Thread: Sapphire PURE CrossFire PC-AM2RD580

Sapphire has long allowed time to present his first AM2 motherboard, the competition had already been in two comparisons in the printed to prove what it can do. In the current issue occurs already at the MSI K9A Platinum with the same ATI chipset, the Sapphire PURE CrossFire PC-AM2RD580 now needs to make in a single test his skills to the test.

ATI had it pretty easy with the integration of its chipsets for socket AM2, unlike NVIDIA presented before any new ATI chipset with upgraded features, but ported the existing ATI CrossFire Xpress 3200 platform just to the new socket. This ATI is also quite easy, since AMD memory controller built into the processor itself, so no changes are needed in the chipset, these plants are the revised SB600 southbridge on the AM2 motherboards - that is a mature board, which no longer has the previously known USB and PCI performance problems.

Crossfire was struggling for a long time with the existing experience of NVIDIA SLI advantage, because NVIDIA's dual GPU technology has been tested a year "to the users" before ATI could follow suit. Crossfire seems to be equal to from their infancy out, have still to be master and slave card with a Kabelpeitsche be connected with the latest ATI Radeon



X1950 series, but this should be with the R600, the first DirectX 10 graphics chip, which is expected around the turn of the year change as soon as already the new mid-range and low-end models from ATI can manage without this Kabelpeitsche.

The Sapphire PURE CrossFire PC-AM2RD580 continues the successful series for Sapphire pure, even with the Sapphire package relies on a cool and unusual look. The name should be here pure program, because Sapphire is designed with this motherboard from the gamers and overclockers.

Already at the CeBit 2005 was Sapphire's first prototype of the PI A9RX480, than the first motherboard in the PURE series with white PCB. Possessed the predecessor models have only red ports and slots, the Sapphire with the PURE CrossFire PC-AM2RD580 is a little simpler black components, design is the one thing that should be really interesting but the inner qualities .

Even at first glance, the claims are clear, the Sapphire to its integrated hardware provides, we dispense with unnecessary bells and whistles and has equipped the motherboard with the most, examples are missing for up to one PCI Express x1 and PCI slots, more expandability. Four Serial ATA II connectors are provided via the SB600 Southbridge, more Serial ATA II ports are equipped with two identical Extra chips for even a Gigabit Ethernet Sapphire has designed, a FireWire port can be provided via an extension panel.