Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 1GB GDDR5 Review

Packaging and Accessories

The box this card comes in sticks to the usual color and layout scheme from past Sapphire products but somehow Sapphire’s mascot has grown a few dreadlocks with the move to the 5000-series. The back of the box shows a list of features and the usual marketing mumbo jumbo that is present on every card from the lowliest $35 product to the best of the best.


Sapphire does well when it comes to protecting their cards from life’s bumps and bruises. The HD 5870 is packaged first in a cardboard box and then additionally wrapped in a form-fitting anti static bubble wrap bag. While you can't see them in these pictures, the accessories are in their own box located below the cardboard holder for the HD 5870.


Since this is the retail version of Sapphire’s card (note the “R” in the product number), the accessory and software package is more than complete. Connector-wise, you get a pair of Molex to 6-pin adaptors, a DVI to VGA dongle and a single Crossfire bridge.

Where Sapphire breaks from the pack is with the inclusion of not one but two games. BattleStations Pacific is a pretty fun game with a blend of tactics and hands-on fighting and its inclusion should keep you distracted for a few hours at least. Meanwhile a voucher for the presently unreleased DiRT 2 is also included and once it becomes available it will be possible to download the full game directly to your hard drive.