Radeon HD 3650 Showdown - ASUS vs. HIS

Besides the clock speeds and amounts of memory, there's a number of other things to consider when comparing these two cards.  In fact, aesthetically, they couldn't be any more different...
 

First up is the ASUS EAH3650 TOP, a card with a red PCB whose visage is dominated by the Glaciator fan centered directly over the GPU.  The top-down pictures shown here might actually be a bit deceiving as one might get the impression that the EAH3650 TOP only requires one slot.  The truth is, the depth of the Glaciator makes it impossible to place another card next to it.  While many a PC enthusiast might not take issue dual-slot card taking up additional slots when the card offers ultra high frame rates, they may not make the same concessions for a lower-performing HD 3650, especially with the noise output we encountered.  Thermal testing, shown later on this page, also make a case for less-intensive cooling methods.

The Glaciator itself consists of an aluminum heatsink attached directly to the GPU, which is surrounded by a plastic shroud.  Although the plastic covering gives the Glaciator a much larger imprint, we saw that it provides little, if any, cooling for the memory underneath.  Four ICs from Qimonda marked as part number HYB18H512321BF-12 are rated for 1000 MHz operation, which might provide a bit more wiggle room in the overclocking department, even with the lack of direct cooling.  Output consists of dual DVI ports and an S-VIDEO / HD Component output port nestled in between.

One cannot mistake the HIS Radeon HD 3650 IceQ Turbo for a single-slot card as the well-known IceQ cooler is used here as it is on most of HIS' other overclocked cards.  Coloring is the complete opposite as well, utilizing cooler blues and greens for the board, fan, and designer graphics.  The IceQ cooler runs the entire length of the card, with a rear-mounted fan that pushes cooler air over the GPU and RAM and out the chassis through a ventilated bracket.  Again, the same argument regarding taking up two slots applies here, as the HD 3650 really doesn't run all that hot.

Thankfully, although the fan has the same diminutive size as the one found on the EAH3650 TOP, sound output was far less noticeable.  Air pulled in by the fan actively cools the heatsink, which in turn keeps the memory chips on the front side cooler, but those on the rear of the card receive no such treatment.  Taking a closer look at these, we found eight Samsung K4J52324QE-BJ1A ICs in total, four each on the front and back, rated at 1000 MHz as well. Output options mirror what ASUS offers: dual-link DVI and S-VIDEO / HD Component ports are the catch of the day.

We monitored the temperatures of both cards while sitting at Idle for 15 minutes, and then while under a stressful run of PT Boats.  At idle, the Glaciator fan kept the ASUS EAH3650 TOP at 31 degrees Celcius - 2 degrees cooler than the HIS HD 3650 IceQ Turbo.  This came at the cost of extra noise output, as we mentioned earlier.  Under load, however, we noticed the same peak temperature of 44 degrees.