| Sapphire Toxic Radeon HD4850 512MB Graphics Card
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Testing (continued):
Thermal Testing:
With performance testing out of the way, the GPU operating temperature was analyzed. This was accomplished by running AMD's GPU Clock Tool to not only activate the factory disabled thermal sensor on the HD4850, but to also monitor the minimum, maximum, and current GPU temperature. The idle condition was established by recording the temperature after letting the system sit at the Window's desktop for at least 30 minutes with no other applications running. The load condition was established by running 3DMark Vantage two times back-to-back with an eye on the maximum temperature achieved. All testing was completed on an open testbed in a room with an ambient temperature of 21C.
The Zalman cooler not only keeps the card quiet, but the chart above shows that it is an excellent cooling solution! It idles much cooler than the other cards, and when heavily stressed it is still cooler than the HD4870 is while idling. On top of great thermal performance, it should be stressed that there is about zero noise. Whether the card is at idle or under a heavy load, the fan runs at the same speed and in near silence. You'll never be startled by something that sounds like a hair dryer while in the middle of gaming or while booting up, something I still haven't gotten used to with the HD4870.
Power Consumption Testing:
The last portion of testing involved monitoring the total system power consumption. A Seasonic Power Angel power monitoring device was plugged inline between the power supply and 120V electric out, and the Wattage screen was monitored. Since all other hardware remained the same, any change in this value would be due to the draw of the video card. Idle conditions were established by letting the system sit at the Windows desktop until a stable reading was achieved. Load conditions were established by running the DirectX 9 version of the Devil May Cry benchmark (I have found that DirectX 9 applications use more electricity than the same DirectX 10 applications).
The energy efficiency is another strong point with the Toxic Radeon HD4850. Considering that lower values are better for this test, the idle and load power draw of the HD4850 are only beaten by those put up by the HD3870. Considering the absolute domination the 4850 had over the 3870 in performance testing, 26 Watts seems a small price to pay.
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