GeForce GTX 480 noise levels bunked

[Zebo]

Guru3d LOLZ... What next? Wrekage as your source?

 

[frostedflakes]

I think the point they were trying to make is that noise measurements on quite a few tech sites are taken very close to the cooler, which just isn't realistic at all. The only thing these measurements are really good for is comparing relative noise between cards. Sites like SPCR measure from a distance of 1m, which is a realistic distance a user would be separated from the noise producing components in their computer.

That said, there's no doubt the GTX480 is one of the noisier GPUs out there, and is still very loud even in a closed case @ 1m.

 

[Cookie Monster]

I think the point they were trying to make is that noise measurements on quite a few tech sites are taken very close to the cooler, which just isn't realistic at all. The only thing these measurements are really good for is comparing relative noise between cards. Sites like SPCR measure from a distance of 1m, which is a realistic distance a user would be separated from the noise producing components in their computer.

That said, there's no doubt the GTX480 is one of the noisier GPUs out there, and is still very loud even in a closed case @ 1m.

Thank you. This was the point I was trying to make

 

[Unkle_Tar]

Go over to hardocp, play the 2 videos of the cards running at the same time(5870 and 480). skip to around 3/4 of the way through to get to where they are at high temps. Theres a huge difference in the noise levels.

 

[Adul]

Why not listen to the sound and video files recored by Hard|ocp
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/03/26/nvidia_fermi_gtx_470_480_sli_review/7

It is pretty easy to tell the 480 is loud.

 

[badb0y]

Why not listen to the sound and video files recored by Hard|ocp
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/03/26/nvidia_fermi_gtx_470_480_sli_review/7

It is pretty easy to tell the 480 is loud.

Throughout the first minute and 20 seconds I thought it wasn't THAT bad but after that it sounded like a fucking jet took off.

 

[konakona]

So, we have four reputable sources telling us the card's noise and heat is excessive, and we also have [ H ]’s videos which they claim are accurate as to what they actually hear when sitting in the lab.

Sorry Cookie, but you’re clutching at straws if you go off what Guru3D is saying. The GTX480 is an absolute furnace. We know this from multiple objective and subjective measurements. It’s hotter and louder than a 5970, which is two GPUs slapped onto a single board using the same manufacturing process.

looks like your attempt at debunking has been soundly debunked, maybe the thread needs a title change?

dunno, if you are confident the noise level doesn't bother you, maybe you should try buying/borrowing one and make your own videos/measurements to convince us? I don't think I would be happy with the noise level this card makes (yes, I do have very quite computers with only a few low rpm yate loons running inside)

 

[at80eighty]

you know the trolls are grasping in the dark when they try to even think of comparing the credibility of AT over g3D. baffling.

 

[RobertR1]

you know the trolls are grasping in the dark when they try to even think of comparing the credibility of AT over g3D. baffling.

They're just doing damage control for their team. At worst, they're doing their job as PR affiliates but anyway.

Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfQOU3T0O3Q

The card is a disaster through and through.

 

[MarcVenice]

The GTX 480 is so loud, that it was very audible at the end of my testing room, which measures like 10 meters? It would drown out any noise created by other videocards. I can allready hear a HD 5970 in my case, let alone a GTX 480. Also, my own measurements come very close to 63-64dBA, so I think all websites are right, and Guru3D is wrong.

Did you read Guru3D's conclusion? Can you honestly say he is not Nvidia-biased? Actually you could, because if you read his reviews, he will ALWAYS find something positive to say about the product, ignoring the cons. So it might be that he's just a very positive guy, or he just likes the advertising on his website?

 

[Apocalypse23]

They're just doing damage control for their team. At worst, they're doing their job as PR affiliates but anyway.

Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfQOU3T0O3Q

The card is a disaster through and through.

yup, with that noise, hell no, reminds me of my 9800gx2...my gx2 would do 110C load with 100% fan...

 

[Cookie Monster]

Thread title changed.

I didnt honestly know guru3d was nVIDIA biased. I think hes rather positive/optimistic toward all products than being biased though like what Marc suggests.

Anywho, Im eagerly waiting for BFG10Ks review on the GTX470 which seems to be more acceptable when it comes to power/noise.

 

[pmv]

So, um, now its been rebunked?

 

[Ryan Smith]

Hmm? Quite a few, actually:

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3783&p=19


Their objective dBA reading for the GTX480 (64.1) was higher than that of the 5970 (63.6), which is a dual-GPU card.

Just so we're clear (I don't want my article being taken too far out of context here), our 4890 is not unreasonably loud in that "In terms of pure dB, it's above some magic level of acceptable noise", it's unreasonably loud compared to other 4800 series cards. It consumes virtually the same amount of power as our 1GB 4870, and yet it's over 10dB louder than the 4870. While the 4870 probably tuned a little too much towards quietness at the cost of heat, the 4890 is tuned in entirely the opposite direction - it gets very loud to the benefit of load temperatures in the 70s (heck, it's the second coolest card under Crysis, beating our otherwise marvelous rev 2 5770).

So it's an unreasonably loud card because it was poorly tuned, not because of its overall noise levels. However it's a bad omen that NVIDIA's GTX 480 surpasses that poorly tuned card and still gets in to the mid 90s on temperature.

 

[GaiaHunter]

Sincerely I enjoyed the guru3d for long but this review OMG.

The language used... Could have been me living a football match of my team.

And I think the GTX480 isn't as bad as many people paint it - it is too hot, too loud and power hungry but performance isn't bad, so it isn't exactly a FX5800 - it is probably slightly better than a 2900 XT.

 

[Ares202]

Its loud as hell, but the card is no disaster like the FX 5800

the FX 5800 was actually slower than ATI's last generation, thats like saying fermi turned out slower than the ATI 4890

they should have just gone for a massive triple slot cooler for the GTX 480, at least then it would be quieter

 

[Skott]

I think nVidia has a problem on their hands with the 480. It is definitely quite loud. When i first heard it I thought, vaccuum cleaner. It also drinks a lot of power under load and gets pretty darn warm. Add these three things to the whole mix and its a problem for nVidia. And I haven't even mentioned pricing. I'm not brand loyal and I love nVidia cards but even I have to say nVidia has a problem. Now can the noise problem be solved? Probably with a better cooler on it but then if its aftermarket that is another cost on top of what the buyer already has paid for the card. Yes, nVidia has a problem. The next question is how will they fix it?

 

[Modelworks]

db is never measured right next to the device , I can't remember the exact distance but I think the standard is 1 meter from the source. Cases can amplify or cut the noise too. 60db is about the level that people talk at in a room . I hope this isn't a card that requires people to do things like" I got a new gtx480", "what ?" , "I SAID I GOT A NEW GTX 480!"

 

[Qbah]

db is never measured right next to the device , I can't remember the exact distance but I think the standard is 1 meter from the source. Cases can amplify or cut the noise too. 60db is about the level that people talk at in a room . I hope this isn't a card that requires people to do things like" I got a new gtx480", "what ?" , "I SAID I GOT A NEW GTX 480!"

!!

 

[HeXen]

So, um, now its been rebunked?

lol, thats what i'm trying to figure out. Amongst all the fanbois, its hard to tell other than the simple fact that obviously no one really knows 100% of anything aside from the fact that all the latest high end cards are pretty loud enough to be annoying. Either use something like Aerocool extrme GTX Pro which has just .5 sone or liquid cool it.

i thought thats why this kind of stuff is supposed to be measured in Sones and not decibels? And who cares about the differences between AT and Guru3d, nothing is an exact science with hardware/software. Their to be used as references in conjunction to help make purchasing decisions.

 

[Stoneburner]

From what I remember, the fx5800 turned into a total disaster only after the 3dmark cheating thing came out.

 

[FrgMstr]

Why not listen to the sound and video files recored by Hard|ocp
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/03/26/nvidia_fermi_gtx_470_480_sli_review/7

It is pretty easy to tell the 480 is loud.

I can hear 480 SLI downstairs in my kitchen while it is running upstairs in my office. Doing some more single card testing now.

 

[WelshBloke]

I can hear 480 SLI downstairs in my kitchen while it is running upstairs in my office. Doing some more single card testing now.

Nice review btw, the videos are really helpful.

 

[Ben90]

Don't even need graphs and numbers. I recall heatpipes judding from the stock 480. To me that speaks volumes about how much heat and thus, noise that thing generates.

By your logic its not as loud as your CPU cooler:

 

[at80eighty]

ZOMG if guru3d says so it MUST be tr00!!!1

brb I need to sue Anand & Kyle for slanderous objective reporting complete with video & sound files