Ubertech, Inc., formerly PC Trends, showcased yesterday the Sapphire HD 7000 Series graphics cards based on the AMD Radeon graphics. The series ranges from the affordable 77xx, to midrange 78xx and the high-end 79xx models.
These graphics cards will also be featuring the highly acclaimed graphics GCN (Graphics Core Next) architecture from AMD. These will have an optimised internal structure sharing many of the features of the high performance HD 7900 series already released but with fewer Stream processors and a simplified 128-bit high speed memory interface to the latest DDR5 memory types.
The HD 7000 series is the third generation of DirectX 11 compatible solutions from AMD. These graphics cards are capable of delivering all the features of the current DirectX 11 such as DirectCompute11 and multi threaded communications with the CPU. Communication with the host PC is optimised with the implementation of the latest high speed PCI-Express Gen3.0 interface, and multiple cards can be used to further enhance performance in CrossFireX mode on a suitably specified mainboard.
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 – 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.
AMD Eyefinity technology 2.0 is also supported with these cards which allows for AMD’s HD3D technology for stereo 3D gaming. With its DVI, HDMI and two mini-DisplayPort outputs the card can support configurations of up to 6 monitors. In addition, the Sapphire HD 7970 is the first graphics card that can simultaneously output multiple, independent audio streams allowing the correct audio content to be associated with different applications on different screens.
High-end models like the HD 7970 OC features Dual-X – a highly efficient multi-heatpipe cooler with dual fans providing quiet and very cool operation during normal operating conditions, and superb cooling performance even under extreme load.
Retail price for the Sapphire HD 7000 series ranges from Php5,000 for the entrly-level to Php24,000 to the high-end overclocker’s model.
