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.
While the HIS HD6850 ICE Q X consumes more power than the reference card under load, it demands less at idle. 16watts is actually the most impressive idle drain figure we have recorded from a HD6850.