Sapphire Toxic HD 7970 GHz Edition 6GB Graphics Card Review

When AMD launched the 7970 GHz Edition recently it was clear that the card was designed to offer manufacturers some extra flexibility when building enthusiast products. There had been some pretty impressive 7970s up to that point but when all was said and done the AMD range needed a little extra boost to ensure it was as attractive as possible to those who might consider a GTX 680.

One of the first manufacturers to get a 7970 GHz Edition to market is Sapphire and they haven't held back on their Toxic version. With 6GB of memory, custom cooler, redesigned PCB, improved build quality and a heavy overclock this is about as extreme as a 7970 gets. So lets put it up against a custom GTX 680 with overclock and see how the Sapphire does in a selection of the latest games.

Packaging and Bundle



Sapphire package their Toxic 7970 GHz Edition in a familiar looking box which features some key information on the product. Inside we find a selection of product documentation, software CD and invitation to join Sapphires Select Club. That gives us access to free software, competitions and the like. Also included is a selection of cables/connectors including a HDMI cable, power cable, mini-DisplayPort converters and a Crossfire bridge. A wide number of retailers are also sending out a free gaming bundle with new AMD cards so anyone buying the Sapphire will likely also receive Deus EX Human Revolution, Nexuiz and the incredibly fun DiRT Showdown.