Following on from our stock thermal and acoustic testing, here we re-test the operating temperature of the GPU, but with noise levels normalised to 40dBa. This allows us to measure the efficiency of the overall cooling solution as varying noise levels as a result of more aggressive fan curves are no longer a factor.
Normalising noise output to 40dBa and then re-testing thermals results in a small victory for the Windforce OC – its GPU temperature came in 1.3C cooler than the Founders Edition, but with both GPUs hitting a hot spot of 71C. Even though the Palit Dual did run the hottest, its thermal levels are still more than adequate – the cooler just isn't quite so efficient as the Windforce.
Likewise for noise-normalised memory thermals, the Windforce OC claims the crown here, with a peak of 58C, compared to 64C readings from both the Palit Dual and Nvidia Founders Edition.