XFX Radeon RX 6800 XT Speedster Merc 319 Black Review 44

XFX Radeon RX 6800 XT Speedster Merc 319 Black Review

Cooler Performance Comparison »

Temperatures

Graphics Card Temperatures


Temperature & Noise Comparison
IdleGaming
GPUNoiseGPUHotspotNoiseRPM
AMD RX 680048°CFan Stop70°C83°C34 dBA1613 RPM
AMD RX 6800 XT49°CFan Stop77°C98°C31 dBA1305 RPM
ASUS RX 6800 XT STRIX LC41°CFan Stop57°C71°C31 dBA1055 RPM
ASUS RX 6800 XT STRIX LC (Performance BIOS)39°CFan Stop52°C68°C34 dBA1570 RPM
PowerColor RX 6800 XT Red Devil48°CFan Stop73°C90°C31 dBA1253 RPM
PowerColor RX 6800 XT Red Devil (quiet BIOS)49°CFan Stop75°C92°C30 dBA1032 RPM
Sapphire RX 6800 XT Nitro+47°CFan Stop75°C97°C31 dBA1615 RPM
Sapphire RX 6800 XT Nitro+ (quiet BIOS)48°CFan Stop76°C98°C30 dBA1346 RPM
XFX RX 6800 XT Merc 31942°CFan Stop74°C89°C31 dBA1228 RPM
XFX RX 6800 XT Merc 319 (2nd BIOS)43°CFan Stop75°C89°C31 dBA1221 RPM
Testing notes & interpretation
  • GPU temperatures listed here are based on GPU-Z measurements of the on-chip temperature sensor.
  • We report these GPU temperatures under a constant load for ease of comparison, as well as an idle state most end users will experience often. This combination helps dictate cooling needs and provides context for how well the thermal solution performs.
  • Please note that GPU temperature is contingent on a variety of factors. Some, including clock speed, voltage settings, cooler design, and production variances, are beyond the control of the end user. Others, such as ambient temperature, case design, and airflow pathway affecting the GPU, can be mitigated to certain extents.
  • The data in the table above shows results for similar cards, achieved in identical conditions during previous TechPowerUp reviews.

Fan Noise

Noise Testing Details

In past years, gamers would accept everything for a little bit more performance. Nowadays, users are more aware of their graphics card's fan noise and power consumption.

In order to properly test how much noise a card's fan emits, we use a Bruel & Kjaer 2236 sound-level meter (~$4,000). It has the measurement range and accuracy we are looking for.

Fan Noise Measurement Setup

The tested graphics card is installed in a system that does not emit any noise on its own, using a passive PSU, passive CPU cooler, passive cooling on the motherboard, and a solid state drive. Noise results of other cards on this page are measurements of the respective reference design.

This setup allows us to eliminate secondary noise sources and test only the video card. To be more compliant with standards like DIN 45635 (we are not claiming to be fully DIN 45635 certified), the measurement is conducted at a distance of 100 cm and 160 cm off the floor. Ambient background noise inside the room was well below 20 dBA for all measurements. Please note that the dBA scale is not linear but logarithmic. 40 dBA is not twice as loud as 20 dBA since a 6 dBA increase results in double the sound pressure. The human hearing perception is a bit different, and it is generally accepted that a 10 dBA increase doubles the perceived sound level. 3D load noise levels are tested with a stressful game, not with Furmark.

AMD finally introduced fan stop on their Radeon RX 6800 Series reference designs, which means custom designs from board partners are expected to have that capability, too. XFX includes fan stop on both BIOSes.

Gaming noise levels are the same no matter which BIOS you use since the fan settings are the same and the power limit is only a few percent higher, which really has no significant effect on thermals. This feels a bit like a lost opportunity. If you include dual BIOS, make sure the BIOSes are sufficiently different to be actual choices.

Noise levels match the AMD reference design, which is an impressive result. AMD spent a lot of time and money on tuning their fan, which makes it very hard for custom designs to even match the reference card's noise levels. The card can run 4K Ultra, yet is almost whisper quiet. It's also important to note that the card is significantly quieter than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition.

Fan Noise Idle
Fan Noise Gaming
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Dec 22nd, 2024 19:27 EST change timezone

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