Power And Temperature Benchmarks
AMD's FX-series CPUs are not known for power efficiency under load (and certainly not when overclocked), so the results we're about to see shouldn't take anyone by surprise. Of course, a single Radeon HD 7970 tells a much more compelling efficiency story than two Radeon HD 6950 cards in CrossFire, so expect to see a confluence of factors impact the final consumption numbers.
The new build’s modest Hyper TX3 cooler isn’t much of a mach for Xigmatek’s Gaia, but it does a decent job considering its less expensive price. The Radeon HD 7970's load temperatures look a little higher than we’d expect, but keep in mind that the Radeon HD 6950 CrossFire setup from the previous build also benefits from non-reference coolers.