Non-reference 4850 review at Extremetech:

They make noise, too.

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Tzupy
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Non-reference 4850 review at Extremetech:

Post by Tzupy » Tue Sep 23, 2008 5:45 am

I found it interesting that the HIS Iceq4 uses less power than the others, and also runs cool and relatively quiet:
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2 ... 956,00.asp
Well, quiet for other sites isn't SPCR quiet, but the low load temperatures should allow for a lower fan speed with acceptable temps.

blackworx
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Post by blackworx » Tue Sep 23, 2008 8:37 am

Nice to see the non-ref designs are appearing.

I read a review of the Sapphire which said the fan speed is fixed, so while it's quieter than the reference design in 3D it's actually quite a bit louder on the desktop. Strange design choice - kinda the opposite to what anyone would want really. Unless you're a gamer who likes playing with the sound turned off... :?

EDIT: Here it is (yet another Register link from yours truly).

deruberhanyok
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Post by deruberhanyok » Tue Sep 30, 2008 2:13 pm

I recently picked up a Sapphire Toxic 4850. It wouldn't qualify as quiet out of the box by SPCR standards (nor my own, which are a little more lenient :)), but if anyone here has used a VF900 before it sounds like one of those does when run near full speed.

I had a VF900 on my previous video card and found it barely made any noise with the speed turned down (actually had it plugged into one of the 3-pan fan headers on my motherboard and set to a low speed). I'm trying to come up with a way to get the speed brought down to a lower level to get rid of the air flow "whoosh" without doing something that would void the warranty.

It isn't too bad, but it's annoying. I've considered replacing it with an Accelero S1 Rev. 2, but I can't bring myself to spend more money on it... but I think it would be easier to sell the card and get a different model 4850 or a 4870 at that point.

Having read more since then I'm still glad I picked it up, but I was hoping they'd leave the variable fan speed control of the 4850 in effect, just tweaked for a VF900 instead of the stock HSF.

Just wanted to share.

teejay
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Post by teejay » Thu Oct 02, 2008 1:49 pm

Palit actually has (at least) three distinct models for the HD4850: a reference design, the Sonic version that is in the linked review, and the Palit Design version. This last one is not a quiet version at all! The cooler looks rather impressive, being a 2-slot copper-color-anodized-aluminium flower-type job, but boy, it is loud! It has pretty agressive fan control (if the fan speed table read with RivaTuner can be trusted), running the fan at 15% up to about 65C, but even at that low setting, the noise level is staggering. I'm not just talking "can be heard somewhat" levels, but serious wind and motor noise.

Cooling was impressive, though: on an open testbench it ran ~35C idle and kept below 60C under load. Mounting holes are in standard locations luckily, so the Accelero S1R2 fits perfectly.

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Post by rpsgc » Fri Oct 03, 2008 12:10 am

Another non-reference cooler card reviewed:
HIS Radeon HD 4850 IceQ 4 TurboX 512MB

If its four power phases give it lower power consumption then I reckon Gainward's/Palit's Golden Sample also has a lower power consumption than reference HD4850s.



Now if only HIS did a similar HD4870 :)

Tzupy
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Post by Tzupy » Fri Oct 03, 2008 7:02 am

Does anyone know if the HIS 4850 with 1GB memory and NOT overclocked uses the same VRM design as the Turbo one?
I mean this card: http://www.shopit.ro/componente-pc/plac ... h485qs1gp/
The reduced power consumption of the 10% overclocked card - which has improved VRM design - makes this one even more attractive to me.

rpsgc
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Post by rpsgc » Fri Oct 03, 2008 7:10 am

If it's a IceQ 4 card it has the same PCB, therefore it might also have 4 phases. But no, I don't know.


No idea if it's quiet though.
Overall the HIS HD 4850 IceQ4 is a good choice if you are looking for a HD 4850 with a bit more graphics power and lower temperatures. If fan noise is your primary concern, then maybe you should also consider the offers from other board partners.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/ ... eQ4/1.html

They say it's noisier than the reference card.

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Post by ugrakarma » Sat Oct 04, 2008 6:44 pm

I opted for the following myself:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Powe ... CS/25.html

As long as you're not running furmark the fan isn't spinning up too much but as usual "it could have been a bit faster with the same noise level" although that never changes when dealing with hardware.

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