True Power Draw of 73 Graphics Cards... Compared

[Paradigm Shifter]

http://www.hardware.fr/articles/781-1/dossier-vraie-consommation-73-cartes-graphiques.html

My French sucks, but the graphs speak for themselves. Look at the 2D power draw of the 5870! :shock:

[X-Warrior]

Look at the 2D power draw of the 5870! :shock:

When I read that I thought you were saying it's skyhigh. Then I looked at the graphs. Quite impressive. Does lower than the high end 2xx series of nVidia at load as well.

[Paradigm Shifter]

The 5870 gives the same performance (plus or minus) as a 4870X2, but with half the power draw at load, and less than a third of the idle draw. It loads lower than any GT200 series card, and is not too much higher than a GTS250, which is, when all is said and done, a tweaked/updated G80 core. ;)

As electricity prices rise, I hope performance/watt becomes an even more important target for designers, and that reviews start to focus on it more.