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We first measure GPU temperature while the card is sat idling at the Windows 10 desktop for 5 minutes. Gaming GPU temperature is recorded by running the Deus Ex benchmark at 4K. As a maximum stress test, Fire Strike Ultra Stress Test is run 5 consecutive times and the cards' GPU temperature levels are recorded.
Ambient room temperature was held at around 25°C.
AMD's temperature target for Vega56 is 75°C when operating under the ‘Turbo' power plan. The card hits this within a couple of minutes of heavy load but by the same time, Nvidia's GTX 1070 FE has already jumped to a higher temperature level.
In isolation, and when combined with the high power draw, the temperature results for RX Vega56 in its reference-cooler form are good. However, our noise chart on the following page will provide additional context.
The card's backplate does not do a great job of spreading heat across the rear surface area. Instead, zones closer to the rear IO shield (near where the GPU sits and hot air is exhausted) suffer the brunt of temperature rises. With that said, the temperatures did not rise to concerning levels.
The PCB zone directly behind the Vega GPU is the hottest area of the card as it is the only rear section that is not covered by the backplate. Again, temperature levels are not concerning.
If… this Vega56 could be had not (as now) this blower edition, could be bought in the market without the profiteering inflicted on it… And this is the biggest, if there were 1440p monitors with FreeSync and those weren’t marked-up well beyond the mainstream 1440p. Only then might this have viable appeal.
At this time plunking down the “overage” to move into such upgrade levels of hardware is not a move many should be looking toward. 1440p feels almost past its’ prime or seems bowled-over by a more robust infusion of 4K. So you you’ll be ahead to hold and wait, entry 4K is not that far off with close to a similar cash out-lay of such inflated hardware.
I wish reviewers would stop benching GTA5. It’s ancient and no longer graphically demanding but most importantly, it doesn’t seem to be optimized at all for AMD cards.
As for the power profiles, if the 56 is anything like the 64, the ‘balanced’ mode should only effect performance by 5% but reduce power consumption by 10-30W.
People127s
Office66s
But GTA5 is a really popular game still, and prospective buyers want to see how the card performs on a game they play.
And @LukeHill are you going to reduce the rating of this card after it was revealed that AMD’s introductory price was nowhere near the actual price, thus making the 56 not so much of a great deal for price/performance?
I’m an AMD fan and plan on buying a Vega 56 Monday (Aug 28) if possible. I still play it so it matters to me. I am aware GTAV does significantly worse on AMD though, which is exactly why it won’t deter me from purchasing Vega.