Do fans on a video card throttle down when drawing 2D?

[Jumpem]

Specifically the 5870.

 

[Forumpanda]

As far as I have read it is basically inaudible when idle, given that low 27W power usage thats not really unexpected.
Also popular opinion seems to say that it is a little quieter than the last gen ATI cards when under load if you have one of those to compare with.

However the real key to low noise fans be it CPU, GPU, PSU or case fans is controlling the fan speed yourself, if you have any kind of airflow through your case then there is really no reason why any fan should be more than barely audible - and that only when under load (I personally have my computer on my desk with no case, and the loudest thing is my 5400rpm drive sitting on a piece of cloth).

 

[NYHoustonman]

Yes, the 5870 runs at ~20% fan speed (at idle) and is most likely inaudible unless it's the only fan in your case. For me, even under load, it gets to maybe 50% fan speed and isn't too bad. I tried manually setting it to 100% just to check, and it does get a TON louder, though .

 

[Bull Dog]

5870 owner here. Yes, very quiet when idle

 

[lopri]

Today's cards control fan speeds to temps rather than to frequencies, as far as I know.

 

[Jumpem]

Awesome, thanks.