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HIS HD 6970 IceQ Turbo & HD 6950 IceQ X Turbo X Review

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SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
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After seeing a good number of reviews which covered overclocked and custom cooled versions of NVIDIA’s flagship card –the GTX 580- many of our readers have been asking for us to cover the same types of cards from AMD’s side of the fence. Today we mark the first step of our journey into the world of high performance Radeon products with a pair of Turbo-branded cards from HIS Technology.

Being one of AMD’s premier board partners has granted HIS Digital and enviable position within the North American market but their presence here at Hardware Canucks has been slim to none over the last few years. Nonetheless, their newest HD 6970 and HD 6950 cards commanded our attention since they are different from almost everything else out there. Both sport increased clock speeds but what really distinguishes them from many competitors is different versions of HIS’ iconic IceQ heatsink design.

HIS-HD6970-77.jpg

Just like many NVIDIA lines from the past few years, higher than reference performance AMD cards seem to be a dime a dozen these days and in terms of clock speeds, neither of these cards is anything ground breaking. Truth be told, AMD’s partners are quite conservative when it comes to pre-overclocking their designs and HIS follows along in the same footsteps.

The $369 HD 6970 IceQ Turbo is the flagship of HIS’ current single GPU lineup but it only offers minimal clock speed increases over the reference card which is likely why it only commands a $30 price premium. The HD 6950 IceQ X Turbo X on the other hand offers a reasonable overclock but its price of $299 causes it play in the same market as some GTX 570 and HD 6970 2GB cards. That’s some tough competition indeed. But according to HIS, most of these cards’ appeal comes from their quiet operation and low temperatures rather than any real world performance improvement over stock designs.

So what we have here are two AMD cards that should be the best of the best among their respective peers but can HIS’ promises of cool, quiet computing justify their increased cost? We’re about to find out.

HIS-HD6970-22.jpg
 
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SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
Staff member
Joined
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Messages
12,840
Location
Montreal
A Closer Look at the HIS HD 6970 IceQ Turbo

A Closer Look at the HIS HD 6970 IceQ Turbo


HIS-HD6970-1.jpg
HIS-HD6970-2.jpg

The exterior packaging for this card is basic but the interior protection scheme of rigid plastic is one of the best we’ve seen. The accessory selection isn’t anything to write home either with the usual power, Crossfire and DVI adaptors. However, most new enthusiast-end AMD cards come with a free downloadable copy of Dirt 3 which does add a good $40 value if you don’t already own it.

HIS-HD6970-3.jpg

This IceQ heatsink design on this card is unique to say the last. Instead of using the usual custom heatsink design with a centrally mounted fan, this one takes some of its direction from the reference cooler by using a rear mounted fan to exhaust hot air through the backplate. Unfortunately, the result of HIS’ approach resulted in a “love it or hate it” look for this particular card but this shouldn’t be of too much concern if it lives up our expectations.

Editor's Note: It has been brought to our attention that this card does indeed take up slightly more the two expansion slots. As such, it will eliminate Crossfire compatibility of certain motherboards which have closely placed PCI-E slots.


The heatsink itself lives and dies by the amount of airflow produced by the single intake fan or in this case what HIS calls their “Black Hole Impeller”. Despite its dubious marketing name the “impeller” is hooked up to some impressive hardware which consists of a pure copper core contact plate and a quartet of large heatpipes that meander into a dense fin assembly.

There are benefits to this intake / exhaust design like lower in-case temperatures but other heatsinks with centrally located fans blowing down onto the fins are known for quieter operation and better GPU cooling. The reason for this is quite simple: a design like the one we see above causes the fan to work at higher RPMs in order to push air through the UV sensitive shroud and over the internal aluminum fins.

HIS-HD6970-9.jpg
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Along with a custom designed PCB that includes an upgraded PWM HIS has also implemented several supplementary cooling enhancements for onboard components. The GDDR5 modules are connected to the heatsink’s main contact plate with thermal pads while the voltage regulators are cooled with a large –albeit unsteady- secondary fin assembly.

HIS-HD6970-8.jpg
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The power and video output connectors on the IceQ Turbo remain the same as on the reference card with a 6+8 pin setup along with a combination of dual DisplayPort 1.2, twin DVIs and a single HDMI 1.4 connector on the backplate.

HIS-HD6970-11.jpg

In terms of actual length, HIS’ massive HD 6970 is only about ½” longer than the reference design at around 11” in length. Take note those of you who use smaller ATX cases as this card may not fit without some modifications.
 
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SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
Staff member
Joined
Feb 26, 2007
Messages
12,840
Location
Montreal
A Closer Look at the HIS HD 6950 IceQ X Turbo X

A Closer Look at the HIS HD 6950 IceQ X Turbo X


HIS-HD6970-12.jpg
HIS-HD6970-13.jpg

HIS’ HD 6950 IceQ X retains the same box, protection scheme and accessory package as its bigger brother along with the Dirt 3 digital download coupon.

HIS-HD6970-14.jpg

The IceQ X’s design is quite different from the HD 6950 reference card and is even a departure from many other cards in the IceQ lineup. Instead of using an intake / exhaust setup, HIS decided to go with a slightly higher performance direct cooling design where the fan pushes air directly down onto the primary heatsink. Once again, the shroud colour may not be to everyone’s appeal and it removes the UV reactive features found on other IceQ products while being a bit more conservative than the HD 6970 IceQ’s design.


Much like the HD 6970’s IceQ design, this one uses a quartet of large heatpipes which pull heat away from the core and up towards the aluminum fin array. This layout is then capped with a single large 92mm fan which is presumably quieter than the one found on the reference design.

HIS-HD6970-21.jpg

The PCB and component layout on this board are a departure from the reference card. The components themselves have been slightly upgraded with a dynamic phase control PWM, solid state chokes and long life capacitors.

HIS-HD6970-17.jpg
HIS-HD6970-19.jpg

The video connectors stay the same as the reference design with a pair of DVI, two DisplayPort and a single HDMI output. Regardless of its higher clock speeds and the possibility for additional overclocking headroom, this HD 6950’s power connectors also stay true to the stock card with a pair of 6-pin inputs.

HIS-HD6970-20.jpg

One of the major differences between HIS’ IceQ X edition and the reference version is length. With a custom PCB, they were able to shave a good inch off the stock card which should allow it to fit in any ATX enclosure.
 

SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
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Test System & Setup

Test System & Setup

Processor: Intel Core i7 920(ES) @ 4.0Ghz (Turbo Mode Enabled)
Memory: Corsair 3x2GB Dominator DDR3 1600Mhz
Motherboard: Gigabyte EX58-UD5
Cooling: CoolIT Boreas mTEC + Scythe Fan Controller (Off for Power Consumption tests)
Disk Drive: Pioneer DVD Writer
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB
Power Supply: Corsair HX1000W
Monitor: Samsung 305T 30” widescreen LCD
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate N x64 SP1


Graphics Cards:

HIS HD 6970 2GB IceQ Turbo
HIS HD 6950 2GB IceQ X Turbo X

NVIDIA GTX 580
NVIDIA GTX 570
NVIDIA GTX 560 Ti

AMD HD 6970 2GB
AMD HD 6950 2GB
AMD HD 6950 1GB



Drivers:

NVIDIA 275.20 Beta
ATI 11.4 Preview + CAP 11.2 R4

Note: Even though AMD claims the “AMD Optimized Tessellation” feature in the 11.1a drivers has not yet been implemented, we have changed the setting to “Off” in order to ensure additional, untested optimizations are not enabled.

Applications Used:

3DMark 11
Aliens Versus Predator
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
DiRT 2
F1 2010
Just Cause 2
Lost Planet
Metro 2033
Unigine: Heaven


*Notes:

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR BENCHMARKING PROCESS PLEASE SEE THIS ARTICLE

- All games tested have been patched to their latest version

- The OS has had all the latest hotfixes and updates installed

- All scores you see are the averages after 3 benchmark runs

All game-specific methodologies are explained above the graphs for each game

All IQ settings were adjusted in-game
 

SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
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Joined
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Messages
12,840
Location
Montreal
3DMark 11 (DX11)

3DMark 11 (DX11)


3DMark 11 is the latest in a long line of synthetic benchmarking programs from the Futuremark Corporation. This is their first foray into the DX11 rendering field and the result is a program that incorporates all of the latest techniques into a stunning display of imagery. Tessellation, depth of field, HDR, OpenCL physics and many others are on display here. In the benchmarks below we have included the results (at default settings) for both the Performance and Extreme presets.


Performance Preset

HIS-HD6970-30.jpg


Extreme Preset

HIS-HD6970-31.jpg
 

SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
Staff member
Joined
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Messages
12,840
Location
Montreal
Aliens Versus Predator (DX11)

Aliens Versus Predator (DX11)


When benchmarking Aliens Versus Predator, we played through the whole game in order to find a section which represents a “worst case” scenario. We finally decided to include “The Refinery” level which includes a large open space and several visual features that really tax a GPU. For this run-through, we start from within the first tunnel, make our way over the bridge on the right (blowing up several propane tanks in the process), head back over the bridge and finally climb the tower until the first run-in with an Alien. In total, the time spent is about four minutes per run. Framerates are recorded with FRAPS.


1680 x 1050

HIS-HD6970-32.jpg


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1920 x 1200

HIS-HD6970-34.jpg


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2560 x 1600

HIS-HD6970-36.jpg


HIS-HD6970-37.jpg
 

SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
Staff member
Joined
Feb 26, 2007
Messages
12,840
Location
Montreal
BattleField: Bad Company 2 (DX11)

BattleField: Bad Company 2 (DX11)


To benchmark BF: BC2 we used a five minute stretch of gameplay starting from the second checkpoint (after the helicopter takes off) of the second single player mission up until your battle with the tank commences. Framerates are recorded with FRAPS.


1680 x 1050

HIS-HD6970-38.jpg


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1920 x 1200

HIS-HD6970-40.jpg


HIS-HD6970-41.jpg


2560 x 1600

HIS-HD6970-42.jpg


HIS-HD6970-43.jpg
 

SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
Staff member
Joined
Feb 26, 2007
Messages
12,840
Location
Montreal
DiRT 2 (DX11)

DiRT 2 (DX11)


DiRT 2 cuts an imposing figure in terms of image quality and effects fidelity. We find that to benchmark this game the in-game tool is by far the best option. However, due to small variances from one race to another, three benchmark runs are done instead of the normal two. It should also be mentioned that the demo version of the game was NOT used since after careful testing, the performance of the demo is not representative of the final product. DX11 was forced through the game’s config file. In addition, you will see that these scores do not line up with our older benchmarks at all. This is due to the fact that a patch was recently rolled out for the game which included performance optimizations in addition to new graphics options.

1680 x 1050

HIS-HD6970-46.jpg


HIS-HD6970-47.jpg


1920 x 1200

HIS-HD6970-48.jpg


HIS-HD6970-49.jpg


2560 x 1600

HIS-HD6970-50.jpg


HIS-HD6970-51.jpg
 

SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
Staff member
Joined
Feb 26, 2007
Messages
12,840
Location
Montreal
F1 2010 (DX11)

F1 2010 (DX11)



1680 x 1050

HIS-HD6970-78.jpg


HIS-HD6970-79.jpg


1920 x 1200

HIS-HD6970-80.jpg


HIS-HD6970-81.jpg


2560 x 1600

HIS-HD6970-82.jpg


HIS-HD6970-83.jpg
 

SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
Staff member
Joined
Feb 26, 2007
Messages
12,840
Location
Montreal
Just Cause 2 (DX10)

Just Cause 2 (DX10)


Just Cause 2 has quickly become known as one of the best-looking games on the market and while it doesn’t include DX11 support, it uses the full stable of DX10 features to deliver a truly awe-inspiring visual experience. For this benchmark we used the car chase scene directly following the Casino Assault level. This scene includes perfectly scripted events, some of the most GPU-strenuous effects and lasts a little less than four minutes. We chose to not use the in-game benchmarking tool due to its inaccuracy when it comes to depicting actual gameplay performance.


1680 x 1050

HIS-HD6970-53.jpg


HIS-HD6970-54.jpg


1920 x 1200

HIS-HD6970-55.jpg


HIS-HD6970-56.jpg


2560 x 1600

HIS-HD6970-57.jpg


HIS-HD6970-58.jpg
 
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