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PowerColor's SCS3 HD6850: Radeon HD 6850 Goes Fanless

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It takes guts to try passively cooling a 127 W graphics processor. PowerColor sells the first Radeon HD 6850 we've seen topped only with a heatsink. Does the triple-slot cooler do its job, or is Barts simply too complex of a GPU to cool like this?

Measuring Sound Level

Interim Assessment

It's pretty easy to see that our home-cooked Scythe Slip Stream setup vanquishes the competition. Mounted inside a case, the sound level is undetectable, making this solution an ideal fit for a silent PC. Slot card fan mounts are readily available online or in computer stores. Whether you choose a product from Noiseblocker, Noctua, or Scythe is merely a matter of taste.

Performance per dB(A)

52 Comments Comment from the forums
  • whysobluepandabear 09 August 2011 11:48
    I suggest you turn the music up, or invest in some headphones/ear-buds. This is pretty much just nitpicking over sound levels.
    Reply
  • compton 09 August 2011 12:20
    WhysoBluepandabearI suggest you turn the music up, or invest in some headphones/ear-buds. This is pretty much just nitpicking over sound levels.
    There's nothing nitpicky about it. Most of the sound being generated by my system is in fact just the fan of my GPU at idle (about 1300rpm, almost twice as fast as the other two fans in my system). It's not easy making a system suitably quiet and fully capable -- you could always go with a cheap passive entry level card if you don't need or want a decent GPU. It's much easier now than in the past, but inevitably something has to give. You may not care about how loud your system is, but I actually put some effort into mine. Plus, it's not like you can't hear a system even with headphones on anyway; open back heaphones don't really attenuate any sound at all. I for one have been waiting on an appropriately quiet GPU -- I'd like some kind of hybrid system where the card's fan stops at idle and ramps up past a threshold temp, like my Seasonic PSU does.

    The less noise your system makes, the harder it is to eliminate the remaining sources of noise. For some people a passive GPU can be a make or break part when it comes to keeping the roar in check. This particular GPU may not be appropriate for many systems, but passive performance GPUs are still going to be niche products for some time to come. Hopefully the next generation will be able to more ably pair performance with lower power/heat/noise.
    Reply
  • aznshinobi 09 August 2011 12:33
    Wow... With the addition of the fan, I think it would be a good card. Pretty good temps with that added fan.
    Reply
  • Yargnit 09 August 2011 12:39
    That brings up an interesting question. Would it be possible to build a system that is silent (inaudible from say a distance of 1m) when surfing the net, watching videos etc, but is a full blown high end gaming rig when desired. (obviously not silently)

    Could say a GTX570 be cooled passively in 2d mode, and only kick on th fan in games? What about the CPU if it was set to downclock significanty and had a good aftermarket cooler?
    Reply
  • whysobluepandabear 09 August 2011 12:58
    comptonThere's nothing nitpicky about it. Most of the sound being generated by my system is in fact just the fan of my GPU at idle (about 1300rpm, almost twice as fast as the other two fans in my system). It's not easy making a system suitably quiet and fully capable -- you could always go with a cheap passive entry level card if you don't need or want a decent GPU. It's much easier now than in the past, but inevitably something has to give. You may not care about how loud your system is, but I actually put some effort into mine. Plus, it's not like you can't hear a system even with headphones on anyway; open back heaphones don't really attenuate any sound at all. I for one have been waiting on an appropriately quiet GPU -- I'd like some kind of hybrid system where the card's fan stops at idle and ramps up past a threshold temp, like my Seasonic PSU does.The less noise your system makes, the harder it is to eliminate the remaining sources of noise. For some people a passive GPU can be a make or break part when it comes to keeping the roar in check. This particular GPU may not be appropriate for many systems, but passive performance GPUs are still going to be niche products for some time to come. Hopefully the next generation will be able to more ably pair performance with lower power/heat/noise.

    And then I would say: Just go water cooling if you're that intolerable to fan noise. This card already costs a premium, as would many other items if you were that anal about a few dB.

    Water is not only quiet, but a lot better at cooling - And just think, you won't need your Xanax anymore to cope with the fan noise.
    Reply
  • haplo602 09 August 2011 13:22
    did you consider loading the cards with a decent bitcoin miner ? I can get my hd5830 to 99% utilisation according to the linux aticonfig tool (sapphire 5830 xtreme, at 900MHz core and open air it shows 67 degrees celsius). also a bitcoin miner is a good representation of a real world opencl heavy workload.
    Reply
  • killerclick 09 August 2011 13:24
    I can't stand fan noise (or disk noise) and it's great that companies are releasing products with low noise in mind. Still, with this card I'd go with a huge heatsink and a low-RPM fan rather than passive cooling. A 600 RPM 120mm fan (and the airflow it produces) is inaudible (for me at least) and is a great compromise between passive cooling and those vulgar, loud boxes.
    Reply
  • duckgoquack 09 August 2011 13:24
    WhysoBluepandabearAnd then I would say: Just go water cooling if you're that intolerable to fan noise. This card already costs a premium, as would many other items if you were that anal about a few dB. Water is not only quiet, but a lot better at cooling - And just think, you won't need your Xanax anymore to cope with the fan noise.
    There are some ignorant people on here.

    Water cooling is not quiet. Decent pumps are loud and the only exception (enhiems 1048 isn't available in my country) along with all the associated fans.

    It is nearly impossible to make a quiet high performing system because graphics cards are two noisy.

    Seasonic power supply, under-volted nexus real silents and your system is under 20 Dba.

    But most graphics cards make 30-40 Dba and those are low-mid end ones.

    What comptom says is what i would like as well. With a decent fan controller, it is near possible, but will become a lot more realistic with 28nm
    Reply
  • killerclick 09 August 2011 13:31
    WhysoBluepandabearI suggest you turn the music up, or invest in some headphones/ear-buds. This is pretty much just nitpicking over sound levels.
    I don't want to wear headgear just so I could have a pleasant gaming experience. Get a job, invest in some good cooling and have your neckbeard friends marvel at your whisper-quiet rig.
    Reply
  • whysobluepandabear 09 August 2011 13:55
    duckgoquackThere are some ignorant people on here.Water cooling is not quiet. Decent pumps are loud and the only exception (enhiems 1048 isn't available in my country) along with all the associated fans.It is nearly impossible to make a quiet high performing system because graphics cards are two noisy.Seasonic power supply, under-volted nexus real silents and your system is under 20 Dba.But most graphics cards make 30-40 Dba and those are low-mid end ones.What comptom says is what i would like as well. With a decent fan controller, it is near possible, but will become a lot more realistic with 28nm

    You confuse ignorance, with apathy. I'm also not obsessive over a few dB. I rather throw the money into A.) A better cooling solution - or B.) Just use the money to buy a better GPU and etc.


    Trust me, I understand WHY you'd seek a silent system - but some of it is past the point of reason.
    Reply