[section_title title=”Closer Look”]Closer Look
Taking a look at the packaging, nothing un-toward or special but it does have a striking lilac and black colour scheme; sure to grab attention in a retail environment.
Bundled with the Sapphire R9 285 Dual-X 2GB graphics card are the following accessories:
2 x 4-pin Molex to 6pin PCI-E adapters
1 x HDMI cable
1 x Mouse pad
1 x DVI to VGA adapter
1 x Driver installation CD
1 x Product registration leaflet.
1 x Warranty information leaflet.
The inclusion of a mouse pad and a HDMI cable is a very nice touch; not to mention the Sapphire sticker!
The Sapphire variant of AMD’s R9 285 features a dual fan cooler which is designed for superior heat dissipation; hence the Dual-X moniker. The shroud has a purple and black contrasting design.
The Dual-X R9 285 features 2 x 6pin PCI-E power connectors which are required to deliver power to the card; a power supply of around 450-550watts is more than enough to power this card, preferably from a reputable brand etc.
The R9 285 also allows for 2 way Crossfire without the need for a bridge; this is done through the actual PCI-E lanes with the latest AMD models.
Unlike a lot of the AMD partners on the lower end cards, Sapphire have opted to use a black PCB which is highly favourable in my opinion.
Last but not least we have the rear I/O which features the following inputs:
1 x DVI-D
1 x DVI-I
1 x Display Port 1.2
1 x HDMI
Nice to see both types of DVI connections are used as well as Display Port and HDMI; there is a DVI to VGA adapter included in the box for those who haven’t taken the plunge for a newer monitor etc.
