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TEST RESULTS
Acoustics
Since the card reviewed was not passively cooled, sound pressure level measurements
were made with the card inside the test platform case with the system powered
on and no other noise souces in the room. We wanted to know whether it would
increase the noise level of a relatively quiet system. Using the integrated
video on the motherboard, the system measured 21 dBA from 1m away using our
Bruel & Kjaer Sound Level Meter. It was just barely audible in our test
lab, with what little noise it produced coming mainly from the power supply
fan.
The EN8600GT's fan speed was adjusted using SmartDoctor. At the fan's lowest
setting (31% according to SmartDoctor), we recorded only a 1 dBA increase
over the baseline. While this was not that significant, the nature of sound
was more noticable — a low tonal hum rather than just the gentle smooth
sound of air circulating. At the fan's default setting (75% according to SmartDoctor),
the sound level increased to 24 dBA, and the sound coming from the case was
distinct and easily identifiable as the main noise source. While quieter than
most video card fans, the sound quality became worse, and the tonal aspects
became more annoying. You'll be able to hear this for yourself when you listen
to the recordings we made, further below. It really didn't meet our high standards
so we decided not to test the card with the fan at its maximum speed. As it
turns out the fan was more than adequate for the task, even at minimal speed.
Thermals
An initial testing phase was carried out using the integrated graphics on
the system motherboard to establish baseline levels for system power and CPU
temperature. Unfortunately, neither ATI Tool artifact scanner nor RTHDRIBL
would run on the integrated graphics chip. However, ATI Tool's 3D View
did run and from past experience we know it generates a similar amount
of power consumption. We ran it in conjunction with CPUBurn to establish a
baseline for comparison.
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VGA Test Bed: Baseline Results
(no external VGA card - 21 dBA@1m)
|
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System State
|
CPU Temp
|
System Power
|
|
AC input
|
DC output (Est.)
|
|
Idle
|
24°C
|
80W
|
59W
|
|
CPUBurn x2
|
50°C
|
151W
|
117W
|
|
CPUBurn + ATITool
|
50°C
|
161W
|
125W
|
|
VGA Test Bed: Asus EN8600GT OC GEAR
|
|
System Load
|
Video Card Fan Speed*
|
dBA@1m
|
GPU
Temp
|
CPU
Temp
|
System Power
|
|
AC input
|
DC output (Est.)
|
|
Idle
|
Default
|
24
|
48°C
|
25°C
|
103W
|
78W
|
|
Idle
|
Minimum
|
22
|
53°C
|
25°C
|
103W
|
78W
|
|
CPUBurn x2
|
Default
|
24
|
48°C
|
50°C
|
175W
|
137W
|
|
CPUBurn
|
Minimum
|
22
|
54°C
|
50°C
|
175W
|
137W
|
|
CPUBurn +
ATI Tool
|
Default
|
24
|
70°C
|
45°C
|
196W
|
155W
|
|
CPUBurn +
ATI Tool
|
Minimum
|
22
|
70°C
|
45°C
|
196W
|
155W
|
|
*Minimum speed: 31% ; Default speed: 75%
|
While sitting idle and with CPUBurn running, the GPU temperature increased
by only 5-6°C with the fan set to the slowest setting. When CPUBurn and
ATI Tool were run in conjunction, the temperature shot up 22°C whether
the fan was spinning slow or at its default speed. This is a testiment to
either the low heat output of the GPU or the efficiency of the heatsink/fan.
Either way, it's very obvious that cooling is not a problem. 70°C is very
modest for a graphics core and the fact that changing the fan speed didn't
have any effect on the temperature when stressed was both surprising and impressive.
In addition, the EN8600GT passed our stability tests with flying colors.
No artifacts presented themselves during testing with either ATI Tool or RTHDRIBL.
Power
A rough idea of the power consumption of the card can
be judged by comparing the total system power consumption with and without
the card installed. Our results were derived at by assuming:
1. The power consumption of the graphics card at idle
was equal to the difference in power demand between the two systems when both
were running CPUBurn.
2. The power consumption of the graphics card under
load was equal to the difference between the system with the card running
CPUBurn and ATI Tool simultaneously, and the baseline system running CPUBurn
only. This ensured that any load on the CPU from ATI Tool did not skew the
results, since the CPU was running at full load in both cases.
|
Video Card Power Consumption:
Asus EN8600GT OC GEAR
|
|
GPU State
|
Increase in System Power (AC)
|
Estimated Power Consumption
(DC)
|
|
Idle
|
+23W
|
18W
|
|
Load
|
+45W
|
36W
|
With an estimated power consumption under 40W, and active cooling, it was
no wonder the graphics card did not heat up much. Its power requirements are
fairly modest so we would've liked to see Asus use a quieter fan, or better
yet, a larger passive heatsink. Either could cool a 8600GT adequately with
minimal noise in a quiet, low airflow system.
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