We have quite an interesting release from SAPPHIRE today, the SAPPHIRE HD 6450 FleX, a low-end graphics-card capable of driving three monitors simultaneously, a feature dubbed Eyefinity, typically found only on current high-end cards.
The GPU core itself is a standard HD 6450, so expect this product to land comfortably under £40 once available in stores. The card comes with a healthy 1GB DDR3 memory, which helps to compensate for the increased frame-buffer space required to power three monitors simultaneously. SAPPHIRE is focusing marketing of the card on businesses looking to increase productivity, certainly at £40 the product is an appealing one, provided you can convince your employer to also buy three monitors with each PC. With the performance of the GPU coming in below that of those integrated into the AMD Fusion A8 series of APUs, it's difficult to see the 6450 as a budget buy for a whole system designed with budget in mind, one would likely be more inclined to buy a Fusion APU.
Of course, for those who already own three monitors or perhaps two monitors and a TV, the idea of not having to switch outputs all the time is likely to be an appealing one, until recently even high-end cards did not focus on multi-monitor outputs and CrossFire/SLI or a multi-GPU configuration was required, limiting the possibilities for those who didn't wish to pay a premium to use their extra monitors. This could be just the card such a user has been waiting for, though, again, unless the computer is focused for business or productivity, one would seem more likely to stick with a high-end card for the raw performance.
Where we feel this card will have real appeal, is digital signage. It has been a long time since an affordable graphics card has been able to drive more than two monitors, even this writer has found himself on eBay previously, looking for old VGA graphics cards for affordable multi-monitor solutions for display booths, where the alternatives have been many hundreds of pounds. The SAPPHIRE HD 6450 FleX is a perfect fit, supporting three digital outputs but is also a fanless design, with SAPPHIRE supplying a low-profile rear bracket for the use in smaller, slim cases, ideal for digital signage scenarios.
A promising product, though perhaps with limited applications, would you be able to find a use for this interesting card?
