Power, Temps and Noise, Conclusion
Total draw from the wall with our Intel Core i7-8700K test platform had the XC Ultra with a surprisingly low number under load, as the Founders Edition RTX 2060 consumed quite a bit more in the same test. This was repeatable, so I'm assuming the FE is just using more voltage but I didn't investigate further as I only noticed this long after completing these test runs.
The total draw increased to 289W with our final overclock of +90 core, +1000 memory, with the power limit increased to 114%.
Temps were very good as well, and it's worth noting as we study these delta (above ambient) results that this EVGA XC Ultra and a few others on the list are passively cooled at idle, resulting in some higher idle temps then we commonly see.
As to noise, since the fans do not spin at idle there is nothing to report there, and under load I measured 35.8 dBA. Noise was higher when overclocking (closer to 40 dBA), but that was a manual speed adjustment and not counted here. Overall this is a very quiet card.
Conclusion
While some partner cards will offer a more budget-conscious take on a given GPU, others provide improved power delivery or enhanced cooling capabilities, or a mix of both. With a card like the GeForce RTX 2060 XC Ultra EVGA is aiming for the latter, as this variant offers an overclocked GPU core and the company’s full-length dual-slot cooler design, which features hydro-dynamic bearing (HDB) fans optimized for low noise operation.
What about cost? For the added performance of this XC Ultra version EVGA asks a paltry $20 over the base $349 for an RTX 2060, making this a compelling option at $379. Considering how close this card gets to the performance of an RTX 2070 with some light overclocking, the value proposition gets even better. Highly recommended!
What is the difference
What is the difference between Silver, Gold and editor’s choice awards?
The way I think of it is
The way I think of it is silver and gold are good and great, editor's choice is what the reviewer personally recommends. Kind of like gold+, but it has to stand out against the competition, or offer a great value, or something like that.
All award levels and recommendations take performance and value into consideration, and I picked editor's choice for this card because it can give you very close to RTX 2070 levels of performance for $20 more than a stock RTX 2060.
Thanks for the reply
Thanks for the reply