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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.
ASUS EN9800GT MATRIX:
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VGA Test Bed: Asus EN9800GT Matrix
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System
State
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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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15 dBA
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48°C
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24°C
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109W
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84W
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CPUBurn
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15 dBA
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48°C
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43°C
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181W
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147W
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CPUBurn + ATITool
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31 dBA
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68°C
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43°C
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228W
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187W
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CPUBurn + FurMark
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31 dBA
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68°C
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44°C
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238W
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195W
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Ambient temperature: 20°C
Ambient noise level: 11 dBA.
System noise level (minus graphics card): 12 dBA@1m.
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At idle, the stock fan was fairly quiet, producing a gentle but definitely
audible low-pitched hum. Our test platform measured 12 dBA@1m without a graphics
card; installing the EN9800GT Matrix increased this reading by 3 dBA. The GPU
temperature was very low at just 48°C. We very rarely see such a low temperature
without using an aftermarket cooler.
As the system was stressed with CPUBurn and ATITool/Furmark, the fan ramped
up in two different stages — once when the GPU reached approximately 60°C
and again at 65°C. Soon after, the GPU temperature stabilized at 68°C.
By then, the noise level had increased dramatically to 31 dBA@1m. The character
of the noise was very unusual — an unfortunate result of the heatsink design
which has the radial portion of the cooler covered in the shroud. The tightly
confined turbulent air combined with the aggressive motor noise produced what
sounded like an old CRT television without an input signal — a spitting
combination of static and snow.
As an additional test, we blocked off the exhaust port with masking tape and
found that the GPU and CPU temperature increased by only a single degree, suggesting
it would have been better to remove the casing altogether and allow the heatsink
to breathe inside the system. It's also possible that the temperature simply
wasn't high enough for the exhaust system to be beneficial. In either case,
the design seems to be flawed.
In addition to the usual squealing under load which plagues many modern graphics
cards, the card emitted a constant, high-pitched whine when first installed,
which did not stop until the drivers were installed and the system rebooted.
Furthermore, after a fresh reboot the card occasionally generated an unusual
squeal that fluctuated in frequency and tone for about two minutes. It was as
if a tiny gremlin had crawled inside the machine and started to play miniature
bagpipes. The noise was associated with an increase in GPU temperature to about
58°C, suggesting the GPU was under some kind of load that we were not aware
of. While we weren't able to track down the cause, we were able to record the
noise. Here is a sample:
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GPU-Z's sensor tab.
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That wasn't the end of our problems. We were unable to get a fan speed reading
using any of the applications we typically use. The only monitoring software
we did get working was GPU-Z, which could only report the core and memory clock
speeds and GPU temperature. According to GPU-Z, the core and memory clocks stayed
at stock speeds throughout testing, both during idle and load.
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