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/3-7770s.jpg?resize=480%2C611 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/3-7770s-235x300.jpg 235w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>To maximize performance, a new version of the Sapphire&#8217;s overclocking tool, TriXX is available free to download from their website. TriXX allows tuning of GPU voltage as well as core and memory clocks adjustments, and it is very\u00a0similar to other vendors&#8217; perhaps more well-known overclocking tools.\u00a0 We have been using and recommending TriXX since March as it\u00a0is fully-featured, stable,\u00a0and easy to use.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>We are going to focus on the performance of this HD 7770\u00a0FleX edition agaist the Sapphire GHz OverClocked edition of the HD 7770. We have already <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=28819&amp;all=1\">compared the GHz OC edition to stock HD 7770<\/a> performance and it was significantly faster.<\/p>\n<p>To fully round out this performance evaluation, we shall also attempt to overclock the FleX edition further to see if additional gains are possible.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Performance vs. Pricing<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The feature set of Sapphire&#8217;s HD 7770 FleX GHz Edition is very impressive as listed on Sapphire&#8217;s chart at the bottom of this page.\u00a0\u00a0 What really makes this bundle special is the additon of a HDMI to DVI adapter to run 3-panel Eyefinity out of the box.\u00a0 However, we also need to compare its $149 pricing versus performance and we shall use our last <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=28819&amp;all=1\">evaluation of the Sapphire GHz Overclock edition<\/a> as the standard.<\/p>\n<p>We put our Sapphire HD 7770 FleX editon through its paces\u00a0yesterday and today\u00a0with the very latest Catalyst 12.8 drivers. This driver mostly brought some minor performance increases over the last WHQL Catalyst driver set. In the past two months, we have also upgraded our Intel CPU platform from Core i7-920\/X58 at 4.2GHz to <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=29402\">Core i7-3770K\/Z77<\/a> at 4.8GHz.<\/p>\n<p>We now bench with\u00a022 modern games and with 3 synthetic benchmarks, and we generally use 1920&#215;1200 and 1680&#215;1050 resolutions with an emphasis on DX11 games &#8211;\u00a03 DX9, 5 DX10, and\u00a0 14 DX11 games. Since we are comparing two entry- to mid-level enthusiast GPU video cards, it makes sense to test them at their highest playable resolutions and with the most demanding playable settings that they can handle. We will attempt to find playable settings bearing in mind that the cards that we are testing are aimed approximately at 1920&#215;1080 resolution and are priced around $150.\u00a0 We are also including the GTX 550 Ti which is in the general performance class.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>System Requirements<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>For the HD 7770 from Sapphire&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sapphiretech.com\/presentation\/product\/?cid=1&amp;gid=3&amp;sgid=1159&amp;pid=1523&amp;psn=&amp;lid=1&amp;leg=0\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.sapphiretech.com\/presentation\/product\/?cid=1&amp;gid=3&amp;sgid=1159&amp;pid=1523&amp;psn=&amp;lid=1&amp;leg=0', 'website:']);\" >website:<\/a><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29777\" title=\"Require\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Require.jpg?resize=600%2C226\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Require.jpg?resize=600%2C226 600w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Require-300x113.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>As you can see, the system requirements are modest. What is not mentioned is that a 550W PSU might be a good idea to power two HD 7770s in CrossFire.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Features:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Here are the Sapphire HD 7770 GHz Vapor-X Edition&#8217;s features as found on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sapphiretech.com\/presentation\/product\/?cid=1&amp;gid=3&amp;sgid=1159&amp;pid=1523&amp;psn=&amp;lid=1&amp;leg=0\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.sapphiretech.com\/presentation\/product\/?cid=1&amp;gid=3&amp;sgid=1159&amp;pid=1523&amp;psn=&amp;lid=1&amp;leg=0', 'Sapphire&#8217;s web site']);\" >Sapphire&#8217;s web site<\/a>:<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/Dual-Link DVI_20091112_1535.gif\" alt=\"\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>Dual-Link DVI\u00a0 <\/strong>Equipped with the most popular Dual Link DVI (Digital Visual Interface), this card is able to display ultra high resolutions of up to 2560 x 1600 at 60Hz.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/739.gif?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>HDMI (with 3D)\u00a0 <\/strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.sapphiretech.com\/images\/article\/HDMI.gif?resize=201%2C46\" alt=\"\" longdesc=\"https:\/\/admin.sapphiretech.com\/gaming\/controls\/fckeditor\/editor\/undefined\" align=\"right\" hspace=\"3\" vspace=\"5\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>Support for Deep Color, 7.1 High Bitrate Audio, and 3D Stereoscopic, ensuring the highest quality Blu-ray and video experience possible from your PC.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/DisplayPort_20091112_9847.gif?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>DisplayPort\u00a0 <\/strong>Enjoy the benefits of the latest generation display interface, DisplayPort. With the ultra high HD resolution, the graphics card ensures that you are able to support the latest generation of LCD monitors.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/753.gif?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>DisplayPort 1.2\u00a0 <\/strong>Doubling the effective bandwidth of previous DisplayPort implementations, DisplayPort 1.2 now includes support for Multi-Stream, allowing you to drive up to four separate monitors from a single DisplayPort 1.2 connector (requires DP1.2 monitors or Multi-Stream compatible hub), Stereoscopic 3D monitor support and adds support for high quality, lossless, 7.1 channel audio formats.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/65.gif?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>Advanced GDDR5 Memory Technology\u00a0 <\/strong>GDDR5 memory provides twice the bandwidth per pin of GDDR3 memory, delivering more speed and higher bandwidth.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/470.gif?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>Black Diamond Choke &amp; Full Solid Cap Design\u00a0 <\/strong>Choke is an important component of the graphics card. By working with the component engineer, Sapphire\u2019s patent pending choke is 10% cooler and offers 25% more power efficiency than a normal choke. The graphics card will be more reliable and save energy.Improved reliability and better overclocking are possible by using only high-polymer, aluminum capacitors which posses far superior characteristics than regular aluminum capacitor for a longer product life. When operational temperatures drop by 20\u00b0C, the product life span is extended by a factor of ten, when the operational temperature increases by 20\u00b0C, the product life span only decreases by 10%.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/735.gif?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>AMD HD3D Technology\u00a0 <\/strong>Enjoy the most immersive experience possible with full support for High Definition Stereoscopic 3D, a technique that presents 2D images (movies, games, photos) in a format that creates the illusion of three-dimensional depth when using compatible 3D displays \/ glasses \/ software.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/3749.png?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>28 nm GCN (Graphic Core Next) Architecture\u00a0 <\/strong>The new and 28nm GCN Architecture with more efficient process technology puts more transistors in less space, enabling a dramatic increase in Processing Power. Crank the settings, devastate your enemies and bear witness to absurdly high frame rates with AMD Radeon HD7000 series graphics card-DirectX 11 has never looked this good. Maximum setting and crazy performance shouldn\u2019t be a compromise. The AMD Radeon HD7900 Series with the new 28 nm GCN Architecture assures that it\u2019s not.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/3751.gif?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>PCI Express 3.0\u00a0 <\/strong>PCI-Express 3.0 delivers double the bandwidth per lane of PCIe Gen 2 for faster GPU (GPU communication-up to 16GB\/sec in each direction), maximizing the performance from your GPU when paired with the latest platforms.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/3753.gif?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>AMD Eyefinity 2.0\u00a0 <\/strong>The next generation of AMD Eyefinity technology is here, featuring all-new support for stereo 3D, universal bezel compensation and brand new display configurations. Face it: the best just got better: The enhancements for AMD Radeon HD7000 series include: Stereo 3D-multi-display stereoscopic 3D support via DisplayPort 16K X 16K maximum display group resolution-output up to 268 megapixels per GPU.<a title=\"Eyefinity\" href=\"..\/..\/..\/..\/images\/WebEvent\/eyefinity.html\" rel=\"gb_page_center[775, 620]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.sapphiretech.com\/images\/article\/image\/HD5800A.jpg?resize=500%2C253\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a>*<span style=\"color: #000000;\">*When running Microsoft Windows XP, Eyefinity technlogy supports a maximum of 2 displays.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/3763.png?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>Enhanced Multi-GPU Capabilities\u00a0 <\/strong>Triple or quadruple gaming power with AMD CrossFireX Multi-GPU technology. Increase your gaming performance up to 2x with AMD CrossFire technology, 2.75x for TriFire configurations, or with QuadFire configurations. With AMD ZeroCore Power Technology, the graphics card in slave modes will be switched off in idle to maximize the power saving.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/3771.png?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>Discrete Digital Multi-Point Audio\u00a0 <\/strong>The AMD Redeon HD 7900 Series is the first GPU that can simultaneously output multiple and discrete audio streams via HDMI and DisplayPort Output.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/3853.gif?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>GHz Edition\u00a0 <\/strong>The gigahertz barrier has been broken. Armed with a stunning 1GHz GPU based on the revolutionary GCN Architecture, the AMD Radeon\u2122 HD 7000 GHz Edition (Selected model) is quite simply engineered to annihilate.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/Shader Model 5.0_20091112_7078.gif\" alt=\"\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>Shader Model 5.0\u00a0 <\/strong>Supports the latest Shader Model 5.0 feature set including VTF (Vertex Texture Fetch) which is a key feature used extensively in many of the games that ship today. Without support for this feature the game will fall back to a lesser shader path resulting in the loss of cool, lifelike effects made possible by Shader Model 5.0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/3755.gif?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>OpenGL 4.2\u00a0 <\/strong>OpenGL 4.2 improves the GPU efficiency by improving the shader process operation and capturing GPU tessellated geometry. The process of modifying an arbitrary subset of compress texture is also simplified. The memory management in handling shaders is more efficient as well.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/3758.gif?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>Best Microsoft DirectX11 Support\u00a0 <\/strong>The tessellation performance on AMD Radeon HD7000 is up to 2X faster than the previous generation, and DirectCompute performance is also faster to accelerate advanced post-processing, filtering, and anti-aliasing techniques. Direct X11 games has never looked this good.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/ATI Catalyst_20091112_1287.gif\" alt=\"\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>AMD Catalyst Control Center\u2122\u00a0 <\/strong>The AMD Catalyst Control Center\u2122 software application gives you complete control over the performance and visual quality of your SAPPHIRE AMD Radeon\u2122 based graphics card allowing for the best experience on your PC.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/Dolby_20091209_2757.gif?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>Dolby\u00ae TrueHD and DTSHD Master Audio\u2122 Support\u00a0 <\/strong>Support for copy protected, high bandwidth, 7.1 channel surround sound over HDMI. Get a fully immersive, high definition audio experience with the latest Blu-ray movies. (Requires a DVI to HDMI dongle on some models, an HD capable monitor and a Blu-ray drive)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/738.jpg?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>Display Flexibility\u00a0 <\/strong>Offers an incredible choice of the latest display connectivity options natively on the board, including dual-link DVI-I, DisplayPort and HDMIalong with adapters to ensure compatibility with your legacy analogue VGA monitor.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/742.jpg?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>Microsoft Office 2010\u00a0 <\/strong>Take advantage of improved picture and media editing capabilities in Office 2010 as well as edit and share your content in real time.See more, and get more done. Enhanced productivity with accelerated GPU processing for Office applications.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/Windows7_20091112_993.gif?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>Windows\u00ae 7 support\u00a0 <\/strong>WHQL (Windows Hardware Quality Labs) Certified drivers and logos are available for all SAPPHIRE HD2000, HD3000, HD4000 and HD5000 series cards ensuring compatibility and reliability with Microsoft Windows 7.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/3761.png?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>AMD PowerPlay with ZeroCore Power Technology\u00a0 <\/strong>AMD PowerPlay is a power management technology in response to the GPU loading, AMD PowerPlay automatically manages the power consumption. AMD RADEON HD7000 Series with AMD ZeroCore Power Technology, the power consumption can be as low as less than 3 Watt when idle, making the best use of power.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/3765.png?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>Accelerated Internet Applications Rendering\u00a0 <\/strong>The new AMD Radeon HD 7000 Series accelerates the rendering performance with the latest web browsers (IE10, Firefox 6) and programming interfaces (Direct2D, HTML5, WebGL, Flash 11 \/ Molehill).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/3767.png?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>AMD HD Media Accelerator\u00a0 <\/strong>AMD HD Media Accelerator has been designed to help optimize and dramatically improve video playback on your computer by taking advantage of hardware video acceleration from your AMD Radeon GPU. With full 3D stereoscopic decode you can enjoy it all in 3D. AMD HD Media Accelerator speeds up the decode of one 1080p and one 1080i HD video streams simultaneously by hardware, and the new hardware encodes\/transcoder processes your media content faster than ever!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"140\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/us.sapphiretech.com\/gm\/images\/contentLib\/icon\/3769.png?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\"><strong>Cutting-edge Quad HD display support (4K Support)\u00a0 <\/strong>The display resolution on AMD Radeon HD7000 series is quadrupled to the resolution of 4KX2K( 4096X2160 ) from the outputs of DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<hr width=\"95%\" \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Here is what stands out that may differentiate this product from the other HD 7770s and even Sapphire&#8217;s own GHz OverClock edition:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Most graphics cards based on AMD technology require the third monitor in an Eyefinity set-up to be a DisplayPort monitor, or connected with an active DisplayPort Adapter. The SAPPHIRE FleX family can support three DVI monitors in Eyefinity mode and deliver a true SLS (Single Large Surface) work area without the need for active adapters. The first two monitors are connected to the two DVI ports and the third to an HDMI to DVI cable (supplied) with no extra active hardware required. The DisplayPort outputs are still available for the connection of additional monitors<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>We see awesome features and we are eager to get to benching the Sapphire HD 7770 FleX GHz Edition. First, let&#8217;s unbox it.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><!--pagetitle: Introduction--><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: Unboxing--><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Unboxing the Sapphire HD 7770\u00a0FleX GHz\u00a0edition<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Sapphire HD 7770\u00a0FleX GHz edition comes in a box with a fully-armed G.I. Jane type of picture that emphasises that Sapphire means business with this card. FleX, 1GB GGR5, high-speed HDMI and a substantial overclock stand out to catch the consumer&#8217;s eye at retail.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31773\" title=\"BOX-Front\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/BOX-Front.jpg?resize=480%2C410\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/BOX-Front.jpg?resize=480%2C410 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/BOX-Front-300x256.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The other side of the FleX box is dedicated to another view of Sapphire&#8217;s mascott and to the card&#8217;s features. The potential buyer at retail can see what is included with the HD 7770 FleX &#8211; assorted cables , the driver CD and the quickstart manual.\u00a0 It advises, &#8220;Experience the Extreme of Revolutionary GPU Design&#8221;<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31774\" title=\"BOX-OBV\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/BOX-OBV.jpg?resize=480%2C402\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/BOX-OBV.jpg?resize=480%2C402 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/BOX-OBV-300x250.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>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 FleX HD 7770 card itself comes in an anti-static foam-protected envelope.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31781\" title=\"packing\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/packing.jpg?resize=480%2C509\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/packing.jpg?resize=480%2C509 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/packing-282x300.jpg 282w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Here is everything out of the box.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31775\" title=\"contentsOOB\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/contentsOOB.jpg?resize=480%2C502\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/contentsOOB.jpg?resize=480%2C502 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/contentsOOB-286x300.jpg 286w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We see a single molex to 6-pin PCIe connector which suggests that this card is very light on power usage. Included is a 1.8 meter (six foot)HDMI cable, a DVI to VGA adapter, and\u00a0a HDMI to single-link passive DVI adapter for the ability to set up 3-display Eyefinity with DVI connectors.\u00a0\u00a0 Compare\u00a0to a typical HD 7770 (Vapor-X, below right) where you would need to purchase a DisplayPort to DVI adapter to run 3-panel Eyefinity.\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31778\" title=\"FleX-GHz-adapter\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/FleX-GHz-adapter.jpg?resize=480%2C354\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/FleX-GHz-adapter.jpg?resize=480%2C354 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/FleX-GHz-adapter-300x221.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>It is a very useful bundle that has sufficient flexibility for most users who do not have native DisplayPort LCDs and it\u00a0will save them money on adapters that are required for most Radeons.\u00a0 Most graphics cards based on AMD technology require the third monitor in an Eyefinity set-up to be a DisplayPort monitor, or connected with an active DisplayPort Adapter.\u00a0To simplify your life and to save you money, the Sapphire\u00a0FleX family can support three DVI monitors in Eyefinity mode and deliver a true SLS (Single Large Surface) work area without the need for active adapters.<\/p>\n<p>With FleX, the\u00a0first two monitors are connected to the two DVI ports (the top one is Dual-link DVI and the bottom is Single-Link DVI) and the third to an HDMI to DVI cable (supplied) with no extra active hardware required. Best of all, the DisplayPort outputs are still available for the connection of additional monitors.\u00a0 This is an entry level solution but\u00a0the recently announced\u00a0Sapphire HD 7950 FleX with its two DisplayPort outputs can support up to 5 screens in Eyefinity.<\/p>\n<p>Communication with the host PC is optimized with the latest implementation of the high speed PCI-Express Gen3.0 interface, and\u00a0two HD 7770s (or it can be paired with a HD 7750)\u00a0cards can be used to further enhance performance in CrossFireX mode on a suitable motherboard.<\/p>\n<p>The HDMI specifications have also increased in the HD 7000 series. Fast HDMI 1.4a supports Stereoscopic 3D with enhanced frame rates of 60Hz per eye &#8211; 120Hz total. It is also ready for the next generation of 4K displays that can be driven from a single high speed input of 3GHz HDMI 1.4a or DisplayPort 1.2 HBR2.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31776\" title=\"Flex-1\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Flex-1.jpg?resize=480%2C498\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Flex-1.jpg?resize=480%2C498 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Flex-1-289x300.jpg 289w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Sapphire has created a well-designed, good-looking card with\u00a0a single cooling\u00a0fan. <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31777\" title=\"Flex-2\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Flex-2.jpg?resize=600%2C389\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Flex-2.jpg?resize=600%2C389 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Flex-2-300x194.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0Sapphire has added extra cooling to the card in the form of heatpipes to keep\u00a0a potential\u00a0overclock stable. There is a single 6-pin PCIe connection.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31780\" title=\"Flex-pcie\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Flex-pcie.jpg?resize=600%2C272\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Flex-pcie.jpg?resize=600%2C272 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Flex-pcie-300x136.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Turning the card over &#8230;<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31779\" title=\"Flex-obv\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Flex-obv.jpg?resize=480%2C325\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Flex-obv.jpg?resize=480%2C325 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Flex-obv-300x202.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This card is easy to fit into any mid-tower and even into smaller cases as the card is physically short at about eight and one-quarter inches long. The card is packed well and looks great!<\/p>\n<p>Our 3 ASUS 23-inch 1920&#215;1080 displays connected easily to the Sapphire HD 7770 Flex GHz edition using two DVI connectors and the third used the supplied HDMI to DVI adapter or connected directly using the HDMI cable.\u00a0 Since we only had this card for a single day, we did not test gaming on it.\u00a0 Older and less demanding games should be fine but we suspect that most users will buy this card for productivity over 3 panels.<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s take a look at our test system before we benchmark the Sapphire HD 7770 FleX GHz edition against the Sapphire HD 7770 GHz OverClock edition and also against a GTX 550 Ti which is in about the same price\/performance class but without the ability to use 3-displays in Nvidia&#8217;s Surround as the latest generation Kepler cards can.\u00a0 At this point, however, Nvidia does not have a 28nm native 3-panel competing solution except in the Galaxy&#8217;s own 40nm &#8220;MDT&#8221; GTX 560 which uses Galaxy drivers.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: Test configuration--><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Next page...\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-includes\/js\/tinymce\/plugins\/wordpress\/img\/trans.gif?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\">Our test system<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Test Configuration<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Test Configuration &#8211; Hardware <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Intel Core i7-3770K (reference 3.5\/3.7GHz;\u00a04.80 GHz); Turbo is on.<\/li>\n<li>EVGA Z77 FTW\u00a0(Intel Z77 chipset, latest beta BIOS, PCIe 3.0 specification; CrossFire\/SLI 16x+16x PLEX chip).<\/li>\n<li>8\u00a0GB OCZ DDR3 PC 1866 Kingston RAM (2x4GB, dual-channel at 1866MHz; supplied by Kingston)<\/li>\n<li>Sapphire HD 7770 FleX (GHz) Edition (1GB, 1000\/1125MHz), supplied by Sapphire<\/li>\n<li>Sapphire HD 7770 GHz OC Edition (1 GB, 1150\/1250MHz), supplied by Sapphire<\/li>\n<li>GTX 550 Ti (800\/1600MHz, reference clocks) supplied by Nvidia<\/li>\n<li>Onboard Realtek Audio<\/li>\n<li>500GB Seagate 7200.12 Hard disk drive<\/li>\n<li>Thermaltake ToughPower 775 W power supply unit supplied by Thermaltake<\/li>\n<li>Thermaltake\u00a0Overeer RX-I\u00a0Case, supplied by Thermaltake<\/li>\n<li>Thermaltake Water2.0 Pro\u00a0CPU watercooler, supplied by Thermaltake<\/li>\n<li>Philips DVD SATA writer<\/li>\n<li>HP LP3065 2560&#215;1600 thirty inch LCD<\/li>\n<li>Three &#8211;\u00a0ASUS\u00a0VG236 1920&#215;1080 23-inch displays, supplied by ASUS<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Test Configuration &#8211; Software<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>AMD Catalyst 12-8 used for\u00a0both Radeon\u00a0cards<\/li>\n<li>GeForce 305.37 for the GTX 560 Ti<\/li>\n<li>Windows 7 64-bit; very latest updates<\/li>\n<li>DirectX &#8211; latest<\/li>\n<li>All games are patched to their latest versions.<\/li>\n<li>vsync is forced off in the control panel.<\/li>\n<li>Varying AA enabled as noted on the charts; all in-game settings are specified with 16xAF always applied if possible; 16xAF forced in control panel for <em>Crysis<\/em><em><\/em>.<\/li>\n<li>All results show average frame rates.<\/li>\n<li>Highest quality sound (stereo) used in all games.<\/li>\n<li>Windows 7 64, all DX9 titles were run under DX9 render paths, DX10 titles were run under DX10 render paths and DX11 titles under DX11 render paths.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><strong>The Benchmarks<\/strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As with all of our other games, in-game settings are maxed except where noted and levels of AA are noted on the performance summary charts<em><\/em>. Resolutions used are 1920&#215;1200 and 1680&#215;1050.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Vantage<\/li>\n<li>3DMark 11<\/li>\n<li>Heaven 3.0<\/li>\n<li><em> Serious Sam, 3 BFE<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Alan Wake: American Nightmare<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Left 4 Dead 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em> Crysis<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>World in Conflict<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em> Far Cry 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em> Just Cause 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Resident Evil 5<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em> Alien vs. Predator<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em> Battleforge<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em> STALKER, Call of Pripyat<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>F1 2010<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em> Metro 2033<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em> Lost Planet 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em> H.A.W.X. 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Civilization 5<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Total War: Shogun II<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Crysis 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>DiRT 3<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Deus Ex: Human Revolution<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Batman: Arkham City<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Max Payne 3<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>the Secret World<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Let&#8217;s head to our benchmarks.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: Performance Charts, Overclocking and Temps--><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Performance Charts, Overclocking, and Noise<\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><strong>Overclocking and temperatures<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The Sapphire HD 7770 GHz\u00a0FleX\u00a0GHz\u00a0Edition always ran cool and quiet due to\u00a0its custom cooling. Even at the maximum overclock, the fan still did not ramp up loudly and one would not be irritated by even 70% if they used a manual profile.<\/p>\n<p>The card sips power due to using just one 6-pin PCIe slot and takes advantage of the smaller 28nm process.\u00a0 We were able to achieve an identical core and memory overclock to match the GHz edition at 1100\/1300MHz exactly and\u00a0we kept the stock fan profiles and voltage settings in our testing.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Overclocking<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Overclocking was easily accomplished using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sapphireselectclub.com\/ssc\/TriXX\/TriXX.aspx\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'https:\/\/www.sapphireselectclub.com\/ssc\/TriXX\/TriXX.aspx', 'Sapphire&#8217;s own TriXX software']);\" >Sapphire&#8217;s own TriXX software<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29840\" title=\"TriXX\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/TriXX.jpg?resize=427%2C482\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/TriXX.jpg?resize=427%2C482 427w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/TriXX-265x300.jpg 265w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 427px) 100vw, 427px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>TriXX compares favorably with other vendor&#8217;s perhaps more well-known software. It allows some voltage tweaking and we set ours to the maximum when we overclocked. We did not adjust the fan profile as the card stayed cool under maximum load; we would have liked more voltage. Surprisingly, Sapphire makes no mention of TriXX on their CD or on the FleX box although you can find it on their web site.<\/p>\n<p>If the end user wants a bit more overclocking headroom or perhaps to stabilize an overclock, they have the option to increase the fan speeds and still have very quiet gaming. About 60% is where it first starts to become noticeable. Other than that, the single-fan solution of the\u00a0FleX edition\u00a0is effectively silent during gaming. It is very slightly quieter than the OverClock edition which is already a quiet running card.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Performance Charts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Before we look specifically at the performance of the new Sapphire FleX HD 7770,\u00a0please <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=28819&amp;page=4\">review the position the Sapphire&#8217;s GHz OverClocked edition<\/a>\u00a0 (1150MHz\/1250MHz) occupies versus a reference HD 7770 (1000\/1125MHz), and also overclocked to 1200\/1250MHz.\u00a0 In that evaluation, we also compared the OverClocked Edition against the GTX 550 Ti, the GTX 560 and the GTX 560 Ti, as well as AMD&#8217;s own discounted HD 6870 and the HD 6770 that the HD 7770 is replacing.<\/p>\n<p>The FlexX Edition will\u00a0match the reference 1000\/1125MHz HD 7770\u00a0in general gaming performance.\u00a0 We reused our benches from last month&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=31564\">Sapphire HD 7750 review<\/a> where we tested a stock HD 7770 GHz edition at identical clocks to the FleX edition.\u00a0 We double-checked most of the benches and they are effectively identical with slight variations but all within the generally accepted 1-3% margin of benching error and frame rate rounding.\u00a0 And since we were able to match the GHz edition&#8217;s 1100\/1300MHz clocks with our FleX edition by overclocking using TriXX, we expect exactly the same level of performance from overclocking.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/SummaryCHART1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31785\" title=\"SummaryCHART\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/SummaryCHART1.jpg?resize=546%2C407\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/SummaryCHART1.jpg?resize=546%2C407 780w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/SummaryCHART1-300x223.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 546px) 100vw, 546px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>As can be seen from our chart, most of our games show the HD 7770 FleX\u00a0beating the GTX 550 Ti, the Radeon winning more than it loses and also having far more flexibility when it comes to displays.\u00a0 Most users will be buying the HD 7770 FleX GHz edition for productivity but it should be able to handle some light gaming over 3-panel Eyefinity.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: Conclusion--><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">This has been quite\u00a0a short\u00a01-day exploration for us in evaluating the Sapphire\u00a0FleX GHz\u00a0edition. We always like more overclocked performance especially for DX11 gaming and we see that these sub-$150 cards also offer great features for a similar price to the HD 5770s at their own launch and we have already seen pricing adjustments and game bundles as incentives.\u00a0 In the case of the FleX &#8211;\u00a0including the adapter for the ability to use DVI connectors out of the box for 3-panel Eyefinity &#8211;\u00a0is a great money saving feature for most end users.<\/p>\n<p>In general, the HD 7770 has become a better value recently when you consider AMD&#8217;s own current midrange HD 6870 and 6850 are much harder to find and less disconted than when we performed our original evaluation. And as replacement for the HD 5770\/HD6770, it affords a decent level of performance especially in the case of\u00a0an overclocked Sapphire.\u00a0 For $150, you can have a productivity multi-display video card that also can manage light Eyefinity gaming and when overclocked matches the more expensive overclocked 7770s like the Sapphire\u00a0GHz OverClock and Vapor-X editions.<\/p>\n<p>Overclocking is the HD 7770&#8217;s saving grace regarding performance and this appears to be true with the entire 7000 series. The HD 7770 is a decent light DX11\u00a0gaming choice with the Sapphire GHz OverClock editions leading the way at the $150 price point and especially with the FleX GHz edition able to match the Sapphire factory overclocks using TriXX.<\/p>\n<p>Of course looking a bit further into the future, we will have to see what Nvidia will bring to the table with their own 28nm new architecture at this price point since Kepler GPUs can also support 3-panel Surround from a single card. At this point, the HD 7700 series is unchallenged at 28nm at the 150 dollar price point.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">We see that AMD&#8217;s partners and especially Sapphire, are working on features and unique capabilities to put cool and quiet overclocked HD 7770s on the market to give us great choice and flexibility. We see quiet cards that can also play DX11.1 games at 1080P and the HD 7770 would also be a very good choice for a HTPC. So let&#8217;s look at the Pros and Cons of Sapphire&#8217;s\u00a0FleX edition:<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\">Pros<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Sapphire HD 7770\u00a0FleX\u00a0GHz\u00a0edition is a versatile card that can be used for moderate DX11 1080p gaming or even as a HTPC card &#8211; &#8220;all-in-one&#8221;.<\/li>\n<li>The FleX edition supports 3-panel Eyefinity out of the box using two DVI connectors and an included HDMI to DVI adapter.\u00a0 The included 6-foot HDMI cable may also be useful.<\/li>\n<li>Sapphire&#8217;s Flex GHz edition keeps up in gaming performance with the factory overclocked Sapphire HD 7770\u00a0GHz OC and Vapor-X editions\u00a0by overclocking using TriXX.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Cons<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The HD 7770 is weak in performance for 3-panel Eyefinity gaming.<\/li>\n<li>A DisplayPort adapter is needed for the 4th display if the end user does not have a native DP display<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>The Verdict:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>If you are buying a $150 video card right now and require 3-Panel Eyefinity for productivity and perhaps light gaming, the Sapphire Flex GHz edition is a unique choice for an excellent out of the box Eyefinity experience.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We do not know what the future will bring, but the Sapphire HD 7770 FleX GHz edition brings\u00a0good gaming\u00a0performance to the Radeon HD 7770 family along with 3-panel Eyefinity out of the box, right now. This editor believes that AMD, and especially Sapphire, bring very full-featured DX11.1 videocards to the market that will find good acceptance among customers and their fans alike. As a\u00a0good performer in the HD 7770 series coupled with the ability to use 4-panels for productivity,\u00a0the Sapphire HD 7770 Flex GHz edition deserves our ABT Editor&#8217;s Innovation Award. <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/Innovation_thumb1.png?resize=150%2C251\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If you currently game on an older generation video card, you will do yourself a big favor by upgrading. The move to a Sapphire HD 7770 FleX GHz edition will give you better visuals on the DX11.1 pathway and you are no doubt thinking of CrossFire-X if you want to get even higher performance. We will test out HD 7770 CrossFire in an upcoming evaluation. Power draw is excellent and the card is quiet.\u00a0\u00a0 FleX is a unique card that takes full advantage of AMD&#8217;s Eyefinity without requiring the user to buy additional adapters.<\/p>\n<p>The competition is hot as the prices on even the new video cards have softened and Nvidia offers their own set of features including PhysX, CUDA and 3D Vision with their competing GTX 550 Ti and GTX 560. Their own new entry-level 28nm line up is also due to launch relatively soon. Stay tuned, there is a lot coming from us at ABT!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 60px;\">Mark Poppin<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 60px;\">ABT Senior Editor<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px; text-align: left;\">Please join us in our <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/abt\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\">Forums<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px; text-align: left;\">Become a Fan on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142', 'Facebook']);\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px; text-align: left;\">Follow us on <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech', 'Twitter']);\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px; text-align: left;\">For the latest updates from ABT, please <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?feed=rss2\" target=\"_blank\">join our RSS News Feed<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px; text-align: left;\">Join our Distributed Computing teams<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 120px;\">\n<li>Folding@Home &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech &#8211; 164304<\/li>\n<li>SETI@Home &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech &#8211; 138705<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldcommunitygrid.org\/reg\/viewRegister.do?teamID=3P39R3SRV1\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.worldcommunitygrid.org\/reg\/viewRegister.do?teamID=3P39R3SRV1', 'World Community Grid &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech']);\" target=\"_blank\">World Community Grid &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=31770\"><img decoding=\"async\" align=top title=\"Author: Mark Poppin\" src=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/7770-FleX-IMAGE-link.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":32032,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2533,7814,5,4454],"tags":[72,2184,5780,4571,5111,5779,5781,470],"class_list":["post-31770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abt-news","category-articles","category-gaming","category-mini-reviews","tag-amd","tag-eyefinity","tag-flex","tag-gtx-550-ti","tag-hd-7770","tag-hd-7770-flex-ghx","tag-hd-7770-ghz-overclock","tag-sapphire"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31770"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31770\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}