Power, Temperature and Noise
Added frequency pushes system-wide power consumption up to almost 200W. Think about it in a wider context and that's barely tickling the capability of mainstream PSUs.
AMD GPUs don't tend to be optimised for a specific temperature target, unlike the newest GeForces, and the meaty cooler keeps the overclocked Pitcairn XT GPU the coolest of our 10-GPU line-up.
Another advantage of using an over-the-top cooler is that the fans don't need to work all that hard. Our notes show that fan speed barely changes between idle and load, with the majority of the noise increase attributable to the CPU's fan increasing. The HD 7870 Devil is a good card for those seeking a quiet gaming experience at 1080p.
