Powercolor HD6970 PCS+ Review – silent and deadly

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.

The Powercolor card is only around 3c degrees cooler than the reference card, however the fans are only spinning at a maximum of 39%, which generates significantly less noise (more on this on the next page).

Return to ambient 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 profile settings are not aggressive at all, which means that the temperatures take 27 seconds to return to ambient. It isn't a problem of the cooler in this situation, but merely Powercolor opting for the lowest possible noise.

At idle, the fans spin at 20%, very relaxed settings.

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