Following our first video "Performance vs Power consumption (part 1)" and tests of The Beast with a RTX 2080S and a RTX 3080 via different bench sessions, we release today our "part 2" focused on in-game tests.
We did different tests, with the case opened and closed, and at different powers. The purposes of these tests is to see the temperatures and performances of The Beast equipped with a high-end graphic card in-game & its spreader.
All tests are done at 21°C ambient, with a Ryzen 3800XT in auto mode and a Zotac RTX 3080 Trinity OC equipped with a full covering spreader, on "Assassin's Creed - Odyssey" at 1080p in "Ultra" mode. Each session includes exploration & fights and are stopped when the temperatures are stabilized. All tests are done in fanless mode, of course.
First test:
Case opened - No optimization of the card - 320W
Our first test consists in playing without any optimization of the RTX 3080. That means the card is limiting its power while we're playing since The Beast can't cool down 320W in fanless, even with the case opened. But this test highlights tow main topics: 1/ the optimum power which is at 240W and 2/ the average of FPS (before throttling) which is 102.
Second test:
Case opened - Optimization of the card - 225W vs 180W
For our second, we launch two sessions with the case opened (no side panels & no top mesh) and we limit the power at 225W during our first test and 180W for the second one. These sessions show us the impact of the limitation of the power on the performances and the temperatures. The reduction of power only slightly impacts the performances (-4% at 225W and -8% at 180W) while the decrease of the temperatures is important (-12°C at 225W and -24°C at 180W).
(PS: we didn't play during this specific test, only launched the game while we we're preparing orders!)
Third test:
Case closed - Optimization of the card - 225W vs 180W
Our third and last test consists in the same sessions but with the case fully closed - we use the aluminum panels option. Once again, the impact on the temperatures is big (-8°C at 225W and -19°C at 180W). Here again, the energy and cost saving remains important without noticeable difference when playing.
Conclusion:
As a conclusion, The Beast can be equipped with the most powerful graphic cards of the market as long as a careful optimization of their power is done. These tests show the impact on the performances (-4%) and the temperatures (-8°C) when downcloking a RTX 3080 to 225W. The optimum power in fanless is 240W, making The Beast the most extreme fanless PC of the market.