Sapphire HD 4670 Ultimate 512MB Passive Video Card Review

A Closer Look at the Sapphire HD 4670 Ultimate

The reference HD 4670 is perfectly suited for HTPC use considering its diminutive stature and Sapphire has kept its dimensions to a tee while decking it out in a signature blue PCB. The PCB layout is slightly different but the main differentiating point between the Ultimate and a reference card is the completely passive heatsink. We will touch a bit more upon its design in a bit but for now let’s just say that its configuration is interesting to say the least.


When we look at the connectors on the Ultimate the first thing that becomes clear is that it is missing the usual Crossfire connector. While we haven’t tried it, this HD 4670 supports bridgeless Crossfire on certain motherboards so you won’t have to worry about searching for a Crossfire connector anytime soon.

As for the output connectors, as we already said; the Ultimate has everything you could possibly want. There is a standard VGA connector as well as HDMI and DVI connectors. Trust me, after using a DVI to HDMI dongle for the last year or so, the inclusion of a native HDMI connector was a true blessing.


The heatsink in an interesting all-aluminum affair which is extremely well fabricated and consists of a pair of heatpipes along with two distinct fin assemblies. On the top portion of the card, there are some short fins to dissipate some of the heat the heatpipes are not able to immediately transfer away from the core. Heat is then transferred on to the primary fin assembly where it should be evenly dissipated by the natural airflow within your case. We really have to wonder about the size of this heatsink since it seems a bit small for its intended use. However, its size may also be a testament to the efficiency of the HD 4670’s core.

Even though everything seems to be well planned out, once installed into your case the Sapphire logo on the leading edge of the Ultimate will be upside down if you are using a standard ATX configuration.