To test power consumption today we are using a Keithley Integra unit and we measure power consumption from the VGA card inputs, not the system wide drain. The best way to get maximum load results is by using Furmark, and even though it is not indicative of a real world situation it shows the limits the card can theoretically demand. The ‘gaming’ results are measured when playing Crysis Warhead and is a more valuable result to take from this.
The Sapphire board consumes a little more power than the reference AMD HD6850. Not noticeable at idle and only a few watts more when gaming.
excellent, another good HD6850 ! spoilt for choice in this sector lately. Still not sure whether to get a GTX460 or one of these around 170 quid.
I agree, that manually these can be adjusted easy enough, but I like sapphires take on this, to keep the noise down and fan lower than others. while relying on the cooler to keep the temps around 70c. interesting to see the picture of the fan only at 36% when furmark loaded. around 50-60% that would drop 10c. two different ideas from XFX and Sapphire, both work.
Sapphire and XFX really are in a head to head right now. I think the XFX looks nicer and I like their fan also. Either would do me, but ill probably get a HIS HD5870 Turbo.
Interesting to see they have opted for the full sized cooler to expell air out the back of the case. sometimes i dislike thes models as they dont do that,. I dont want hot air in my case.
Been waiting on this a while, will be curious to see if the price meets your expectations howver as I think it will be more than 20 more.
love these mid range boards. still not sure they are better than some of the GTX460’s you review here. like the evga GTX460 FTW or the MSI talon attack. but good regardless.
Excellent overclocking capabilities on these boards. I need a new monitor however. thankfully 1080p models are cheaper now.
Ideal really for 1080p gaming. if the price is right.
when is it for sale? any ideas?
urghhh not another product not listed anywhere for sale 🙁
I like Sapphire products, always built well and they have good cover for support which is important. always why I never buy powercolor or one of the far eastern makes,
Dont like this as much as the XFX board, the styling isnt as good. XFX board looks sexy.
My brother wants to buy two 6850s for the new year. wonder how much moer expensive these will be compared to reference design.
Great finding this site today, what a wealth of fantastic reviews! im a GTX460 man however, as I hate AMD drivers and support. nice product tho.
@Larry you can pick them up from RebelGadgets as they have them available on their site 😉