Overclocking
Overclocking the HIS 6850 IceQ X Turbo 1GB Graphics Card went very well indeed. Keep in mind that out-of-the-box, HIS have already applied a healthy overclock to run the card at levels nearing that of a default 6870. Whilst it’s true that the 6850 is a great overclocker, I still was very surprised by just how much headroom was left in our sample.
| Core | Memory | |
| Default | 775Mhz | 1000MHz |
| HIS 6850 IceQ X Turbo | 820MHz | 1100MHz |
| HIS 6850 IceQ X Turbo Overclocked | 950MHz | 1150MHz |
I’ve shown the default 6850 speeds in the table above so you can see just what a good jump it is. That’s not to say that the HIS 6850 IceQ X Turbo is conservative with it’s speeds, as HIS have given it a pretty nice boost. Looking around the web, it seems that high overclocks are par the course for this card, with our overclock actually being lower than many. With voltage tweaking, 1GHz core is not unheard of.
The Difference
Average frame rates rise quite nicely, as you can see in the above graph. I’ve thrown in the numbers for a 6870 as well, so you can see just how close the overclocked HIS 6850 IceQ X Turbo Graphics Card gets to it. For DiRT 2, in game, you would be hard pushed to tell the difference. In Left 4 Dead 2, you may notice as your minimum frame rates could get lower if there is a lot happening on screen, but average frame rates are quite similar. Tweak the voltage and hopefully get over 1GHz and you’ll certainly be matching or more likely beating a 6870. You would probably be chasing the tail of an NVIDIA 560Ti.
As always though, you have to keep in mind that our results may not be your results; overclocking is always going to be a lottery between cards, but I’d say odds are quite good that you’ll get a decent overclock out of the HIS 6850 IceQ X Turbo Graphics Card if the out-of-the-box clocks are not to your satisfaction.
The new IceQ X cooling setup looks great and works well, keeping things cool and quiet at all times. With default HIS 6850 IceQ X Turbo clocks, Idle temperature is 38C, Load temperature is 68C. Overclocked, the Load temperature never breaks 73C. And it does this while keeping noise very low for a graphics card.
Final Words
I love this . It simply checks all the right boxes. Right from the start when you open the box and see the card, you know you’ve got something good in your hands. Some have criticized the new cooler’s aesthetics, and while yes, I too am a little tired of blue, I think the new cooler looks great. I especially like the chrome heat-pipes that look fantastic through a case window, like the exhaust manifold of a large engine.
The uses only a single PCIe power header, so you won’t have to worry too much about your electric bill. The new cooler also keeps things very quiet as well as cool, with the highest recorded load temperature being only 68C (you’ll usually see lower than this).
In games, the raised clocks of the help boost your frame rates to near 6870 averages. In some DirectX 9 games it certainly comes close enough to be almost indistinguishable to a 6870 in game. DirectX 11 games, the puts up a strong fight, but the 6870 does tend to stretch it’s legs a little more. It’s quite close though, and with frame rates being generally closer in DirectX 11 games, you may not notice the difference between the and a 6870.
And if that’s not enough for you, whilst there is a random pick to overclocking, many folks have been overclocking the to some rather high levels. We managed to raise the core to 950MHz, which is actually a little lower than some clocks we’ve seen with this card. The is capable of voltage tweaking with the right software, and this could take your further, with 1GHz core not unheard of.
If you’re not the overclocking type, your certainly not going to be disappointed with the performance of the , as it really does crank out frame rates beautifully, and it would make a great companion for a 1920×1080 resolution screen, or perhaps some Eyefinity action with perhaps lowered Anti-Aliasing. Most games on a single screen you can crank to the maximum.
The price of the is as I write this, which makes it good value for money too. So the is high performing, quiet, cool, and easy on the wallet. They generally seem to overclock well too. What more could you ask for in a mid-range card?
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