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We have changed our method of measuring noise levels. We have built a system inside a Lian Li chassis with no case fans and have used a fanless cooler on our CPU. We are using a heatpipe based passive power supply and an Intel SSD to keep noise levels to a minimum. The motherboard is also passively cooled. This gives us a build with completely passive cooling and it means we can measure noise of just the graphics card inside the system when we run looped 3dMark tests. Ambient noise in the room is around 20-25dBa. We measure from a distance of around 1 meter from the chassis and 4 foot from the ground to mirror a real world situation.
Why do this? Well this means we can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate on only the video card. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635.
KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refridgerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum
The HD 6670 remains reasonably quiet even when the card is under heavy load. This would make it good for use in an HTPC, especially if partners release passively cooled versions.
Seems like a decent card, but the competition I think is high, especially as sapphire have dropped the price of the 5 series cards recently.
quite unexciting, and the passive card would be more appealing especially for this target demographic. Wonder if they will lower the clocks for the passive version however
I agree, passive version would be a good option, media guys like myself dont want a fan, will keep my eyes posted to see any deals over coming months.
I am sorry, but there are just too many video cards out now, AMD need to start streamlining their range. a joe punter in the street hasnt a clue whats going on
I agree, I follow the industry weekly and even I find it hard to follow. a guy walking into a store now wouldnt have a clue.
These cards don’t really excite me. I think with the 5830 getting such a price drop it makes more sense to opt for it, even if it is last generation. its generally more capable, but then it was meant to be a 200 quid card.
This would make a very good media card, but the price is too high, the 6450 makes more sense and will do to many people.
It looks ok, performance isn’t bad, but there are better alternatives in the market I think. £80-85 is a bit high priced
This card is going to be a massive hit with people who got weak PSU’s. People keep saying that the GTS450 only costs $15 more, but if you are running on a weak PSU, you need to make an investment of $115 for the card + $50+ for a decent PSU, meaning you have to spend ~$165 for the upgrade. Buy this, pop it straight in, problem solved. You save ~40% and only give up ~20% performance. Sounds like a WIN.