PowerColor's SCS3 HD6850: Radeon HD 6850 Goes Fanless

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Benchmark Results: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. And Call Of Juarez (DX 10)

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat (DirectX 10.1)

Call of Juarez (DirectX 10)

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Summary
  1. Introducing A Passively-Cooled Radeon HD 6850
  2. The Card, In More Detail
  3. The Card, In Pictures
  4. Test System And Configuration
  5. Benchmark Results: 3DMark 11 And Unigine Sanctuary
  6. Benchmark Results: Metro 2033 And Aliens Vs. Predator (DX 11)
  7. Benchmark Results: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. And Call Of Juarez (DX 10)
  8. Benchmark Results: Mafia 2 (DX 9)
  9. Benchmark Results: Tom's Hardware Performance Index
  10. Measuring Power Draw
  11. Measuring Power Efficiency
  12. Measuring Temperatures And Cooling
  13. Measuring Temperatures Inside A Closed Case
  14. Measuring Sound Level
  15. Verdict And Purchase Recommendation
About the author
Igor Wallossek & Greg Ryder

Igor Wallossek is a Senior Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware DE. He tests and reviews CPUs, GPUs, games and headsets.

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  • aznshinobi
    Wow... With the addition of the fan, I think it would be a good card. Pretty good temps with that added fan.
    • Other Comments
  • whysobluepandabear
    I suggest you turn the music up, or invest in some headphones/ear-buds. This is pretty much just nitpicking over sound levels.
  • compton
    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.
  • aznshinobi
    Wow... With the addition of the fan, I think it would be a good card. Pretty good temps with that added fan.
  • Yargnit
    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?
  • whysobluepandabear
    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.
  • haplo602
    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.
  • killerclick
    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.
  • duckgoquack
    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
  • killerclick
    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.
  • whysobluepandabear
    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.
  • whysobluepandabear
    And the dude that said water cooling is loud, needs to re-evaluate his knowledge on water cooling.
  • tmk221
    how about building video card with massive heatsink and ultra quiet fan that turns on only when temps are 80 celcius degree or more? this way it would generate no noise in everyday tasks and only little while playing games, but when you play games you don't care aboute a little extra noise as you have sound on and you don't hear it anyway
  • mt2e
    I really do love the spirit of this card. I'm just suprised its a 3slot solution. If your case is icy, this card will have no probs. This is not a product that just anybody will be buying and will prolly know what their getn into when they do buy it.
  • superflykicks03
    "The test results with the ultra-quiet extra fan, which managed to reduce the card’s temperature by more than 54 degrees Fahrenheit under load, prove that the passive heatsink is excellent, and it only needs a little help."

    "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.
  • verbalizer
    from Tom's charts it looks like forget this card unless your going silent HTPC or something, go out a grab a GTX 560 Ti....:D
  • Yuka
    Well, make it fit inside an ITX or MicroATX enclosure and it will be useful to me...

    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!
  • banthracis
    WhysoBluepandabearAnd the dude that said water cooling is loud, needs to re-evaluate his knowledge on water cooling.


    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.
  • salgado18
    Haven't even read the whole article, but the new Test System page is great! Congratulations!
  • mayankleoboy1
    IQ (XBOX 360 users)
  • mister g
    YukaWell, make it fit inside an ITX or MicroATX enclosure and it will be useful to me...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!

    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.
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