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TEST RESULTS: TWO RADEON HD 4870 (CrossFireX)
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System Measurements
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System State
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Idle
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CPU + GPU Load
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Fan Speeds,
Top / Bottom
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7V / 10V (low)
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9V / 11V (low)
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12V / 12V (low)
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CPU Temp
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29°C
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43°C
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41°C
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39°C
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SB Temp
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49°C
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64°C
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64°C
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60°C
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HD Temp
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30°C
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29°C
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29°C
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28°C
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GPU #1
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70°C
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87°C
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86°C
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85°C
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GPU #1 Fan
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880 RPM
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1890 RPM
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1830 RPM
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1780 RPM
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GPU #2
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57°C
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83°C
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84 °C
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82°C
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GPU #2 Fan
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1000 RPM
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1690 RPM
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1650 RPM
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1640 RPM
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SPL @1m
(right side)
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21 dBA (22~23 dBA)
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28 dBA (28~29 dBA)
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28 dBA (28~29 dBA)
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30 dBA
(30 dBA)
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System Power
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182W
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499W
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497W
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497W
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CPU fan set to 100% speed.
Ambient temperature: 22°C.
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Cooling in the FT02 is effective enough that the addition of a second HD 4870 had no measurable acoustic effect at idle, and system temperatures remained the same except for the GPU, which rose by 5°C. With the fans set to 7V/10V (low), the noise peaked at 28 dBA@1m. Bumping up the system fans to 9V/11V (low) dropped temperatures a bit without affecting the noise level because the improved airflow reduced the speed of the GPU fans. Slightly better cooling was recorded with the fan speeds at 12V/12V (low), but at 30 dBA@1m, the system was noticeably louder.
We took noise measurements from from the front right, in addition to the ones taken normally from the front left. From the right side, the SPL was 1~2 dB higher at idle but about the same at full load. The motherboard and the supporting tray appear to block some of the noise generated by the components when the user is seated to the left of the case.
Our HD 4870 CrossFireX test system measured 21 dBA@1m at idle and 28 dBA@1m at load.
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CrossFireX Configuration Comparison (Load)
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Case
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SilverStone Fortress FT02
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SilverStone Raven RV03
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Cooler Master Cosmos II
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In Win Dragon Rider
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Fans Speeds
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top at 9V, bottoms @11V/low
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top @12V, bottoms @9V/low
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top, rear, front @med
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top, rear, sides @9V, front @5V
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CPU Temp
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41°C
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41°C
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46°C
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35°C
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SB Temp
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64°C
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66°C
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65°C
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46°C
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HD Temp
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29°C
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34°C
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29°C
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31°C
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GPU #1
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86°C
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87°C
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89°C
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85°C
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GPU #1 Fan
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1830 RPM
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2140 RPM
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2280 RPM
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1890 RPM
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GPU #2
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84°C
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81°C
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84°C
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82°C
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GPU #2 Fan
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1650 RPM
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1820 RPM
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1880 RPM
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1680 RPM
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SPL @1m
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28 dBA (right side: 28~29 dBA)
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31~32 dBA
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31~32 dBA
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32 dBA
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CPU fan set to 100% speed.
All temperature results adjusted to 22°C ambient.
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In our CrossFire test system, the FT02's lead over the RV03 widened considerably. It produced lower temperatures, and the overall noise level was 3~4 dB lower, a huge margin. Even when we measured the Fortress from its bad side (on the right where the motherboard tray doesn't block any noise), it still beat the Raven.
The In Win Dragon Rider has been our noise/cooling champ for the last year but it looks to have been dethroned by the FT02, at least for noise. The Dragon Rider's side fans achieve seemingly unbeatable CPU and Southbridge cooling, but the wide open side panel leaks a lot of noise emitted by its smaller, less efficient system fans. (It is possible that the Dragon Rider may be as quiet as the new FT02 on its 'better' side... but we never measured it from the right.)
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