SAPPHIRE RADEON X1800 XL presentation and packaging
The box lists the pertinent features of SAPPHIRE's card and also mentions CrossFire (ATI's multi-GPU) compatibility. However, on closer inspection, SAPPHIRE responsibly adds that one needs an X1800-series CrossFire master card and CrossFire-approved motherboard for some multi-GPU fun. That won't be a reality until Q1 2006, we feel, as X1800 CrossFire master cards are rarer than hens' teeth.
The back's rather nice, as well.
The printed multi-language instruction manual only devotes 11 pages to the English section and it should only be used a reference guide for those au fait with driver installation and tweaking. There's an informative 54-page electronic manual contained on the driver CD that covers all of SAPPHIRE's PCI-Express range in one fell swoop, along with a set of X1000-series drivers. Interestingly, ATI's current driver set, CATALYST 5.10, does not carry the requisite adapter information to install the card correctly. CATALYST 5.11 will address this issue, though. Following on from this, the driver CD also contains SAPPHIRE's excellent TriXX overclocking/tweaking software which promises explicit fan-speed control and a temperature-monitoring application. However, perhaps more to do with the unique drivers included with the package and menioned on the previous page, TriXX also doesn't install correctly.
SAPPHIRE includes both S-Video and RCA cables, as well as a convertor that accepts inputs and outputs from both. A molex-to-6-pin PCIe power connector is a necessity, as is a DVI dongle. All retail samples will have two included. Software-wise, SAPPHIRE's relationship with CyberLink bears fruit with full versions of PowerDVD 6 (2-channel) and PowerDirector 3DE. On a gaming front and headlined by its SAPPHIRE Select DVD bundle, you are able to trial, for one hour, one of four games and then keep the one of your choice, unlocked by a web-based secure program into which you enter the access code contained on the DVD. You're also offered the chance to purchase other titles at a discounted price.
A decent enough bundle in most respects, then, augmented by SAPPHIRE's 2-year warranty included in the £299 asking price.
