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TEST RESULTS
BASELINE, with Integrated Graphics: First, here are the results of
our baseline results of the system with just its integrated graphics, without
a discrete video card. We'll also need the power consumption reading during
CPUBurn to estimate the actual power draw of discrete card later.
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VGA Test Bed: Baseline Results
(no discrete graphics card installed)
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System State
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CPU Temp
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System Power
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AC
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DC (Est.)
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Idle
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22°C
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73W
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Unknown
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CPUBurn
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39°C
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144W
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115W
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Ambient temperature: 21°C
Ambient noise level: 11 dBA
System noise level: 12 dBA
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Note: In our semi-anechoic chamber, our VGA test bed now
measures 12 dBA@1m. Ambient noise is only 11 dBA.
ATI RADEON HD 4670:
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VGA Test Bed: ATI Radeon HD 4670
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System
State
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Fan
Speed
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System SPL@1m
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GPU
Temp
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CPU
Temp
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System Power
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AC
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DC (Est.)
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Idle
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970 RPM
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13 dBA
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45°C
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23°C
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79W
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Unknown
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CPUBurn
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980 RPM
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13 dBA
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46°C
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42°C
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148W
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118W
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CPUBurn + ATITool
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2500 RPM
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16 dBA
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82°C
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43°C
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184-
188W
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148-
153W
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CPUBurn + FurMark
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2500 RPM
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16 dBA
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82°C
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43°C
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191W
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155W
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Ambient temperature: 21°C
Ambient noise level: 11 dBA.
System noise level (minus graphics card): 12 dBA@1m.
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At idle, the fan spun at only 970 RPM according to GPU-Z. The GPU temperature
was very low and the system AC power draw was also excellent
— only 6W higher than our baseline system without a video card installed.
When the system was stressed with both CPUBurn and ATITool, the GPU temperature
gradually increased, until at 75°C, the fan speed finally began to increase.
Eventually after fifteen minutes the fan speed settled at 2500 RPM and the GPU
temperature stayed steady at 82°C, which is acceptable.
At the suggestion of some of our readers, we also tested with the FurMark,
a 3D benchmarking and stability application, in place of ATITool. While this
did not increase the GPU temperature, it did manage to squeeze a few extra watts
out of the system's power draw.
NOISE
When the test system was first fired up, the GPU fan was very loud, but it quickly
ramped down to acceptable levels by the time the POST screen appeared. From
a meter away it became barely audible — indeed the measured SPL was only 1 dBA
higher than without the card installed. Up close however, the fan had an unpleasant, clickysound quality, though much of it was muffled once the side panel of our case was put back in
place.
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HD 4670: Stock Fan Measurements
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Speed
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Noise
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RPM
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100%
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26 dBA@1m
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5360 RPM
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60%
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21 dBA@1m
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4020 PRM
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Load (37%)
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16 dBA@1m
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2510 RPM
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Idle
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13 dBA@1m
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950 RPM
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Off
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12 dBA@1m
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N/A
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Ambient noise level: 11 dBA.
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Under load, the noise was
conspicious and unpleasant even though it only registered 16 dBA. The fan
exhibited a high level of tonality, which was not masked in any way due to the low level of wind turbulence noise. The sound quality generated by the fan on our sample card was impossible to
ignore. This is typical of graphics card coolers with small fans.
Using RivaTuner,
we were able to manipulate the fan speed from 25% to 100%. 2500 RPM, the speed
which the fan settled at during load, correlated to approximately 37% in RivaTuner.
At 60%, the fan speed was 4020 RPM, and the noise level was 21 dBA. Again, the
sound was much worse subjectively than the SPL suggests. In the anechoic
chamber, with its lack of ambient noise, it was painful
to listen to the fan at this level. Strangely, at 100%, the broadband sound of airflow turbulence masked a lot of the buzzy, clicky, tonal noise, resulting in a smoother, more benign
effect even though the SPL measured 5 dB higher.
(Editor's Note: It's often difficult to know exactly why a fan sounds bad. There are two basic reasons, and sometimes both apply: It's intrinsically bad sounding, ie, integral to its design, or it was damaged in transit, and thus off-balance, with notches in the bearing, etc. In this particular sample, we suspect design more than damage. But note that this may not apply to all iterations of the HD 4670, which is offered by many brands, some of whom are surely using different fan / heatsink suppliers.)
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RivaTuner's fan control options.
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