PowerColor's SCS3 HD6850: Radeon HD 6850 Goes Fanless
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Page 1:Introducing A Passively-Cooled Radeon HD 6850
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Page 2:The Card, In More Detail
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Page 3:The Card, In Pictures
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Page 4:Test System And Configuration
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Page 5:Benchmark Results: 3DMark 11 And Unigine Sanctuary
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Page 6:Benchmark Results: Metro 2033 And Aliens Vs. Predator (DX 11)
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Page 7:Benchmark Results: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. And Call Of Juarez (DX 10)
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Page 8:Benchmark Results: Mafia 2 (DX 9)
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Page 9:Benchmark Results: Tom's Hardware Performance Index
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Page 10:Measuring Power Draw
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Page 11:Measuring Power Efficiency
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Page 12:Measuring Temperatures And Cooling
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Page 13:Measuring Temperatures Inside A Closed Case
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Page 14:Measuring Sound Level
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Page 15:Verdict And Purchase Recommendation
The Card, In More Detail
PowerColor's SCS3 HD6850 is the first passively-cooled Radeon HD 6850 card on the market, and it's the fastest board we've seen without a fan (not counting water-cooled solutions, of course).
Its specifications sacrifice nothing you'd expect from a reference Radeon HD 6850 design, and that includes graphics processor and memory frequencies. Perhaps the card's most significant drawback is that it requires three expansion slots, potentially limiting the environments where it'd work well (certainly not in small form-factor installations). The card's price really isn't a surprise, though. You pay a roughly $35 premium for the massive passive cooler compared to PowerColor's actively-cooled Radeon HD 6850.
| Mid-Range Graphics Cards, Compared | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radeon HD 6790 | Radeon HD 6850 | PowerColor SCS3 HD6850 | Radeon HD 6870 | GeForce GTX 560 | GeForce GTX 560 Ti | |
| Shaders | 800 | 960 | 960 | 1120 | 336 | 384 |
| ROPs | 16 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 |
| Chip | Barts | Barts | Barts | Barts | GF114 | GF114 |
| Transistors | 1700 Million | 1700 Million | 1700 Million | 1700 Million | 1950 Million | 1950 Million |
| GDDR5 | 1024 MB | 1024 MB | 1024 MB | 1024 MB | 1024 MB | 1024 MB |
| Bus Width | 256-bit | 256-bit | 256-bit | 256-bit | 256-bit | 256-bit |
| Graphics Clock | 840 MHz | 775 MHz | 775 MHz | 900 MHz | 810 MHz | 823 MHz |
| Memory Clock | 1050 MHz | 1000 MHz | 1000 MHz | 1050 MHz | 1002 MHz | 1002 MHz |
PowerColor's retail package includes the card itself, a driver CD, a manual, a CrossFire bridge, a DVI-to-analog VGA adapter, and a DiRT 3 coupon.
The card features two DVI connectors (only one of which is of the dual-link variety). In addition, there is one HDMI output and one DisplayPort connector, both of which are full-size. This is the standard, albeit still excellent, connectivity package compared to Nvidia's best efforts in the mid-range field.
- Introducing A Passively-Cooled Radeon HD 6850
- The Card, In More Detail
- The Card, In Pictures
- Test System And Configuration
- Benchmark Results: 3DMark 11 And Unigine Sanctuary
- Benchmark Results: Metro 2033 And Aliens Vs. Predator (DX 11)
- Benchmark Results: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. And Call Of Juarez (DX 10)
- Benchmark Results: Mafia 2 (DX 9)
- Benchmark Results: Tom's Hardware Performance Index
- Measuring Power Draw
- Measuring Power Efficiency
- Measuring Temperatures And Cooling
- Measuring Temperatures Inside A Closed Case
- Measuring Sound Level
- Verdict And Purchase Recommendation
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.
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?
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.
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
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.
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.
"Wow... With the addition of the fan, I think it would be a good card."
Hmmmmm...A passive card that needs, um, fans to stay cool? Some passive solution...I'm struggling to see where this card fits in as a viable solution...certainly not an HTPC (at least in %99 of HTPC cases out there).
I understand that a well ventilated case can keep it cool enough, but for the price, why not go with a better card with a massive aftermarket cooling solution, such as the Gigabyte's GV-R687OC-1GD? It is nearly silent as well, even under load, doesn't take up the extra slot, and most importantly its a Radeon HD 6870 for less money.
It's good to see a company trying out new things though. Hopefully they'll improve the passive cooling and get better numbers. Good going PowerColor.
Cheers!
There's a difference between quiet and silent. There are many effectively silent PC builds out there ( < 20 dba). None of them are water cooled. Water cooling will only get you so far as you always add the additional noise component of a pump.
In addition, water cooling is not always quiet. Noise is generated primarily by the fans. So a water cooling setup with some Delta 220CFM fans is gonna be loud as as heck, especially if you've got them mounted on an external radiator with nothing trapping the fan noise.
SPCR has a very good guide to building a silent PC and Puget systems makes a 18dba PC. All of which uses air.
I'm not surprised PowerColor is capable of this, if they could make a single slot 6850 and a low profile 5750 I'm pretty ure they got their cooling systems down pat.
http://www.powercolor.com/Global/products_features.asp?id=342
They don't sell the 5750 anymore.