Heat

To test the temperature level of these cards, much like for power consumption, we took temperature readings off the cards while the system was idle and also while running benchmarks to stress the GPUs.

Idle Heat

Load Heat

Generally, all of the 8800 GTXs show heat levels that are very similar; around 62 to 67 degrees Celsius when idle and 81 to 87 degrees Celsius under load. The exceptions of course are the XFX GeForce 8800 GTS and the Sparkle Calibre 8800 GTX. Interestingly, this test is where the Calibre 8800 GTX's unique heat sink design really makes an impact. The temperature levels of this card under load are even lower than the XFX 8800 GTS by over ten degrees. This is somewhat perplexing considering that our Sparkle Calibre 8800 GTX sample didn't overclock very well compared to the other 8800 GTXs. Also keep in mind that although the peltier cooler keeps the GPU running at lower temperatures, the peltier element itself does contribute heat to the system, so this card won't necessarily keep your system cooler, just your GPU.

Power Consumption Noise & Final Words
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  • yacoub - Monday, November 13, 2006 - link

    I was surprised the eVGA card too the lead since the MSI had a much higher memory clock. I guess these cards are nowhere near being fillrate limited, so the core clock boost is more important? I'm not sure if that's the right conclusion to make.

    Also lol @ the 1950XTX's heinous noise and heat levels. ;)

    The power consumption reduction from its die-shrink (right?) over the 1900XTX is nice though.

    Very helpful article. Obvious conclusion: Stay away from the Caliber, lol.
  • kalrith - Monday, November 13, 2006 - link

    On page 5, it says that the Calibre "did get a core boost of 31MHz on the core clock". If the stock speed is 575 and the overclock is 631, shouldn't it be a boost of 56MHz?

    Also, on page 5 the Calibre's memory overclock is listed as 1021MHz, and on page 6 it's lists as 914MHz.
  • Josh Venning - Monday, November 13, 2006 - link

    Thanks for pointing out the errors on page 5, they've been fixed.

  • Kyteland - Monday, November 13, 2006 - link

    On page 2: "First we have the (insert exact card name here) from BFG."

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