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Gigabyte R9 285 WindForce OC
Another board partner graphics card will serve as the basis for our power consumption and temperature measurements going forward. The Gigabyte R9 285 WindForce OC comes overclocked to 973 MHz from the factory.
| Gigabyte R9 285 Windforce OC | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 250 mm (L) x 120 mm (H) x 38 mm (D) |
| Weight | 609 g |
| Form Factor | Dual Slot |
| PCIe | 2x 6-Pin |
| Connectors | 1x DVI-I (Dual Link, + analog)1x DVI-D (Dual Link)1x HDMI1x DisplayPort |
The relatively light graphics card uses the new WindForce cooler with only two fans, which have a larger diameter of 96 mm and fan openings with a diameter of 103 mm.
The cooler and board also represent an interesting new design. The voltage converters are now located near the back of the card, as opposed to the area close to the PCIe power connectors. The aluminum cooler has three parts and uses two 8 mm heat pipes that run through its center to transport waste heat to the two side sections.
We see that the power converters have their own separate aluminum cooler and aren’t connected to the bottom of the main cooler. The airflow is supposed to go through the fins of the main cooler and reach all the way down to the other cooler. We’ll see later if, and how well, this might work.
The top of the Gigabyte R9 285 WindForce OC is dominated by the two 6-pin PCIe power connectors, which have been turned to face toward the board. This perspective also provides a good overview of the cooler’s design.
The end of the graphics card affords a good view of one of the two large heat pipes made of composite material. The orientation of the cooler’s fins shows the direction of the airflow from the board to the top of the card.
The connectors are standard fare. Details can be found in the table above.
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