Testing (continued):
GPU Temperature:
The range of temperatures that the GPU core operated in was monitored using CPUID's HWMonitor (64-Bit) within Windows Vista Home Premium (64-Bit). The idle condition was established by recording the temperature after letting the system sit at the Window's desktop for 30 minutes with only HWMonitor running. The load condition was established by running 3DMark Vantage two times back-to-back, and then about 20 minutes of ATI Tool for good measure. HWMonitor logs current, minimum, and maximum temperature, so once both rounds of testing were completed, the maximum temperature was recorded. All testing was completed on an open test bed with relatively still air in a room with an ambient temperature of 21C.
Low heat production is obviously something the Radeon HD4830 should eb noted for. Idling at a mere 30C, the fan was nearly silent. When the load increased for an extended period of time, the temperature did too, but not nearly as high as the other cards. The noise of the fan under load did become more noticable, but mostly because it had a bit of a whine. It was not excessively loud, but the tone was somewhat annoying.
Power Consumption:
The final test was to monitor the total system power consumption with each of the graphics card configurations installed. A Seasonic Power Angel power monitoring device was plugged in between the power supply and the wall outlet, and the wattage screen was monitored. Since all other hardware remained the same, any change in this value would be the result of the video card's demands. Idle conditions were established by letting the system sit at the Windows desktop until a stable reading was achieved, and for load testing the Devil May Cry benchmark was executed.
Compared to most cards I have looked at over the past year, the Radeon HD4830 is extremely energy efficient. The entire system was able to idle a little above 100W, and under a load it remained under 200W. The gaming performance impressed me more than I anticipated, and the energy effificiency just adds to the appeal of this card.
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