As far as CCC is concerned the Toxic card is just like any other regular X1950XTX, including the GPU clocks. Why? Well due to the “HDCP standard” manufacturers are not allowed to modify the bios on the cards anymore. So unless you install the provided APE utility the card will behave just like a regular XTX (650 Mhz/1000Mhz). Once you install the tool however, achieving the Toxic clocks (695 Mhz/1000Mhz) is a matter of selecting them via the APE utility system tray icon. If you prefer not to install 3rd party tools to your PC you can achieve the same overclock with ATIs Overdrive feature.

The Sapphire water-cooler is one of the most impressive cooling solutions we have seen on any card yet. Due to the liquid inside it is rather heavy, but it makes up for that with the impressive design. The fan has two operating modes (low-2000rpm/high-2500rpm, both of them surprisingly quiet), which can be selected via a small switch on the side of the cooler unit. Next to the switch is a blue power led which is an excellent way to monitor if the cooler is actually receiving enough power via the Molex power connector. The GDDR4 memory chips are all cooled with heatsinks which is more than likely a necessity, as the cooler generates no airflow (unlike the regular GFX coolers).

When we tried to install the card we came across an issue which some might not be able to overcome – space limitations. Although both the card and the cooler take only one slot each it is almost impossible to install them next to each other because of the rubber pipes. It can be done, but you’d better have some spare room around the card. We decided to move our PCI TV-Tuner card to another PCI slot so that we could install the cooler in its place, which proved to be a quick and painless solution. So before you even consider this card make sure you have enough room in your case.

The output connectors on the card are standard fare, that being two dual-DVI connectors and a HDCP capable TV-out plug. As expected for an X1K series card it supports AVIVO which enables it to accelerate video decoding.

The transparent plastic box is definitive sign that the card is not your average pixel-pusher. Because of the design you can admire the card from all sides even before you open the box. With the card removed you get access to the plethora of TV connectors, the two DVI-to-VGA converters, a Molex to PCI-E converter, the driver CD, PowerLinks PowerDVD and PowerDirector and the The DaVinci Code PC game. The game might not be an AAA title, but the package as a whole definitely is.