HIS HD6970 IceQ Turbo Edition Review

The tests were performed in a controlled air conditioned room with temperatures maintained at a constant 25c – a comfortable environment for the majority of people reading this.

Idle temperatures were measured after sitting at the desktop for 30 minutes. Load measurements were acquired by playing Crysis Warhead for 30 minutes and measuring the peak temperature. We also have included Furmark results, recording maximum temperatures throughout a 30 minute stress test. All fan settings were left on automatic.

HIS are using a very passive fan profile with this particular solution. With the automatic profile, the fan never spins above 64 percent, which translates to only 2,000 rpm. When gaming, this translates to around 71c under extended load, excellent results.

Return to idle is a feature we have recently added to our reviews … we measure the time it takes for a solution to return to idle temperatures, immediately after full load. The faster the time, the better the cooler – for example a Noctua NH D14 cooler will return an Intel processor to idle temperatures much faster than a reference cooler. This is a good indication of how quickly a heatsink can dissipate heat.

The fan starts to spin down rapidly after the card drops to 60c. It takes around 26 seconds for the board to return to idle. Very good results.

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