Inno3D GeForce 7950 GT iChiLL G5G3C

Overclocking

We overclocked the Inno3D 7950 GT iChiLL Accelero S1M using ATiTool 0.26 checking whether our clocks were stable by dipping in and out of regular gaming sessions using Company Of Heroes, Quake 4 Deathmatch, and F.E.A.R. As always, our results should give you an idea of how one of these cards overclocks but your own results may vary and we cannot guarantee that our card isn't a particularly good or bad overclocker.

Standard clock speeds for the iChiLL 7950 GT are 560MHz on the core and 750MHz (1500MHz effective) for the memory which, as we mentioned is already slightly overclocked from reference 7950 GT clocks. So, imagine our surprise when we were able to push the core of the passively cooled iChiLL all the way to 620MHz and the memory to a colossal 905MHz (1810MHz)!

Suffice to say, this is a massive overclock on a passive card -- equivalent to an 11% core speed increase and a 21% memory speed increase -- and we really would like to hear from other GeForce 7950 GT owners to see how this compares to results they've obtained.

In terms of performance, this overclock translated to an increase from 32.1 fps average and 11.8 fps minimum to 35.9 fps average and 14.2 fps minimum in Company of Heroes at 1920x1200 0xAA 16xAF with maximum in-game details. In F.E.A.R., we saw our frame rates rise from 36 fps average and 20 fps minimum to 41 fps and 23 fps respectively at 1920x1200 4xAA 16xAF. Both nice increases, I'm sure you'll agree and there will certainly be situations where this gain in performance will mean the difference between barely playable and mostly playable.

Temperatures

Using our open air test bed, without any forced air cooling, we measured memory and radiator temperatures using a temperature probe and recorded the core temperature using ATiTool. Given the size of the cooler, we thought it would be interesting to see what the distribution of heat across the radiator was like, as well as seeing how the memory and core coped.

With an ambient temperature of 22 degrees Celsius, at idle the core was a steady 55 degrees Celsius and the average across the radiators surface was 44 degrees Celsius. There was slight fluctuation in temperature across the grill, with the areas under the sticker consistently being a few degrees warmer.

So, our concerns about constricted airflow were realised, but the affect wasn't as drastic as we might have thought and overall it didn't seem to cause a major problem. Unsurprisingly though, the reduced airflow behind the radiator meant that memory temperatures rose from 44 degrees for the outer chips to 49 degrees for the most hidden inner chips.

Cranking up the workload, the core temperature increased considerably to 69 degrees Celsius while the average radiator temperature rose to 58 degrees Celsius. Memory temperatures also started to suffer as they rose to between 67 and 73 degrees Celsius.

Finally, coping with our considerable overclock really pushed the cooler to its limits, allowing the core temperature to rise to 82 degrees Celsius while the average grill temperature crept up to 59 degrees Celsius. Also, memory went through the roof at 77 to 85 degrees. We certainly wouldn't advise anyone to run their graphics card regularly at these sorts of temperatures so at the very least some additional airflow will be required to maintain an overclock of this scale.

Final Thoughts...

As with the PowerColor Radeon X1950 Pro SCS3, the target market for the 7950 GT iChiLL Accelero S1M is different to that of the normal enthusiast. Most often, performance and value would be the major discerning factors for the gamer on a budget. However, if you want a totally silent card, you're going to have to pay a slight premium and your choices are going to be inherently more limited.

Therefore, the fight for the passive performance crown really comes down to a three-way battle between the XFX GeForce 7950 GT 570M Extreme, the PowerColor Radeon X1950 Pro SCS3, and today's Inno3D iChiLL 7950GT Accelero S1M.

Although the XFX GeForce 7950 GT 570M Extreme has been out for a while and allows you to use SLI far easier because of the heatsink is out the way on the rear of the card. However, the Inno3D GeForce 7950 GT iChill G5G3C overclocks exceptionally well and would you really want to use SLI with two passive coolers heatsink up your case internals?

At around £140 to £150 (inc VAT) it's not too expensive and it's more powerful than the PowerColor we reviewed recently for around the same price. However, like the PowerColor, this card unfortunately isn't available to buy yet. This means that you've still got the chance to check out how the mid-range DirectX 10 parts perform before making your decision. Obviously though, they will almost definitely all include fans for the first few months and games designed to make use of the additional features on the new cards won't be out for a while yet either.

So, this card is one for you if you're looking for a silent performer and are not too fussed about DirectX 10. Let's hope you'll be able to buy it before too long...