Power consumption, real-world noise and temperature assessment
The power-consumption results represent figures obtained from the card running in an overclocked state - 759MHz core at 1.05V, 1,518MHz shader, and 3,900MHz memory.
We've seen that performance approaches that of a GeForce GTX 480, and so does under-load power consumption.
Temps
The cooler's remarkably efficient at keeping the GTX 470 at a low idle temperature.
The loaded power-draw figure is obtained by running FurMark for 10 minutes and noting the peak figure via an at-wall meter. The numbers represent system-wide power draw.
We note a 14°C improvement in under-load temps when compared to a reference GTX 470. That doesn't tell the whole story, as the custom-designed cooler's fans are much quieter than the single-fan reference.
A real-world assessment
Examining the whole noise/heat/power issue in more detail and taking a real-world game into account, we played through Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and noted where system-wide power-draw was highest. The game works the CPU's cores and gives the GPU(s) a good going over. We then left the card rendering the high power-draw scene for 10 minutes and logged the maximum temperature, fan-speed, and power-draw.
The observations were noted with the card(s) installed inside a Corsair Obsidian 700D chassis with side panels on. The 'upper' (hotter) card's temperature and fan-speed are noted if we're evaluating a multi-GPU setup. The table, below, highlights our findings and provides a subjective analysis of the fan noise.
| GPU | Power-draw (maximum) | Temperature (maximum) |
Fan speed (maximum) |
Quietness /10 (higher is better) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce GTX 480 ZOTAC | 406W | 71°C | 1,520rpm | 7.5 |
| GeForce GTX 480 | 398W | 91°C | 2,600rpm/3,425rpm | 4/2 |
| GeForce GTX 470 Hawk OC | 373W | 66°C | 1,600rpm | 7.5 |
| GeForce GTX 470 | 344W | 92°C | 2,300rpm/3,000rpm | 5/3 |
| GeForce GTX 465 | 319W | 90°C | 2,220rpm/2,750rpm | 6/4 |
| Radeon HD 5970 | 386W | 77°C | 2,460rpm | 5 |
| Radeon HD 5870 MATRIX | 325W | 74°C | 1,888rpm | 7 |
| Radeon HD 5870 1GB | 288W | 76°C | 2,350rpm | 6 |
| Radeon HD 5850 | 260W | 68°C | 1,900rpm | 7 |
Let's explain the table. The noise perception is a subjective rating out of ten for the quietness of the card when under gaming load. Simple rpm doesn't always tell the full story. The second figures for the GeForce GTX 400-series represent the noise if the temperature is capped to 80°C.
The Hawk, evaluated in an overclocked state, pulls around 30W more than a default-clocked card. The impressive part of the card is the cooler, clearly, as the three fans hum along and keep the GPU down to 66C, according to GPU-Z. What's more, the fans are practically inaudible over the other fans in the chassis. The delta between the Inno card and a reference model jumps to a whopping 26°C here, too.
