XFX HD6970 Black 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.

The XFX HD6970 Black Edition runs hotter than our reference card. The fan speed fluctuates between 46 % and 57% when under load, which causes a temperature ‘curve' as seen in our Furmark image above – rising up then dropping down again. When operating at 46 % the fan is spinning around 2,500 rpm and temperatures will rise from 91c to 94c before the profile increases the speed to 57%, around 3,500 rpm. This drops the temperatures back to around 91c. This cooling procedure then repeats.

The fan idles around 27 percent which corresponds to around 1,500 rpm.

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.

A rather slow cool down time, although with AMD's reference cooling solution in place, this was to be expected.

Become a Patron!