The tests were performed in a controlled air conditioned room with temperatures maintained at a constant 24c – 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 Sapphire HD7970 6GB Toxic Edition runs hotter than our reference card, by 2-4c when gaming. This rises to a 3-5c difference under Furmark load. The card is clearly generating a lot more heat at these significantly enhanced clock speeds. We will look at acoustic performance now.