Test Setup

All testing was completed using our standard graphics test system, which uses the following components:

• CPU: Intel Core i7-5960X at 4.2GHz (33 x 127.3MHz)
  
• Motherboard: Asus Rampage V Extreme
  
• Memory: 4 x 4GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 2,800MHz DDR4 (at 2,667MHz)
  
• PSU: Corsair AX1500i
  
• SSD: OCZ Vector 180 960GB
  
• Case: Corsair Graphite Series 760T
  
• CPU cooler: Corsair Hydro Series H75
  
• Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit

To water-cool the card, we hooked it into a loop consisting of an Phobya DC12-220, XSPC Acrylic Tank Reservoir and a slimline 240mm radiator cooled by two Corsair SP120L fans.

We tested in one synthetic benchmark (Unigine Valley) one DirectX 11 title (The Witcher 3) and one DirectX 12 game (Ashes of the Singularity).

Initial air-cooled results, which are highlighted in red in the graphs below, were taken at stock settings, at stock clock speeds but with the power and temperature limits set to maximum and finally at the maximum achievable overclock. For comparison, we then repeated the same three tests with the water-cooling gear fitted, and these results are highlighted in purple. Lastly, we set about finding the maximum overclock achievable on water, and took performance results for those settings.

For thermal performance, we stress-tested the card in all the above configurations with the fans running at 12V. Using Molex adaptors, we then performed the same stress-test with the card running at its maximum stable overclock, but with the fans running at 7V and then at 5V.

Results