![xfx radeon hd 6850 video card xfx radeon hd 6850 video card](https://c1.neweggimages.com/ProductImage/14-150-505-03.jpg)
XFX is using a partially shrouded design in order to keep hot air from blowing out of the bottom of the card & towards the motherboard, along with providing some structural stability to the card. These open designs are both cooler and quieter as air doesn’t need to be forced through several inches of heatsink & shrouding, at a cost of relying more on a case’s cooling abilities.
![xfx radeon hd 6850 video card xfx radeon hd 6850 video card](http://www.ozone3d.net/public/jegx/201010/hd6850_gpuz.jpg)
As is common with cards in this price range and performance level, XFX has ditched the 5850/6850 blower for a more open design that features a center-mounted fan that blows air out the front and the rear of the card. Meanwhile in terms of build quality the card is fairly normal for a mainstream video card along with the usual solid capacitors, XFX is also using solid state ferrite core chokes here.Īttached to the top of the card is a completely custom cooler. Unfortunately the PCIe power socket is still rear facing, meaning while the card is shorter than the reference 6850, you need to factor in space needed for a PCIe power cable. The PCB runs half an inch shorter than the reference 6850, measuring 8.5”, while among other differences the XFX 6850 has a second unused set of pads for a second 6pin PCIe power socket. In terms of design the XFX 6850 only bears little resemblance to the reference 6850. Kicking of our look at 6850s is XFX’s Radeon HD 6850 (HD-685X-ZNFC), a card we’ve had since the 6850 launch two weeks ago and provided to us by XFX to allow us to test 6850 CrossFire performance.